Ivan Miroshnichenko put on a show in his first taste of NHL action for the Capitals.
WASHINGTON – The Washington Capitals had a lot of players looking to show something in Thursday's tilt with the Detroit Red Wings, and they came up big en route to the first win of the preseason.
The Ovechkin-Backstrom-Miroshnichenko trio connected, Charlie Lindgren looked sharp and the blue line battle continued as Washington found its footing and put on the pressure for a 4-1 victory.
Here are all the takeaways:
Miroshnichenko Impresses With Multi-Point Night, Ovechkin & Backstrom Strong On Top Line
Head coach Spencer Carbery had a simple message for Miroshnichenko going into Thursday's game: "Systems? Don't care. Structure? Don't care... I wanna see him go out and compete his butt off."
Miroshnichenko did just that. There were some nerves to overcome early, but in his first North American pro game, the 19-year-old was strong. He worked to keep the puck alive, got physical and showcased his speed, skating and elite shot. He also threw his weight around with some big hits.
His hard work paid off as he was credited with an assist after keeping the play alive and ringing the puck around the boards to Alex Ovechkin, who got the puck to a waiting Nicklas Backstrom in the middle for a redirect goal. Then in the final minutes of the third, he was fighting for the puck in front of the net and snuck a feed to a waiting John Carlson, who spun and scored to make it 4-1.
That first line generated quite a few chances and some good pressure, and Miroshnichenko appeared to get more comfortable as the night went on. He finished with three shots and a team-leading three hits.
Meanwhile, Backstrom's skating has come a long way, and he is showing good speed. Ovechkin also looked strong and was engaged physically from the get-go.
Sandin & Wilson In Top Form, Lindgren Makes Strong Saves
Rasmus Sandin was perhaps the team's top blueliner, as he was effective at both ends. He was reading the ice well and able to help his team out in his own zone. Offensively, he made noise with a power-play goal.
Meanwhile, Tom Wilson was in top form. He was moving his feet, getting to the right areas and had a goal off the draw in the second to give his team the lead. The 29-year-old had an impressive offseason of training, and it paid off big time as he was one of the most noticeable players on the ice making things happen.
Charlie Lindgren also played a solid game, stopping 27 of 30 shots. He made quite a few ten-bell stops with the pads and gloves, moved well and was confident in the crease.
Häman Aktell-Alexeyev Pairing Impresses As Capitals Blue Line Battle Ensues
With Joel Edmundson out for 4-6 weeks following hand surgery, a roster spot's up for grabs — and the Capitals' rising blueliners are well aware of the challenge.
Behind Sandin, who was the team's top defenseman all night long, the Hardy Häman Aktell-Alex Alexeyev pairing shut things down and showcased what they can do.
Häman Aktell was poised in his skating and used his size and reach to stop the Red Wings in their tracks, and the Swedish d-man also had three shots on goal. Meanwhile, Alexeyev, who worked with a skating coach all summer, was fast, backchecking efficiently and reading the play well.
While Lucas Johansen was beaten by Daniel Sprong for an early Detroit goal, he bounced back and had some good reads and chances. Vincent Iorio also moved the puck well, got involved offensively and did a good job controlling the play. The pairing was a minus-3, though.
Top Shelf Takes
- Andrew Cristall looked like he was getting more comfortable as the game went on and notched an assist on Sandins' power-play goal.
- Miroshncihenko, Häman Aktell, Wilson and Connor McMichael were all tied with the team lead in shots (three each).
- Alex Ovechkin saw a gear change, moving to a Bauer Nexus Geo. It could indicate that his time with CCM is coming to an end.
- Evgeny Kuznetsov notched an assist.
- Both teams participated in a shootout to close things out. Lindgren was 3-for-4 to lead his team to the win, and T.J. Oshie and McMichael had the shootout tallies.