Washington Capitals: Top 3 key players to watch against Sabres

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Lars Eller, Washington Capitals Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports /

Top 3 Washington Capitals players to watch.

It is finally here folks. Washington Capitals hockey is back. The Caps open up the season in a Thursday night tilt against the Buffalo Sabres on NBC Sports Washington. It is the first of a back to back.

The Caps open the season at the same location where the 2020 regular season ended. It, unfortunately, resulted in a shootout loss so we certainly can’t take these Sabres lightly. For more on how to watch the game, check out David’s preview here.

Here are the top 3 Caps players to keep your eyes on tonight.

Ilya Samsonov, Washington Capitals Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports /

#3 Ilya Samsonov

It is his net now. It is the full swing of the Ilya Samsonov era and he’s ready to take it over. Samsonov didn’t play in the Toronto bubble so this will be our first time seeing him play since March before the season was shutdown.

Samsonov played in 26 games last season starting in 22 of them. He went 16-6-2 with a 2.55 goals against average and a .913 save percentage. Samsonov will face the Sabres for the first time in his career. His last game came in an overtime loss to the New York Rangers.

There’s two more players to keep an eye on tonight.

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