WASHINGTON — Pierre-Luc Dubois' start with the Washington Capitals didn't result in a victory, but it was still a debut to remember.
The 26-year-old center impressed head coach Spencer Carbery and his teammates in his first game with his new club, picking up an assist, two shots, three attempts, one hit and one block through 17:29 minutes.
"I thought he was one of the better players," Carbery said of his play on Saturday.
View the original article to see embedded media.
Not only was Dubois active offensively, helping generate some chances, but he was getting involved physically and going hard on the forecheck. His help along the boards also helped set Tom Wilson up for his first goal of the season, and he logged significant time on special teams, too.
"He was strong on that second line, you can tell that they've got some chemistry and sort of complement one another well," Carbery said. "You saw it on Willy's goal, I thought they were probably the best line today."
Related: Carbery Brutally Honest After Rough Opener For Third Line, Says He Was 'Trying To Help Them' With Decision To Bench Trio
There is room for improvement as he ended up as a minus-1, but overall, he brought energy that was noticed by his teammates.
"I think the new guys are bringing an awesome bit of identity," Wilson said. "We're still figuring out our identity, it's super early in the year, but we love them as guys and they're good hockey players."
READ MORE ON THE HOCKEY NEWS
- Jakob Chychrun goes 1-on-1 about his ancestral diet
- Top moments from Caps 50 Fest
- Dylan McIlrath reflects on making an NHL opening night roster for the first time in 8 years
- Why the Capitals sent Andrew Cristall back to juniors
- Jakub Vrana signs one-year contract, full opening night roster
- Capitals & Carbery happy to have Vrana back in the mix, excited to work with forward again
- Alex Ovechkin discusses why scoring has become so much more difficult in today's game, not stressing over Wayne Gretzky's record
- Ethan Bear opens up about time in NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, overcoming anxiety and depression
- Andrew Mangiapane says Johnny Gaudreau's passing is still difficult to process; Capitals forward calls late star his 'role model' and 'best friend in hockey'
Local News
Comments / 0