PORTLAND – It was a demotion but also a promotion of sorts.

For much of his NHL career, Brian Sutherby has been a fourth-line player.

For a kid dreaming to be part of hockey at its highest level, that suited the Edmonton native just fine to some extent.

Still, Sutherby and the Washington Capitals have higher hopes for the former first-round choice, and his recent assignment to Portland may help that cause. He was reassigned to Portland Friday when Colin Forbes was called up. Sutherby quickly went from the Capitals’ fourth line to Portland’s top line.

“Coming out of juniors, it seemed like the greatest thing in the world,” said Sutherby of his fourth line job in Washington. “For me, I was living out my dream. I’m playing in the NHL. It didn’t matter what I had to do. It’s still like that. I’ll still do anything they want me to do up there, but I’m 21 years old, and they want me to be more than that, and I want to be more than that. If this is what I have to do, it’s what I have to do.”

A highly touted player coming out of juniors, Sutherby never got much seasoning in Portland. He’s played just seven AHL games with the Pirates.

Prior to Saturday night when had had a goal and two assists, Sutherby had never scored a goal for the Pirates.

Washington has kept him on their roster for most of his pro career, and he’d played 105 games with the Caps entering this season.

Most of that has been in a limited role on a checking line. He’s totalled just four goals and nine assists in parts of two seasons with Washington.

Sutherby had two goals in 26 games this season while still struggling to crack more than a part-time role.

His previous stints in Portland have been brief but this assignment should give him opportunity to play a role he hasn’t had since scoring 79 goals and 99 assists for Moose Jaw in the WHL. He’s playing on Portland’s top lines and seeing plenty of ice time on the special teams.

“It definitely different hockey down here,” said Sutherby. “It’s sort of a different game for me. I’m more of a go-to guy. I’m a guy that’s looked upon as a leader and a guy that has to go out and get the job done and is relied upon. So that’s kind of nice.”

On a Portland team that is starved for goal scorers, Sutherby will be counted on to help fill that void, especially after losing both Forbes and Trent Whitfield. It gives Sutherby the chance to establish himself in a new role.

“They don’t want me to be a fourth-line player, and that’s kind of the way it has been,” he said. “Call it a bump in the road or whatever, but being a fourth-line player at 21, I don’t think they want me to stay on that path.”

Though Sutherby had not been a scratch in Washington lately, his limited role was not what they envisioned for him. So when the new assignment came, it wasn’t a surprise.

“You just kind of get a feeling a little bit,” he said. “I wasn’t overly caught off guard. I could see it coming a little bit.”

He’s excited about a new opportunity. Though it is a bit of a setback, it provides a new challenge with a greater reward.

“Obviously everyone wants to be in the NHL and that’s my ultimate goal,” he said. “That’s where I want to be. I have to prove myself down here. I’d still like to be up there, but I’m going to focus on working as hard as I can and do whatever I can to try to get back there.”

Making progress

As disappointing as Saturday’s tie was for the Pirates, the team is still making some headway, despite losing integral players like Forbes and Whitfield. After a 4-1 win over Springfield, the Pirates dominated Providence Saturday but settled for a 4-4 tie.

The eight goals in two games was the largest scoring output the team has had in back-to-back games since consecutive wins of 5-0 and 3-2 back in October.

“For me, the biggest thing is how we played,” said Pirates coach Tim Army. “We played well. The most important thing for me to focus on is who we’re playing. We got a possible three out of four points in those two games.”

Notations

* Goaltender Maxime Ouellet recorded his first NHL win and shutout with a 5-0 victory over Atlanta last week. It was Ouellet’s first NHL start since he was a 19-year-old in 2000-2001. He gave up two Brett Hull goals in a 3-1 loss against Dallas while playing for Philadelphia. Ouellet is in Washington to back up Olaf Kolzig while Sebastien Charpentier is out with an injury. He recently flip-flopped jobs with Rastislav Stana, who had been in Washington but returned to Portland to see more action.

* Former Pirate Rob Skrlac scored his first NHL goal the other night for New Jersey in a game against Atlanta.