WASHINGTON — The Washington Capitals attempted to make over their third line this offseason, putting more emphasis on the penalty kill and the ability to match up against opponents’ top six forwards.

But after a handful of games early in the season, Lars Eller, Carl Hagelin and Richard Panik haven’t played together much, mostly because of injuries. However, with the Capitals’ full lineup finally intact these past two games, the trio has been reunited. And while a bevy of scoring opportunities hasn’t resulted so far, general manager Brian MacLellan never had that in mind for this group anyway.

“I don’t feel we need that much production,” he said. “We need more [of a] two-way game.”

Last year, the Capitals’ third line leaned offensive, with Eller centering since-traded Brett Connolly and Andre Burakovsky. Connolly scored 22 goals, while Burakovsky scored 12 and had 13 assists. Eller finished the season with 13 goals and 23 assists.

This season, Eller has six goals and 10 assists, filling in on various lines because of injuries and suspensions.

Hagelin, who has played in just 22 games after he missed 11 because of an upper-body injury, has no goals and six assists. Panik also has lost 10 games to injury and has two goals with no assists.

Panik said he finally understands Washington’s system, even though he hasn’t been able to convert a flurry of offensive chances. He’s also gotten unlucky, hitting a couple posts.

The Capitals have hit a combined 38 posts or crossbars, which is a league-high total.

“I think it is consistency,” Hagelin said of the line’s needed progression. “It doesn’t matter who you play with, you want to get more than four games to find out each other’s tendencies.

“Once you find that you start to get confidence, and all of a sudden things start happening offensively.”

Eller said he tries to play the same way with Hagelin and Panik as he did with Burkovsky and Connolly.

“I think I have to,” Eller said. “I think before, both Andre and Brett were pure scorers and had their strength with finishing off plays.

“I think I have to think as a shooter as much as I have to think passing, and even more so shooting. But you still have to use your linemates just as much.”

Eller said there are many ways for the third line to contribute other than producing offensively. The Danish center said he’s eager to face opponents’ first or second lines, and Capitals coach Todd Reirden appears to be growing more comfortable with the idea.

“If you do that, you take a little more pride on just not getting scored on,” Eller said.

In Wednesday’s 3-2 victory over Boston, the Eller line had multiple shifts against the Bruins’ top line of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak.

“They need to also be able to play the other team’s top lines, and that will alleviate the pressure from our top two lines in terms of defensive responsibilities,” Reirden said of the third line’s responsibilities. “It opens them up a little bit more for more favorable matchups for us.

“That is going to take a little bit and it will be exciting. But that is how I envisioned it, how I hoped to have it play out with the third line, where not only can they play against the other team’s best players but also [that] they can create offense.”

Because of the star power among the Capitals’ top six forwards, third-line production isn’t essential to the team’s success, but Eller has an eye toward the future.

“The secondary scoring, especially in the playoffs, is just so crucial to the team’s success,” Eller said. “You still have to go out there with the mindset that every player has to make a difference, wanting to score, so from that perspective it doesn’t change.

“The dynamic we have now compared to the past is a little different.”