‘It was a huge play, a huge moment’: Ryan Leonard finds himself facing the New Jersey Devils as a candidate for goal of the year

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Ryan Leonard is only in his second NHL season, but he has recorded a career highlight.

Leonard scored in absolutely ridiculous fashion against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday, carrying the puck almost the entire length of the ice and splitting New Jersey defenders for an early goal of the year candidate.

Ryan Leonard’s milestone goal against the Devils

The play began behind the Capitals net after the Devils penalty cleared the puck up the ice. Logan Thompson first stabilized the puck and passed it to Jakob Chychrun, who found Leonard in the right circle.

Leonard then skated from his own defensive zone to the opposite blue line, where his right backhand swung between top defenseman Luke Hughes and forward Evan Rodriguez. As if that wasn’t dazzling enough, he followed that up by beating Timo Meier in a foot race and stepping over Hughes’ stick – which was still between Leonard and the net – to get in front all alone.

At that point, scoring on Devils goalie Jake Allen was perhaps the easiest part of Leonard’s job.

Leonard said after the game that an earlier moment on the power play showed him where the Devils could be vulnerable.

“In our first break-in, I sent it to Stromer and I thought they were exaggerating a little,” he said. “I saw it a little bit in the D’s foot. I just took a chance.”

Smiling, he said the goal was “probably up there” and one of the best he had scored.

“It brings a lot of energy,” Vincent Desharnais said of the piece. “I mean, that’s the type of player he is. He’s such a talented player. What I like most about him is he can be physical, he can throw hits, but he can also score those highlight-reel goals. He’s going to be here for a while.”

The almost solo scoring effort is even impressive to watch in the NHL’s EDGE goal viewer.

Head coach Spencer Carbery explained the play in more detail post-game.

“He’s really good on his edges in tight areas,” Carbery said of Leonard. “So, I feel like where he was, I’m like, ‘Oh, this could be dangerous for (Luke Hughes), that mid D, because he put him behind their F1 and their 1-3, which, you know, the majority of teams play shorthanded forechecking. So once you get into a space where you’re attacking that mid D with some speed, and Leno is extremely deceptive, good on his edges, and I was like, ‘(Hughes is) in a really vulnerable place.’

“And then (Leonard) brings the puck inside. That was a pretty impressive play. It’s a highlight-reel power play entry, which I’m sure a lot of power play coaches will show in their pre-scouting. But it’s a lot harder to accomplish than just saying, ‘Hey, go do that.'”

Watching Leonard’s stunning goal seemed to energize the Capitals after a sluggish start to the morning. Although New Jersey struck first, the Capitals came back in the second period with a vengeance, scoring goals from Ilya Protas, Dylan Strome and Boone Jenner. Washington held the Devils scoreless until the final minute of the game, finishing the game with a final score of 4-2.

“When you’re down in a game and you’re playing well, you need something, right? » said Carbery. “And so whether it’s a big hit, or something that gives your group some juice and says, ‘We’re down, this sucks, but we’re going to find our way back…’ He makes a huge play and basically brings the building to life and brings our bench to life.

“And then it snowballs (to) grab that momentum and take it into the intermission and then take the game back into the second one. So it was a huge play, a huge moment, a highlight. You’ll see that, I have a feeling, all year long.”

Saturday’s efforts continue an impressive start to the campaign for Leonard, who signed an eight-year extension worth $10.5 million per season in September. Leonard now has seven points (3g, 4a) in eight games this fall, tied for first on the team with Alex Tuch (5g, 2a).

“He was flying tonight,” Thompson said. “He’s a shifty kid, and he’s gaining confidence with every game, and he’s going to be a special player in this league for a long time…He’s having fun off the ice, and when it’s time to put on the work boots, he’s working. You can see it in practice, and it’s happening in the games. So I’m just happy for him. He’s a big part of this organization for years to come.”