Ryan Leonard scored his fourth goal of the season on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Kings, his second straight game with a goal. Leonard’s four goals rank tied for second on the Capitals, while his eight points lead the team. Cole Hutson also scored for Washington, giving him five points (2g, 3a) in nine games this season. Through nine games, Washington’s trio of players age 21 or younger (Leonard, Hutson & Ilya Protas) have combined for 18 points (7g, 11a). At least one of the three has recorded a point in eight of the team’s nine games this season. The Capitals are one of two teams in the NHL to have three players age 21 or younger with five or more points this season, along with San Jose (Macklin Celebrini: 14p; Will Smith: 7p; Ivar Stenberg: 7p).
UPCOMING PLAYER MILESTONES
Alex Ovechkin – 2 assists shy of passing Nicklas Backstrom (762) for the most assists in franchise history; 9 points shy of 1,700 career points; 10 goals shy of passing Wayne Gretzky (1,016) for the most combined goals (regular season + playoffs) in NHL history
Charlie Lindgren – 1 game shy of passing Pat Riggin (143) for the sixth-most games played in franchise history; 1 shutout shy of passing Al Jensen (8) for the fifth-most shutouts in franchise history
Jordan Kyrou – 3 games shy of 500 career games
