The Capitals have a ton of superstars — Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and Evgeny Kuznetsov — but it was quiet Swede Marcus Johansson who dominated the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night.
Johansson had two goals and an assist to push the Caps to a blowout 5-2 win.
Big Hit
It wasn’t a purely finesse game for Marcus, as we learned early when he slammed into fellow Swede, goalie Jacob Markstrom. It was an innocent hit, but Johansson made it count.
Goal 1
Barry Trotz wants traffic up front when his defensemen takes from outside, and Johansson is a star pupil. Matt Niskanen put this blast towards the net, but it was a subtle tap by Johansson that made it a goal.
Goal 2
As if the goalie whack and net-front deflection didn’t convince you, Johansson’s coup de grace was the kind of gritty, greasy goal you wouldn’t expect from him — unless you actually have been paying attention for the last few years.
Johansson was the low man. First he fed TJ Oshie, then he picked up Oshie’s leftovers.
Grand total: 2 goals, 1 assist, 1 monster goalie hit, 4 shots on net plus two more attempts, 55% shot-attempt percentage, 16:35 of time on ice, and a big ol’ W from night two in Western Canada.
JOJO x2! #CapsNucks #RockTheRed pic.twitter.com/3ldsrgGc6r
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) October 30, 2016
A two goal night gets @mjohansson90 the #WillOverSkill Robe! #CapsNucks #RockTheRed pic.twitter.com/33YAB1LU0z
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) October 30, 2016
