Ryan Leonard played his second NHL game Wednesday night against the Carolina Hurricanes.
While the Capitals fell 5-1 at the end of regulation, the 20-year-old rookie still managed to impress in the bad loss. Head coach Spencer Carbery was asked to evaluate Leonard’s performance postgame and gave a short but glowing review.
“Oh, I thought he was one of our best players on the ice,” Carbery said.
Leonard skated 15:45 of ice time in the game, firing his first career shot on goal and recording three hits to give him six total hits in his first two games. He also drew his first career penalty, sending Taylor Hall to the box for tripping.
Carbery kept the young winger with center Dylan Strome on the team’s second line but swapped Aliaksei Protas for Connor McMichael on the other wing mid-game to try and spark momentum.
The 2023 first-round pick was very close to securing his first career point early in the first period when he set up Protas for a clean look on an odd-man rush chance.
While many of his veteran teammates struggled against Carolina, Leonard posted excellent numbers at even strength. With him on the ice, the Capitals posted positive differentials in shot attempts (+1), scoring chances (+5), and high-danger chances (+6). The Hurricanes didn’t record a single high-danger chance with him over the boards.
Leonard was one of the few Capitals who didn’t get caught up in the late-game rough stuff, although he did take a seat in the box to serve a roughing penalty for Tom Wilson.
Leonard will likely play his first ever home game for the Capitals on Friday night against the Chicago Blackhawks.
