General manager Chris Patrick didn't mince words when asked about the competition for limited roster spots up front on the Washington Capitals.

"We have a number of young players that are kind of knocking on the door and it's time to give them an opportunity. I was joking in the office, it feels like this is the most opportunity we've had in a camp for someone to come in and earn a spot, and there's maybe like one and a half spots available," Patrick pointed out. "It's gonna be a dogfight."

And a dogfight it is. Looking at the projected lineup, there aren't many spots up for grabs on the forward lines. As it stands right now, with Justin Sourdif locked in at fourth-line right wing, there are vacancies on the third line left wing and as an extra forward, and there are over six players in on the competition.

That being the case, it's no surprise that the dogfight got off to a quick start in Sunday's preseason opener, with several Capitals dressed doing what they could to put themselves on Spencer Carbery's radar en route to a 5-2 win over the Boston Bruins.

Sonny Milano perhaps shined brightest, showcasing his skating, quick hands and vision with two goals and two assists for a four-point night in what marked his first taste of NHL action in nearly a year.

"I never knew when I was gonna come back, I tried to stay in it. It wasn’t that hard," Milano said of returning to play.

Then, there was Hendrix Lapierre. Coming into camp with more of a "f--- you" attitude and grit, Lapierre is willing to play just about anywhere, and slotting in at center, impressed as he picked up a goal and two assists on picture-perfect passes. Carbery took notice of the 23-year-old's drive right away, noting it's been present all of camp.

"There’s no one that wants it more than Lappy. He’s so determined and so focused this camp, you can just see it from his mannerisms, how he’s practicing, how he’s carrying himself in the locker room and around the facility. You’re happy to see him have a good game… hopefully he can just build off that," Carbery said. "He’s had a good camp, you can tell he looks a little quicker there’s some jump there and he’s really trying to focus on being as hard as he possibly can on face-offs, on low battles, on net front, getting to the net when it’s his turn to do that and then also being able to use his speed and creativity and all of the offensive tools we know he has.”

With More Grit & A 'F- You' Attitude, Hendrix Lapierre Ready To Do What He Can To Stay With Capitals ARLINGTON, V.A. — Washington Capitals prospect Hendrix Lapierre noted that he already has quite a few gray hairs — and it makes sense to him.

Ivan Miroshnichenko is another top candidate to make the full-time NHL jump, and at camp so far, has stood out while mainly skating on a potential third line with Connor McMichael and Tom Wilson. The Russian winger picked up an assist and was strong on pucks, and though he has to work on his two-way play and carries a bit more, he led the team with five hits against Boston.

Hopeful Bogdan Trineyev, a utility forward with scoring prowess, also got on the board with a goal, and Ethen Frank, looking to stay up on the Capitals after being promoted last season, played a solid game as well and picked up an assist and three shots on goal.

And that's just a handful of players on the list. Andrew Cristall wants to step up again and try to make the roster after coming so close just a season ago, and Lynden Lakovic has been an early surprise who could get a longer look if he keeps showcasing his skill. Ilya Protas has also shown glimpses of what he can do and wants to make the pro jump sooner rather than later, and Henrik Rybinski remains a dark horse, too.

Ultimately, there's still plenty of camp and preseason left to go, and it's certainly a race that is going to come down to the final day of camp. Washington has Monday off and is expected to make preliminary cuts before returning to the ice on Tuesday.