The Capitals' opening night lineup featured three rookies: one forward, one defenseman, and one goaltender. While Neuvirth's performance has been slightly uneven, losing to lowly Atlanta on Friday and defeating contender New Jersey on Saturday, the two freshmen skaters are opening eyes with their play.
Marcus Johansson, the Capitals' 2009 first-round pick, has been a great two-way centerman for the Caps in the early going, using his speed and explosiveness to create chances in the offensive zone and playing solid defensive hockey in his own end.
Johansson has averaged over 13 minutes per game and saw time on the penalty kill in each of the Capitals' first two games. Additionally, he saw over two minutes of time on the power play on Saturday and was effective in creating time and space with his speed.
If there was any question as to whether Johannson has the speed and skill to play in the NHL, it appears those doubts have been silenced with his play this weekend.
While Johansson was very impressive, the most impressive rookie has been defenseman John Carlson. Carlson has been the Capitals' ...
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Article written by Ryan Davenport
Capitals Youngsters Earn High Marks After Season’s Opening Weekend
October 11th, 2010 by Ryan Davenport Leave a reply »
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