In a bit of a surprise, Brooks Laich, and not Jason Chimera, will be on the top line with Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom to start Game 5 of the Capitals' first-round 2011 NHL Playoffs against the Rangers. Despite Chimera's success in Game 4 and his previous experience on the top line in the regular season, it'll be Laich starting the game.
Chimera will instead sink down to the third line with fellow Game 4 hero Marcus Johansson and Eric Fehr. Marco Sturm, Jason Arnott and Alexander Semin will be the second line, with Matt Hendricks, Matt Bradley and Boyd Gordon on the fourth line. The defensive pairings will remain the same. John Carlson will stay with Karl Alzner, Mike Green will stick with Jeff Schultz and Scott Hannan will work with John Erskine.
Keep in mind that, as usual, coach Bruce Boudreau often mixes the line combinations depending on the flow of the game.