Home / News / Martin Fehervary records a game-high seven hits in his NHL postseason debut: ‘He was really good’

Martin Fehervary records a game-high seven hits in his NHL postseason debut: ‘He was really good’

By Ian Oland

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August 9, 2020 8:05 pm

Radko Gudas, the Capitals’ de facto seventh defenseman, was scratched on Sunday after commiting a defensive-zone turnover that led to a goal against the Flyers. Into the lineup came 20-year-old defenseman Martin Fehevary who made his NHL postseason debut against the Boston Bruins.

Fehervary showed poise and moved the puck well throughout the game, generating a 54.6 shot-attempt percentage at five-on-five – one of only four Capitals players to tilt the ice in favor of Washington per Natural Stat Trick. Feheravary also posted a game-high seven hits in 15:13 of ice time.

“He was really good,” Tom Wilson said after the game.

“He’s one of the toughest guys to beat wide in practices,” Wilson revealed. “A good pair of boots on him. He’s a smart player. I think he’s a player that when he gets more and more comfortable, his potential is going to be awesome. Smart kid, works hard, and we’re excited to see his future. We saw glimpses of it tonight. He made some great plays and super solid back there. It was fun to watch.”

Fehervary was paired with Michal Kempny during the game. According to Capitals head coach Todd Reirden, Fehervary was inserted into the lineup because he adds an extra dimension of offense to the team.

“Martin’s a really solid prospect for us. We think he’s going to play in the league for a long time. It’s just a matter of putting him in situations where can have success. He can grow. He can get better,” Reirden said. “This was the right opportunity to put him in today. Wanted to add a little bit more offense to our second powerplay unit if we were able to get more powerplays. And a guy who has played the power play a little bit in the American Hockey League in Martin. Obviously, he’s not a huge point producer but he’s a puck mover. His skating is well above average and he can defend that way. I thought it was a good chance for us to look at him next to Michael and we’ll play things by ear here as we get closer to Game One and finding out when that will exactly be and what look we want to go with on our backend.”

During the regular season, Fehervary tallied an assist in six games with the Capitals while contributing 14 points (4g, 10a) in 56 games for the Hershey Bears during his first professional season in North America.

Brenden Dillon added that the young prospect gives the team more depth in a postseason where the team has already played three games without Norris Trophy finalist John Carlson.

“I think for Marty, to come in, have some confidence and play a great 15 minutes for us, I think it bodes well for our team,” Dillon said. “We’re built for playoff hockey. We have a lot of depth up and down our lineup. You see Boyder too jump in and help us out. I think it’s great for Marty and his personal development and obviously for us as a team.”

Full RMNB Coverage of Caps vs Bruins

Screenshot courtesy of NBC Sports Washington

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