Jakob Chychrun had another big game on Sunday.
With a pair of goals in the Washington Capitals’ 8-5 loss to the Buffalo Sabres, Chychrun not only set a new career high in the category but also became just the third defenseman in the NHL to hit 20 goals this season. He’s now tied with the Columbus Blue Jackets’ Zach Werenski (20) in goals by a rearguard and trails only Colorado Avalanche star Cale Makar (27).
Chychrun’s first tally came in the opening frame, when he buried a juicy rebound off Buffalo goalie James Reimer from an Alex Ovechkin shot from the point. The puck squeezed past Reimer and trickled over the goal line to put the Caps up 1-0 early.
That gave Chychrun a new career high in red lights, passing his previous mark of 18 set in 2020-21 when he was a member of the Arizona Coyotes.
Less than three minutes into the second period, the 27-year-old lit the lamp once more for his 20th marker of the campaign. He stole the puck from Buffalo’s Jason Zucker along the far wall and skated to the left faceoff circle before sniping it past Reimer’s helmet and in the net.
The pair of goals also allowed Chychrun to debut Juicy J’s “Bandz A Make Her Dance” as his new goal song, switching from the (we’re sorry) questionable “You Say” by Lauren Daigle.
Chychrun’s music swap pays homage to his pregame tunnel ritual with Alex Ovechkin, who nicknamed Chychrun “Bandz” in honor of the headbands he wears during warmups. Chychrun and Ovechkin both broke out the shimmy that normally accompanies the pregame tradition as they made their way to the bench for fist bumps after the first period tally.
Chychrun’s second multi-goal game of the year (and the 11th of his career) still marks a significant milestone despite the team’s loss. He became just ninth Capitals player to reach 20 goals in a season and the first since Mike Green scored 31 goals in 2008-09. Just 76 defenseman have achieved the feat overall in NHL history.
Asked about the milestone postgame, Chychrun was glad to hit 20 goals but admitted the loss made it hard to fully celebrate.
“It’s nice,” he said. “You always wish you get the win after accomplishing something like that so, you know, it takes away from it.”
Chychrun securing a career-high in goals comes five days after he signed an eight-year, $72 million contract extension that will keep him in DC through the 2032-33 season.
“He’s got his best hockey in front of him,” head coach Spencer Carbery told 106.7 The Fans’ Sports Junkies on Wednesday morning. “It feels like he’s just scratching the surface of what he’s capable of doing in this league.”
