WASHINGTON, DC — Ryan Leonard is only in his sophomore season in the NHL, but he recorded an all-time career highlight.
Leonard scored in absolutely ridiculous fashion against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday, carrying the puck nearly the full length of the ice and splitting New Jersey’s defenders for an early goal of the year candidate.
Ryan Leonard’s highlight-reel goal against Devils
The play began behind the Capitals’ net after the Devils’ penalty kill cleared the puck down the ice. Logan Thompson initially steadied the puck and passed it to Jakob Chychrun, who found Leonard at the right circle.
Leonard then skated from his own defensive zone all the way to the opposite blue line, where he backhand-forehand dangled between top defenseman Luke Hughes and forward Evan Rodriguez. As if that wasn’t dazzling enough, he followed up that move by beating Timo Meier in a footrace and stepping over Hughes’ stick — which was still between Leonard and the net — to put himself all alone in front.
At that point, actually scoring on Devils goaltender Jake Allen may have been the easiest part of Leonard’s job.
Leonard said postgame that an earlier moment in the power play showed him where the Devils could be vulnerable.
“The first break-in we had, I kicked it to Stromer and thought they were kind of overplaying that a little bit,” he said. “I saw it a little bit in the D’s footing. Just took a chance.”
Grinning, he said that the goal was “probably up there” as one of the best he’s scored.
“It brings a lot of energy,” Vincent Desharnais said of the play. “I mean, that’s the type of player he is. He’s just such a high-skill player. The thing I like the most about him is that he can be physical, he can throw some hits, but he can also score those goals that are highlight reels. He’s going to be here for a while.”
The nearly singlehanded scoring effort is even impressive to watch in the NHL’s EDGE Goal Visualizer
Head coach Spencer Carbery broke down more specifics of the play postgame.
“He’s really good in there on his edges in tight areas,” Carbery said of Leonard. “So I feel like, where he was, I’m like, ‘Oh, this could be dangerous for [Luke Hughes], that middle D, because he got him behind their F1 and their 1-3, which, you know, majority of teams play on their penalty kill forecheck. So once you get into a space where you’re attacking that middle D with some speed, and Leno is extremely deceptive, good on his edges, and I was like, ‘[Hughes is] in a real vulnerable spot.’
“And then [Leonard] pulls that puck inside. That was a pretty impressive play. It’s a highlight-reel power play entry, which I’m sure a lot of power play coaches will be showing in their pre-scouts. But it’s a lot more difficult to accomplish than just saying ‘Hey, go do this.’”
Watching Leonard’s show-stopping goal seemed to energize the Capitals after a lethargic start to the afternoon matinee. Though New Jersey had struck first, the Capitals returned to the second period with vigor, getting goals from Ilya Protas, Dylan Strome, and Boone Jenner. Washington held the Devils scoreless until the final minute of the game, ending the contest with a final score of 4-2.
“When you’re trailing in a game and you’re playing well, you need something, right?” Carbery said. “And so whether it’s a big hit, or something that gets some juice into your group that, ‘We’re down, this sucks, but we’re going to find our way back…’ He makes a huge play and basically brings the building to life and brings our bench to life.
“And then that snowballs [to] grabbing that momentum and taking it into the intermission and then taking over the game in the second. So it was a huge play, huge moment, highlight reel. You’ll be seeing that, I have a feeling, all year long.”
Saturday’s effort continues an impressive start to the campaign for Leonard, who signed an eight-year extension worth $10.5 million per season in September. Leonard now has seven points (3g, 4a) in eight games this fall, tied for the team lead with Alex Tuch (5g, 2a).
“He was flying tonight,” said Thompson. “He’s a shifty kid, and he’s getting more confidence every game, and he’s going to be a special player in this league for a long time….He has fun off the ice, and then when it’s time to put the work boots on, he works. You can see it in practice, and it’s coming in games. So I’m just happy for him. He’s a big part of this organization for years to come.”
