Jakub Vrana
Jakub Vrana got what turned out to be the game-winning goal, making him hero of the game material. Vrana was on the second line per usual and used his speed to give the Caps a vital goal in the third period.
Entering the zone, Vrana hustled and nobody but the goaltender was in front of him when he caught a pass from Evgeny Kuznetsov and buried it glove side past Petr Mrazek to give the Caps a commanding 4-1 lead at 4:51. T.J. Oshie had the secondary assist.
Vrana’s goal was his 16th of the season and he already has 32 points thus far just one game into the new year. He needs just eight more goals to match his career-high which earned him a payday to stay on board with the Caps for the next two seasons.
Vrana’s tally also ended a 10-game goal-less drought and the Caps need players like Vrana down the stretch if they look to continue to separate themselves from the pack.
https://twitter.com/Capitals/status/1213289691723644929
Vrana did this despite posting a Corsi For percentage of 39.13%. Vrana finished with four shots in 12:15 of ice time with one giveaway and a +1. Could Vrana reach 30 goals? If this is the start of an uptick trend he might.