Top 5 Capitals moments of the season
#4 The Return of Nicky and Willy
The reason this doesn’t get ranked higher is the team got worse after they returned but it wasn’t on them. A new guy just seemed to go down every week making Laviolette juggle the lines. The date was Jan. 8 and the Caps had a home game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Nicklas Backstrom made his return from hip surgery while Tom Wilson came back from an ACL tear last playoffs. The Caps would win this game 1-0 with the goal coming form Erik Gustafsson in the first period behind a 38 save performance from Darcy Kuemper.
"“You can’t ever take it for granted, playing in the NHL, the fans, and the roar when Nick and I came out. It’s a pretty special feeling.”"
Backstrom added:
"“It meant the world. Obviously, I missed this. Without knowing what my future is going to hold, it feels great.”"
Wilson applauded Backstrom for his road to recovery:
"“[Backstrom] has that demeanor that makes everyone around him better. He’s a guy that everyone around the room wants to play well for. He gets that buy-in from his teammates.”"
Wilson turned down a fight in the game while skating with 14:10 minutes of ice time over the course of 17 shifts.