The shot from Anthony Mantha looked relatively effortless, just a flick of his wrist after a deke bought him space. But the puck flew off his stick for the newest Washington Capitals winger, who made his debut Tuesday in a blowout win against the Philadelphia Flyers. It indicated why he was so enamored with general manager Brian MacLellan. At 6-foot-5, Mantha brings physicality to the Capitals’ forward line. But he also has a skill that he showed to skate across the blue line and a rocket of a shot. He finished his first Washington game with a goal and an assist.
“He’s got like a complete package going on,” defenseman Nick Jensen said. “Big, strong, fast, and, you saw it tonight, he’s got a great shot. That’s important with big plays. He’s got a lot of skill, too. Most people think big, strong, it’s more about the physical game, but you can’t underestimate the amount of skill he has. You saw that tonight.” Tuesday night’s 6-1 win continues a three-game streak in which Washington scored 18 goals. Conor Sheary led the way against the Flyers with three points — a goal and two assists — while Tom Wilson, Nicklas Backstrom, Carl Hagelin, and Alex Ovechkin all found the back of the net too.
Despite the team trading for him Monday, Mantha earned his first start for the Capitals. On Monday, he took a car service from Raleigh, North Carolina — where the Detroit Red Wings were playing — to D.C. The forward was thrown right in the mix, and he held his own. Mantha also played on Washington’s power-play unit, and he provided an assist on Wilson’s breakthrough in the second period.
“I thought he was in the mix of the play all night,” coach Peter Laviolette said of Mantha. “I thought he did a great job on the wall getting pucks out. I thought he had good chemistry with his linemates and generated five or six shots on the net; their line generated many chances, many shots, and many opportunities. The price for Mantha was steep. Coming in here the way he did and meeting everyone for the first time is always a little bit challenging, and you never know what will happen; I thought he played a pretty good game.”
Washington sent Jakub Vrana, Richard Panik, and two draft picks to Detroit. But Mantha performed on his first night as a Capitals player, and Washington will hope for much of the same as the season winds down. “Yeah, there’s the pressure that comes with it,” Mantha said. “When a team comes to get you, you want to look the best you can, and I think tonight was just a step forward for myself and kind of calmed the nerves a little bit, have a good first game, and then just try and build confidence for the following games.”
