Chicago went 0-for-4 on the power play, and Washington limited the Hawks to just four shots on net in eight minutes with the extra man. All six defensemen saw significant duty on the penalty killing unit, with Siegenthaler (4:00) and Fehervary (3:41) handling the lion's share of those tough minutes.
Lewington spent 19 minutes in the penalty box and still managed to log 15:21 on the night, as the overall workload was spread fairly evenly. Johansen led all Caps in ice time with 21:47, as he saw action for the third time in four games this fall.
Early Wednesday afternoon - before the game against the Hawks - Reirden spoke at length of Johansen's progress in this year's training camp.
"To me, I think he has had a much better camp this year than he has in the past, and particularly I would say last year," says Reirden. "But prior to that, he had shown some things early on. He had a tough year with injury and stuff last year, and his puck movement and his quick exiting the zone cleanly is something that he has shown us, and his ability to be able to manage the game.
"I think a lot of times as a young defenseman that has a high offensive ceiling and put up a quite a few points in junior, they expect to get that at the next level and it's not that easy. So you have to make sure that you become dependable to your coach and to your partner and to your team, and be used in situations that maybe aren't set up for offense, but more important for him to have solid shifts at five-on-five. I think he has done a little bit better job of that this year.
"We'll see more of that tonight, especially being on the road with them getting last change, he will play against some quality players. We'll continue to evaluate him, but definitely an opportunity for him as someone who has a lot of potential and has gone through a tough year. So far, I think he is off to a good start so far this year with how he has progressed with us."
There are still 11 defensemen on the Washington roster, and Michal Kempny is still rehabbing from offseason surgery and hasn't played yet in the preseason. The Caps have leaned toward defensemen in recent drafts, and they're starting to see the payoff in terms of organizational depth at the position.
"I said it at the beginning of camp," says Carlson. "I said that we've got over 10 viable NHL players right now on [defense] alone. I think there are going to be some special players out of that group. But at the same time, credit to them because it is early for some of them, and for some of them it's right on time. But I think they all have great assets, they're just getting better and better, and they'll be great players."
Chicago Cops - In his first game action in more than a week, Copley was strong in net. He finished with a flourish, making eight saves in less than five minutes at the end of his stint, many of them on high grade scoring chances from in close. His final stop of the night - on Hawks defenseman Erik Gustafsson - was likely his best.
