GOTTA SEE IT: Jakub Vrana Opens Scoring For Capitals In First Game Back With Team In Over 3 Years

WASHINGTON — Jakub Vrana raised his arms and head to the sky, letting the echoes of shouts and celebration in Capital One Arena overtake him after scoring his first goal with the Washington Capitals in his season debut.

Just 6:02 minutes into the first, Vrana drove to the slot and picked up a nice feed from Andrew Mangiapane before firing a rocket past Adin Hill to make it 1-0 for Washington against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Here's the goal, which came on Vrana's first shot of the season:

It marked Vrana's first regular-season goal at Capital One Arena since March 9, 2021 and his first regular-season goal with the organization since April 9, 2021.

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Vrana was traded to the Detroit Red Wings at the 2021 NHL Trade Deadline in exchange for Anthony Mantha, who spent three years in D.C. before he was dealt to the Golden Knights at the 2024 deadline.

After a couple of years with the Red Wings and St. Louis Blues organizations, Vrana was left without a team in free agency this summer. He got a call from the Capitals with the offer of a professional tryout in training camp, and he won a spot after a strong camp.

The 28-year-old is skating on the third line with Mangiapane and Hendrix Lapierre as he dresses in place of Sonny Milano, who struggled in the season opener.

Head coach Spencer Carbery had wanted to see Vrana find and use his offensive instincts in his debut, and so far, he's doing just that.