Ryan Leonard wows Capitals with highlight-reel play, first career multi-goal game: 'That was fun to see'

"Just 20 games into his first full pro season, Leonard's transition to the NHL hasn't been effortless, but Wednesday night's performance saw much of his hard work pay off. "Confidence-wise, obviously, that's huge, to help the team out win an important game like tonight," Leonard said postgame. "Every single game you're trying to contribute, whether that's scoring goals or just providing energy for the team, and I was lucky enough tonight to get two." Leonard's first goal of the night came midway through an action-packed first period."

"A period later, Leonard recorded arguably the best goal of his career so far, scoring on a highlight-reel play that quickly attracted attention from around the NHL. Starting from the neutral zone off another pass from McMichael, he out-skated Edmonton blueliner Evan Bouchard to force a breakaway, faking out Skinner on his forehand before backhanding the puck into the net. "He's got 30 (goals) in him every season, once he starts rolling," noted TNT color commentator Darren Pang."

"Leonard later broke down what he saw on the play. "They were caught pretty low," he said postgame. "I saw Mikey winning the puck battle, and I tried to use my speed to the advantage. Just tried to get inside on the defenseman and take it to the back post." Asked if making space by outmuscling the 6-foot-3 Bouchard gave him confidence, Leonard grinned. "Nah," he said. "It's good. It's good, yeah.""

Ryan Leonard delivered a two-goal performance for the Washington Capitals, snapping a 12-game scoring drought and recording the first multi-goal game of his career. The first goal came midway through an action-packed first period after a pass from Connor McMichael, and the second was a highlight-reel breakaway where Leonard out-skated Evan Bouchard and backhanded the puck past Stuart Skinner. The performance provided a significant confidence boost for Leonard, who is 20 games into his first full pro season. Teammate Connor McMichael's plays and Leonard's speed and timing were key to both goals, and commentators predicted a strong scoring upside.

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