The Washington Capitals traveled to Newark, New Jersey, on Sunday afternoon to play their third preseason game against the Devils. The Caps came into the contest with a 2-0 record in their previous two exhibition games, outscoring the opposition 10-3.
Graeme Clarke, a former Devils forward, opened the scoring against his old team after a fine passing play from Ilya Protas and Patrick Thomas. Ryan Leonard doubled the lead with a beautiful individual effort down the left wing. Nico Hischier, noted Caps killer, potted a power-play strike to draw New Jersey back into the fray.
Shane Lachance tied the game for the Devils late in the third period to send things into overtime. Andrew Cristall won the shootout after multiple rounds.
Observations
- Loved the combination play from two of the Capitals’ top prospects, Ilya Protas and Patrick Thomas, on the first goal. Those two absolutely tore up the OHL last season, with Thomas finishing first in the league in assists (77) and Protas right behind him in second (74). Graeme Clarke may also be a player to watch when a recall situation occurs this year, as he has prior NHL experience, two 25-goal seasons in the AHL, and is still just 24 years old.
- Ryan Leonard showcased everything that makes him an elite offensive talent in his goal, utilizing his speed, deceptively quick hands, and a nasty snap shot. Spencer Carbery spoke about not wanting the 20-year-old winger to measure his game solely by points and assists, but I think we’ll take another 30 of those this year, Mr. Leonard.
- I thought Rasmus Sandin was noticeably quick and assured in all three zones. He rang the crossbar behind his Swedish countryman, Jacob Markstrom, in the first period.
- Not the greatest preseason debut in the world for Jakob Chychrun, who I thought was absent at best and careless at worst in his first tune-up game. The Capitals are paying him $9 million this season, so he’s got to at least put together a repeat of what he achieved last season. I’m a little wary of his deal and will be keeping a close eye on him throughout the year.
- Another likely AHL-bound player, Louie Belpedio, had a nice game. Good to see depth extends throughout the organization.
- Charlie Lindgren was super solid and even made a 2-on-0 shorthanded stop on Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt. The second Devils goal was called goaltender interference on the Capitals like six times last year. I have zero care about that one going in because the referees remain clueless about how to make that call.
The Capitals will be right back to practice at MedStar Capitals Iceplex on Monday before heading to Nationwide Arena to play the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday. The Caps have three remaining preseason games, two at home, before opening their regular season at Capital One Arena against the Boston Bruins on October 8.
