The Washington Capitals played their first game of the 2023-24 preseason against the Buffalo Sabres at Capital One Arena on Sunday afternoon. Players on both sides skated for the American Hockey League affiliates of both teams in the Eastern Conference Finals just four months ago and got acquainted early. The game ultimately counts for nothing from a standings perspective, but a few key players for the Hershey Bears stood out in a 4-3 shootout loss.
Easily the star of the show was goaltender Hunter Shepard, who played just over half of the game and shared duty with Clay Stevenson. Both teams were clearly shaking off rust early on with only a couple days of training camp under their belts, but Shepard stopped all 18 shots he faced in this game. He looked to be at the same form that earned him the Jack Butterfield Trophy and a Calder Cup. Stevenson had a tough task to come in cold off the bench, but none of the three goals against should be concerning. The first goal was banked off of him after a big save on a breakaway, and the other two goals were deflections.
“It was good to get back out there,” a clean-shaven Shepard said after the game. “Our last game was, like, three months ago. Pretty short offseason compared to most, but I felt very confident and picked up right where we left off.”
Familiar faces for Bears fans showed up. Riley Sutter registered a primary assist on the opening goal off a shot from Lucas Johansen, collecting the puck and chipping it to Nic Aube-Kubel for the goal. Sutter was his usual noticeable self in this game, killing penalties and showing off his skills at both ends of the ice. Johansen continues to grow into the player the Capitals envisioned when they drafted him in the first round back in 2016. His poise and hockey IQ were on full display in this game. It’s been a long road for him, but he’s angling for time in Washington in 2023-24.
Capital Gains, Family Ties
Some young and future players made an impact on Washington’s second goal. Henry Rybinski floated around the slot and quickly put a loose puck on goal, with Ryan Hofer potting the rebound to make it 2-0. Rybinski skated in 51 games for the Bears and is among players looking for more when the puck drops this fall. Other youngsters like Jake Karabela and Alexander Suzdalev had strong outings in the game, but Hofer got his name in the scoring column first.
“It felt really good,” Hofer said of his goal. “It’s probably how it goes with the first one, probably a little bit of a trash goal but I’ll take it. They’re called trash goals but I think they’re pretty nice to put in.”
Ryan’s older brother Joel plays in the St. Louis organization and is angling for a spot in their goaltending rotation this season. Their bond is strong as the two ascend the professional ranks and lean on each other to grow their game.
“Lots of good conversations and some of the hard ones, too. It’s good to have him in that position for me, I look up to him and it’s a big part of how I got here. We do a lot of stuff together, golf and sports, lots of brother stuff.”
The Boss is Back
The preseason game marked the first time that former Hershey Bears head coach Spencer Carbery had the reins in Washington. Carbery took a detour through Toronto after departing the Sweetest Place on Earth in 2021. He was Washington’s top pick for the job after Peter Laviolette was let go at the end of the regular season.
“That Hofer line scores a goal on exactly what we’ve talked about in training camp,” Carbery said. “I thought that the puck was on our stick and wasn’t ending up in a good place. This early in the preseason, first time skating in this arena, we just couldn’t get any rhythm to our game because we’d give it away. Hopefully that will clean itself up over time as guys get more confident playing games.”
“I want guys to showcase what they do well. They can’t be bogged down overthinking because now you’re paralyzed and you don’t show management what type of player you are. That’s the messaging there, the pace and competitiveness is what’s going to be ingrained in our game. That’s going to become the standard of our group, and that’s what I was happy about tonight.”
The Road Ahead
The Capitals will be in action on Thursday, September 28 when they host the Detroit Red Wings. In the meantime, Washington will likely start reducing their roster and sending players to Hershey. The Bears open preseason play on October 4 with a morning game at Mohegan Sun Arena against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Washington will need to have a lineup that is compliant with the salary cap before the regular season begins on October 13.
One downside to Sunday’s game was the departure of defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk in the third period with an apparent hand injury. Carbery said the team will await an update when he is re-evaluated on Monday.
