You could tell that the Caps wanted to make up for their ugly first period effort against the Canucks on Sunday, as they came out quick and strong against the Kraken and never really let up. The fourth line finally got on the board with their first goal of the season after a nice passing playing involving Brandon Duhaime, John Carlson and a Nic Dowd tap-in. Ryan Leonard was flying all night and cashed in on a nasty ripper. Jakob Chychrun ripped a goal bar down on the power play, and Wilson put it away with an empty netter. The Caps probably could have had many more if it wasn’t for three post shots and some nice Matt Murray saves, but overall it was a strong game by the Caps who needed to cash in on a tired team.
Plus: There was a lot to like about the game, but the Caps’ new lineup that involved using Justin Sourdif at center and moving Hendrix Lapierre to the wing seemed to be a great change. Every line was very well balanced with speed, skill, two-way play, youth and veteran experience. Hopefully these lines stay together moving forward and see what else gels.
Minus: There wasn’t too much to hate on, although you don’t want to see a tired Kraken team, who the Caps basically dominated in the first two periods, find their legs in the third period. They created their best chances in the last frame. It would have been nice to see the Caps maybe put the boot on the throat a bit more but that’s nitpicky.
Caps Star of the Game: A lot of players played well but Ryan Leonard really stood out. He was flying all over the ice. He scored a goal, threw some hits, had a nasty curl-and-drag snipe that rang off the bar, had a couple of great set ups that didn’t go, and had a bloody nose to put the cherry on top. This kid is going to be special.