Ethen Frank has points in 2 of his last 3 games as he finds potential role on fourth line: ‘I’m controlling what I can control to make a positive impact’

Ethen Frank could be carving himself a new role on the Washington Capitals, playing on a line few may have believed he’d succeed with.

With Pierre-Luc Dubois out long-term due to injury, Frank was placed on the wing of the fourth line, skating with defensive-shutdown forwards Nic Dowd and Brandon Duhaime.

So far, the trio has seen 27:13 of ice time together at five-on-five. And, if you consider that none of their starts have come in the offensive zone, they’ve had a lot of success, especially with limiting big chances.

“[Dowd] and Duhame do a hell of a job helping me out individually,” Frank said.

At 5v5 together, Duhaime-Dowd-Frank have seen 48.1 percent of the shot attempts, 49.5 percent of the expected goals, 43.7 percent of the scoring chances, but 69.5 percent of the expected goals. They’ve outscored their opponents 2-1.

Frank himself has two points in his last three games. And his outing against the Tampa Bay Lightning on November 8 particularly impressed Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery. In the game, Frank had the primary assist on Brandon Duhaime’s first goal of the year after a nice setup feed from behind the net.

“Ethen an impact right away,” Carbery said. “Noticed his speed probably a half-dozen times at least. Was good with the puck. Good in coverage, good on the walls. I thought he was really strong.”

Against the Columbus Blue Jackets on October 24, Frank registered his second career power-play point after putting heavy pressure on goaltender Jet Greaves. His tenacity led to a Tom Wilson rebound goal in front of the net.

Frank, already 27 due to five years in college and parts of five seasons in the AHL, will play in his 29th NHL game against the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night.

“I’m just getting more comfortable every day, feeling more like myself, and I’m starting to realize that I can do more and more each game to help this team win,” Frank said. “So I’m just doing what I can and controlling what I can control to make a positive impact on the game.”

Update: Frank has points in three of his last four games after authoring the primary assist on Brandon Duhaime’s first-period goal against the Hurricanes.