Calgary Flames Reject Likely to Line Up With Alex Ovechkin on Opening Night

The Washington Capitals made several cuts this past Sunday coming into the last week of training camp. This has allowed head coach Spencer Carbery to sort out his lines for the rest of the preseason matchups.

The most notable line coming into the week is the Caps' top one, featuring Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and newly acquired Matthew Phillips. Phillips has skyrocketed up the Caps depth chart after notching a goal and an assist in their game against Detroit.

Here is how Phillips has responded to playing with Ovechkin and Backstrom.

There's no question that Phillips is lacking in the size department. But what the 5 foot 7 forward lacks in size, he makes up for in his skating ability, as he displayed during the game against the Red Wings. Carbery had emphasized the importance of this matchup for forwards like Phillips trying to get NHL roster spots.

This situation is eerily familiar for Calgary Flames fans, of a small player being rejected, then seemingly blowing up in skill. It's the same story as Martin St. Louis. St. Louis was a small forward who went undrafted and then had a brief stint playing two years for the Flames. St. Louis struggled to earn a regular spot in their lineup, then went on to have a hall-of-fame career with the Lightening.

While it's no certainty they will follow the same path, Phillips can definitely get inspiration from one of the greatest undersized players of all time.

As seen on Russian Machine Never Breaks - "Matthew Phillips jumps to Capitals' top line after big game against Red Wings"