Jakub Vrana’s return to the Washington Capitals after five seasons away was emotional. Now, the Czechian forward is turning back the clock and giving the Caps a vintage performance that had once made him a top prospect in the organization.
After sitting for 10 straight games, Vrana kept a good attitude and got a jersey again against the Dallas Stars on December 16. Despite limited minutes, the 2018 Stanley Cup champion eventually rediscovered his scoring touch two games later and has lit the lamp in three-straight contests. He also has a point in four straight (3 goals, 1 assist).
Monday, December 20 against Carolina
Vrana’s first goal of the streak was the game-winner in the Capitals’ 3-1 victory over the Hurricanes (the Charlie Lindgren Puke Game).
Skating down the left wing, the nine-year NHL veteran sniped a shot far side, past the glove of Hurricanes goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov.
Notably, V did an intermission interview with Al Koken and earned the gold chain as player of the the game afterward.
Monday, December 22 against Los Angeles
Vrana hit paydirt again against the Kings. Newly installed on the second power-play unit, the winger blasted a shot from the top of the circles that beat David Rittich. The tally helped lead the Capitals to a 3-1 win over the stingiest team in the league.
Notably, V again did an intermission interview with Al Koken.
Monday, December 23 against Boston
Against the Bruins, Vrana showed he had an elite one-timer too, finding a soft spot in the right circle and clapping a shot past Jeremy Swayman. The tally marked Vrana’s second straight game with a power-play goal. It was the only offense the Caps mustered that night.
Notably, V did another intermission interview with Al Koken, which the longtime reporter admitted had become superstitious at that point.
Vrana’s three-game goal streak is his first for the Capitals since the 2019-20 season, where he scored against the New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, and Montreal Canadiens (January 16 through January 27, 2020).
Despite being healthy scratched in 13 games this season, Vrana sits eighth on the team in goals with seven and is connecting on nearly 30 percent of his shots on net, leading the team with a 29.2 percent shooting percentage.
Evolving Hockey summarizes player impact into a catch-all statistic called Goals Above Replacement. In the even-strength offense compartment of that stat, Vrana ranks 26th out of 390 forwards. Among those same forwards he ranked 373rd in ice time per game and 386th in total ice time.
Vrana is at the bottom-right extreme, indicating a positive impact on even-strength scoring – but with very few minutes per night. Put another way: he’s making the most of what’s he given. It’s being noticed.
“I don’t want to put the pressure on him to score goals, but that’s what he’s capable of doing,” Carbery said. “And that’s why he continues to play and make arguments to get into our lineup because those are the plays. That’s exactly what Jakub Vrana can do in any given moment in a hockey game, can get a puck in a situation and shoot it in the back of the net. It’s hard to do.”
What makes Vrana’s production so impressive is that he’s consistently finding the net despite limited ice time. In the last five games, Vrana has gotten onto the ice under 10 minutes in four of them, including a season-low 6:48 against the Carolina Hurricanes. Carbery has been open that Vrana’s defensive play can sometimes hold him back.
“With V, there’s the give and take,” Carbery said in mid-November. “He’s got the speed, the offensive ability, the shot, and then he has to really work on his game without the puck, and that’s always been him his whole career. So, when you’re creating enough to offset the without-the-puck play, we’re in a good spot. You put up with some misses defensively, but when the ledger starts to move [the wrong way], that’s when we have to get it back to even.
“That’s where I feel like we’re at. There’s just a few plays a game defensively where we’re getting exposed, and it’s costing us in certain situations. And if you’re not creating and scoring and creating a ton of opportunities even in his limited ice, then the ledger becomes unsustainable from a coaching standpoint.”
But Vrana’s good is currently outweighing his bad. If he continues his torrid shooting and plays in all of the Capitals’ final 48 games, he would finish the season with 23 goals — his most in the NHL since he scored a career high of 25 during the 2019-20 season.
