Connor McMichael made his statement and Anthony Mantha looked dialed in, while Matthew Phillips was the OT hero in a 5-4 win for the Capitals in Beantown.
It was an outstanding offensive effort for the Washington Capitals in Boston on Tuesday, and it paid off big time as the team fought hard, managed 40 shots and earned every inch a 5-4 overtime win over the Boston Bruins.
Matthew Phillips sniped the game-winning goal, while Connor McMichael had himself a night and Anthony Mantha also showed what he can do when building some momentum.
Here are all the takeaways from the victory.
Connor McMichael Puts On A Show With 10 Shots, Establishes Self On Top-6
After spending almost all of last season down in the AHL following a demotion early in the 2022-23 campaign, McMichael is expected to be back up with the big club and showed exactly what he can do with more ice time in the win.
Just 26 seconds into the game, the 22-year-old got things going with a nifty backhand goal off a rebound in front. Then, after just 3:11 minutes, he had five shots on goal.
He was by far Washington's best player, getting to the right areas and using his speed to his advantage. His neutral zone play was also impressive, as he was engaged in battles and making good use of the stick. He was also making smart passes and plays on the fly.
McMichael finished the night with a team-leading 10 shots and a plus/minus rating of plus-1 through 15:14. He was also playing top-6 hockey.
Matthew Phillips All But Wins Roster spot, Plays Hero After Capitals Dominate In OT
Washington had a dominant outing in overtime, controlling the play and keeping things in the offensive zone. As time wound down, Phillips would step up once again and picked up his second goal in as many games to win it for D.C.
The 25-year-old was again using his speed to his advantage, and to end things in OT, he made a great deke before sniping a rocket of a shot past Linus Ullmark to secure the victory.
Given his performance and the fact that he has put up points in every preseason game he's played so far, while piling on the pressure and being tenacious on pucks while showcasing his skill, it's hard to imagine him not cracking the opening night roster as he continuously puts the coaching staff on notice.
Capitals Thrive On Power Play, 4 Have Multi-Point Outings
The Capitals' power play was also on full display and impressed by going 2-for-3.
Nicklas Backstrom looked good on the half-wall and got a tic-tac-toe play going by finding Evgeny Kuznetsov on the goal line, who fed Tom Wilson in the bumper spot for the team's first power-play strike. Then, in the third, Kuznetsov made another strong pass, finding John Carlson for a point blast for the club's second PPG of the game.
There was good movement and chemistry on the power play, with the usual suspects generating plenty of pressure.
In addition to the PP, four Washington skaters put up multi-point outings: Backstrom, Kuznetsov, Wilson and Dylan Strome.
Anthony Mantha Has Fair Share Of Chances, Can't Catch Break
Anthony Mantha, who enters 2023-24 with plenty to prove, had his fair share of chances. He was moving his feet and generating speed and opportunities over the course of the night. Two attempts — one a broken-up pass that deflected off a Bruins defender — went off the crossbar, and he was later stopped on the breakaway. Then late in the third as part of a great late push, he hit the post on a wide-open net.
Though he didn't catch a break, there were flashes there of what he can do with some momentum.
Top Shelf Takes
- Hardy Häman Aktell made himself noticeable again. He had a big hit on Milan Lucic earlier in the game to establish his presence, and he was sound defensively despite being a minus-2. Meanwhile, he had a great shift at the end of the game to create some pressure.
- The Lucas Johansen-Vincent Iorio pairing moved the puck well as they continue to try and compete for roster spots. They were a minus-1. Iorio got to work with Häman Aktell toward the end and did a good job creating some late offensive pressure as well.
- Darcy Kuemper still has some rust to shake off and had a rocky start to his first game since April, surrendering two goals on the first two shots again. He recovered and made some impressive stops at times. He finished with 16 saves on 20 shots.
- Sonny Milano picked up his second goal in as many preseason games, and it was a beauty. He made his way in tight, going forehand to backhand and flipping the puck high enough over Ullmark's glove.