Another recall from AHL and another quick start for undersized center
The words Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau used were pointed: Consistency, energy and professionalism. That is what he needs to see from center Mathieu Perreault as the 22-year-old begins his fourth stint in the NHL.
Recalled from AHL Hershey on Monday morning, Perreault scored two goals that night against the Toronto Maple Leafs. His performance was overshadowed by a blown three-goal lead in the third period of a 5-4 loss but it was a nice start for a player in the midst of another opportunity to prove himself.
At 5-foot-9, 166 pounds, overcoming that inherent skepticism about his size will always be a challenge for Perreault. That’s just the way it is for smaller players in the rough-and-tumble NHL. But there’s no questioning his innate skill, as Perreault showed while centering the second line on Monday between wingers Alex Semin and Brooks Laich.
“[Perreault] brought great energy like we thought and he made plays like we thought,” Boudreau said after the game. “If some of the other forwards played with as much energy as him we wouldn’t have been in the situation we were in.”
| Caps notes |
| » Caps coach Bruce Boudreau gave his players the day off Tuesday. Washington returns to the ice for practice at Kettler Iceplex at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning. |
| » Washington has an open roster spot after defenseman Jeff Schultz suffered a fractured thumb during Monday’s shootout loss to Toronto. |
| » Defenseman Tyler Sloan already is on injured reserve and can’t play again until Sunday’s game against the New York Rangers. The Caps face Florida on Thursday and Colorado on Saturday at Verizon Center. |
But Perreault has done this before. In the first game of his four separate NHL stints he has three goals and four assists. In his other 21 games with the Caps he has six points total. So one game isn’t going to earn Perreault a permanent spot as the second-line center.
This is Perreault’s fourth recall in 13 months. His longest time in Washington was an 18-game audition in November and early December last season where he started hot and faded before being sent back to Hershey.
On Monday, Perreault showed great patience on his second goal, waiting with the puck to the left of Toronto goalie Jonas Gustavsson until he had an opening. He played 1:48 in overtime and was even tabbed for a shootout attempt by Boudreau. Perreault made a nice move on Gustavsson, but the goalie made a remarkable stick save to knock the puck away.
Perreault also almost assisted on what would have been the game-winning goal when he slipped a pass to Semin, who rang a shot off the post at 11:24 of the third period with Washington up 4-2. In all, Perreault earned 13:12 of ice time.
“Every time I get called up it seems the first game I’m flying,” Perreault said. “Now it’s just a matter of doing it every night.”
