Home / News / Rasmus Sandin becomes first Capitals defenseman to score three points in team debut: ‘It was a lot of fun out there’

Rasmus Sandin becomes first Capitals defenseman to score three points in team debut: ‘It was a lot of fun out there’

By Katie Adler

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March 4, 2023 11:33 pm

After joining the Capitals on Tuesday via a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Rasmus Sandin played his first game with the team on Saturday. The game proved not only decisive victory for the Caps but also an impressive first impression for the newly-acquired defenseman, who earned a hat trick of assists against the San Jose Sharks.

Only seven total skaters in Capitals history have recorded three points in their debut with the team, and Sandin is the first defenseman to do so, according to Capitals PR.

Both the Capitals and Sandin had a rocky start to the game, going down 2-0 in the first period. Sandin admitted, somewhat hilariously, postgame that he was dissatisfied with his start.

“I thought I was awful in the first period,” Sandin said. “I had no idea what I was doing out there sometimes.”

Sandin noted that he was still getting used to the Capitals’ systems: “I mean, the rest of the team helped us out very well and, the coaching staff is trying to go through the systems with us,” he said, “but it’s still a little bit of an adjustment. It’s going to come a little bit with time, I think.”

By the second period, something clearly clicked for Sandin, who had an excellent second and third period in the Capitals’ 8-3 win.

Sandin’s first point of the night came assisting Craig Smith, another deadline acquisition by the Capitals. Though the goal was initially washed out, a review confirmed the goal and Sandin’s first post-trade point.

Following a penalty call that saw San Jose head coach David Quinn ejected from the game, the Capitals’ power play struck back in a mere five seconds. After receiving the puck off the faceoff from Evgeny Kuznetsov, Sandin passed to Alex Ovechkin in the left circle for a slap shot attempt. TJ Oshie picked up the rebound, putting the Caps up 5-2 on the night.

On a team with a middling power play and without John Carlson, Sandin has made an immediate impact on the man advantage. He brought a calming influence as the quarterback and skated 2:55 with the team’s first unit.

The third point of Sandin’s night came on an Ovechkin goal with less than five minutes to go. That goal also saw the first point for Vincent Iorio in his NHL debut.

After the game, Sandin’s father Patric took the opportunity to congratulate his son on Twitter.

Sandin ended the night with 21:40 of ice time, second most on the team. His numbers via Natural Stat Trick paint a very rosy picture of his overall game – despite a self-described “awful” first period. While Sandin was on the ice at 5v5, the Capitals were even in shot attempts (26-26), had 13 scoring chances to the Sharks’ 10, and their high-danger chances were lopsided at 9-3. The Capitals led in expected goals 1.86 to 1.32 when he Sandin was on the ice at 5v5.

Postgame, Sandin reinforced how excited he was to join the Capitals.

“It just seems like such a tight group,” he said. “I’m just super excited to be a part of it. [In the] four, five days I’ve been here, everyone has welcomed me in very well. It just shows what a team this is.”

He also emphasized how much fun he has had, noting, “It was a lot of fun out there today” multiple times in the short interview.

The Capitals have seen major defensive shake-ups due to both trade and injury–Trevor van Riemsdyk was the only defenseman on the Capitals’ opening night lineup who played tonight. With John Carlson out until at least late-March, Sandin has the opportunity to prove he deserves a bigger role on the team than he had in Toronto. If he continues to play like this, he’ll have made himself an excellent case.

Screenshot: @capitals/Twitter

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