The Washington Capitals lost to the San Jose Sharks 3-2, failing again to piece together a winning streak. But there was one electrifying moment in a game full of frustrating ones.
Capitals rookie Ryan Leonard reached double digits in goals for the first time in his Capitals career.
Leonard danced around Ryan Reaves and then fired a snap shot from the slot, beating Sharks goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic to the far corner of the net.
The goal, which came at the 9:11 mark of the third period on First Responders Night, brought the Caps back to life, but they couldn’t tie the game in the remaining 10:49 of regulation.
“My goal doesn’t happen without the line before us,” Leonard said postgame. “They wore them down, and we had a whole line change. When you get fresh guys out there against a tired line, that helps.”
He continued, “Franky came for me, I jumped over the boards, and Johnny and Marty did a great job with holding the puck and creating space. I tried to attack the forward, and they did a great job screening the goalie.”
Leonard had 2 shots, 2 hits, and one shot block in 18:35 of ice time. He also had 7 individual shot attempts and 3 scoring chances. Though he still wanted more after the final whistle.
“It’s getting frustrating at this point; we can’t really win two games in a row,” Leonard said. “We have to get something going fast.”
Leonard now has nine points (3g, 6a) in his last nine games. His 29 points (10g, 19a) on the season rank fourth among all NHL rookies.
