Ryan Leonard comments on the Capitals' tough loss
Photo credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Ryan Leonard and the Washington Capitals felt CapsHawks pain, with Tom Wilson hurt and another shootout loss.
Chicago clawed back and stole a 3-2 shootout win Saturday at Capital One Arena. Nick Foligno ended it in the sixth round after Spencer Knight and Logan Thompson traded saves all night.
Knight stopped 32 shots, and Thompson turned aside 31, so the margins were razor thin. Washington threw 23 hits and still could not find a late bounce.
The Caps actually answered every punch in regulation, which is why this one stings. Dylan Strome jammed in his 10th, and Leonard tied it 2-2 at 11:18 of the third with his eighth.
Chicago's other goals came off a tip and a power-play seam, first Ryan Donato then Teuvo Teravainen. Washington's power play had looks, but it could not finish, and overtime passed without a winner.
Ryan Leonard lifts Washington Capitals in CapsHawks
Caps fans can live with effort, but a home shootout skid and Tom Wilson leaving early is a tough combo to swallow. Coach Spencer Carbery said the group tried to pitch in, and Ryan Leonard echoed it afterward.
Wilson, who leads Washington with 22 goals and 42 points, played less than six minutes before he left with a lower-body injury. With Aliaksei Protas already out, the top six had to reshuffle on the fly.
That showed up in the neutral zone, more chips behind Chicago's defense and fewer controlled entries with speed. It also put extra weight on the Strome line to generate slot looks at five-on-five.
Leonard's tying goal showed why Washington drafted him eighth overall in 2023, he stayed around the crease and stayed available. He is 20 now, and Saturday marked his eighth goal of the season.
In the shootout, Dylan Strome and Sonny Milano scored for Washington, but Knight beat everyone else. Washington is 0-5 in shootouts and 1-2-1 in its last four games, so the standings math is getting tight.
If Wilson's status improves by Sunday, the Caps can treat this as a hard point and move on. If not, Ryan Leonard's minutes and responsibility could jump fast, and that next game will feel bigger.
Also read on Washington Hockey Insider :
Spencer Carbery on Tom Wilson's Injury
Spencer Carbery on Tom Wilson's Injury
Previously on Washington Hockey Insider
| POLL | ||
JANVIER 4 | 16 ANSWERS Ryan Leonard comments on the Capitals' tough loss How worried are you about Tom Wilson after CapsHawks and Ryan Leonard's tying goal? | ||
| Not worried | 3 | 18.8 % |
| Somewhat | 7 | 43.8 % |
| Very | 5 | 31.3 % |
| Wait updates | 1 | 6.3 % |
| List of polls | ||