A significant portion of the success of the 2024-25 Washington Capitals so far can be attributed to two things: the developmental leaps taken by players like Aliaksei Protas and Connor McMichael, and the successful assimilation of the offseason’s many new players like Pierre-Luc Dubois.
Both were instrumental in earning the Caps another two points in the standings over the visiting LA Kings yesterday – and it started with the opening tally.
The play developed quickly, with Dubois winning the offensive draw and immediately kick-starting the Caps’ forecheck. Dubois and Protas went to work behind the net, winning puck battle after puck battle with their huge frames and keeping LA hemmed into their own zone.
Finally, Kings’ center Alex Turcotte seemed to regain control and tried to clear the puck out of the zone…but instead, shot the puck right into McMichael’s stick at the blue line. The failed clear bounced over to Dubois, who immediately fired it up to Protas, and Protas was left all alone in front of the net with seemingly all the time in the world to do this:
Yeah, you just can’t leave that guy that open. Especially not this season.
Dubois would add a second assist on the power-play goal by Jakub Vrana, the eventual game-winner, and Protas would cap off his evening with an insurance empty-netter late in the third – his 14th goal of the season, officially surpassing his entire output from the three prior seasons combined.
Another strong outing by the trio of McMichael, Dubois, and Protas, a great performance by Logan Thompson, and a stellar defensive effort by the team as a whole all combined to give the Caps a big win over a tough opponent.
Onward to Boston for one more before the holiday break.