It’s fair to say that the addition of Ethen Frank to the lineup has paid off so far, providing the Capitals with a little burst of energy that they’ve needed. The diminutive winger has been instrumental in securing all three of the points earned in his two games, as he grabbed an assist on the game-tying goal in his first outing and then scored the game-winner last night against the Predators.
Let’s take a look at that goal one more time:
Great job by Matt Roy to find Frank streaking up the boards, catching him in stride as Frank pushes past the Nashville defender, and then a sneaky shot by Frank seems to fool Juuse Saros. Just a nice play all around that capitalizes on Frank’s speed and offensive sensibilities – and great to see him finally get his shot in the NHL, helping to solidify the team’s third line.
And while Frank’s goal ended up being the game-winner (with another goal added on by Andrew Mangiapane and a lovely empty-netter by Alex Ovechkin), the Caps don’t get this win without another stellar performance by Logan Thompson in net. Thompson stood tall against the Preds, turning aside 32 shots a night after he played almost two full periods in relief of an injured Charlie Lindgren.
Thankfully he, and the whole team, will get a few days to rest before their next outing as they prepare to take on the Anaheim Ducks back at home on Tuesday.