Top 3 key Capitals to watch against Maple Leafs

#1 Rasmus Sandin

After watching the Matthew Phillips revenge game last week in their first win of the season against the Calgary Flames, will we see the Rasmus Sandin revenge game tonight?

Tonight the defenseman goes against his former team for the first time in his career. He was drafted by Toronto in the first round at 29th overall in the 2018 NHL Draft. From 2019 to 2023, he recorded 48 points with 10 goals and 38 assists in 140 career games with the Maple Leafs.

The Caps acquired him from the Leafs in exchange for defenseman Erik Gustafsson and the Boston Bruins’ first round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft on Feb. 28 just ahead of the trade deadline. It was their best pickup at mid season.

In 19 games with the Capitals last season, Sandin recorded 15 points with three goals and 12 assists. That included multi point efforts in his first four games.

Sandin set career highs in games played with 71, goals with seven, assists with 28, and points with 35 in 2022 23 which more than doubled his previous career in 2021 22 with five goals, 11 assists and 16 points in 51 games played.

This season, Sandin ranks second on the Caps in ice time per game with an average of 22:13. Look for Sandin to line up on the second defensive pair with Trevor van Riemsdyk in tonight’s game.

Once again don’t forget the game starts at 6 p.m. not 7. You can catch it on ESPN or ESPN plus if you don’t have a ticket.