The Capitals rookie aims to help spark the power play amid an intensifying playoff push.
ARLINGTON, V.A. — Earlier in the season, the Washington Capitals power play ran through Ryan Leonard. Now, with the team in the thick of an intense playoff push and struggling on the man advantage, the rookie is eager to do what he can to help it regain its spark.
Leonard agreed with coach Spencer Carbery about the power play, saying that the main issue starts with zone entries. Washington is 0-for-10 on the power play since returning from the Olympic break and is operating at 15.5 percent this season, the second-worst PP percentage league-wide.
"It's frustrating, we haven't been able to really produce for this team," Leonard said, adding, "Some of our puck plays, myself included, we're forcing a lot of pucks to the rim... you want to have the puck off the wall as much as possible on a power play to kind of create that o-zone time."
Leonard ranks fifth on the team with nine power-play points and is currently on the top unit with Jakob Chychrun, Alex Ovechkin, Dylan Strome and Tom Wilson. His wicked shot and playmaking prowess makes him a threat, and he's able to get to the open space.
Though the current personnel have come up empty over this last stretch, Leonard remains sure that unit can turn things around.
"I think everyone's going into it, at least me personally, like it doesn't really matter what happened on the power play before. I still have complete confidence in myself and the four other guys out there, and then the other unit too, that we're going to get the job done," Leonard said.
Washington will look to take advantage of the power play on Tuesday in a pivotal game at home against the Utah Mammoth ahead of the trade deadline. That said, even if it doesn't end up with a goal, it should, at the least, generate some kind of momentum when time expires and things go back to 5-on-5.
With the man advantage having been the difference between wins and losses at different points this season, the Capitals know they need to find something there sooner rather than later.
And for Leonard, that starts with simply generating scoring chances and going from there. Even if it doesn't end up with a goal, it should, at the least,
"We just got to trust each other and trust ourselves," Leonard said. "We're all good enough players out there, and we're out there for a reason to have poise and make the smart plays with the puck."