Ryan Leonard fires career high seven shots on goal and shines offensively for Capitals in loss to Panthers
Ryan Leonard may have played his best game as a member of the Washington Capitals on Thursday night, and he did so in a 6-3 loss where he didn’t get on the scoresheet.
At the end of regulation, Leonard played 15:08 of ice time and fired seven shots on goal, the most he has recorded in a single game. He had nine shot attempts overall, four individual scoring chances, one individual high-danger chance, one shot block, and several impressive zone entries and plays along the wall.
“I look upfront, I thought Ryan Leonard had his best game as a pro, to be honest with you,” Monumental Sports Network’s Craig Laughlin said postgame. “His skating, his shooting. He was making moves. He looked very comfortable.”
Perhaps Leonard’s nicest highlight of the night came early in the second period after he picked up a pass from Rasmus Sandin in the neutral zone. The 2023 first-round pick dangled around defenseman Donovan Sebrango at the blueline, curled the puck around the stick of Jeff Petry, and was only done in by one of many brilliant saves from Panthers netminder Daniil Tarasov.
“I don’t know the total shots or whatever, but yeah, we had a lot of really good looks,” Leonard said after the loss. “I mean, it’s tough sometimes when the puck’s not really going in at the start of the game, and then their goalie starts to feel it a little bit, and it’s honestly the last thing you want when a goalie gets confident like that. So he played great, but we’ve got to find a way to put those pucks past him with that many shots.”
After the Capitals were unable to put away many of their chances in the first two periods, head coach Spencer Carbery threw his forward lines into a blender and put Leonard with Dylan Strome and Anthony Beauvillier. The third-year bench boss, who recently stated that he is trying to pick his spots better with Leonard, remarked that he liked what he saw from the new trio, which could hint at a more permanent promotion for Leonard in the coming games.
“Liked Leonard when we moved him with Strome there in the third period,” Carbery said. “[He] had some good opportunities at the net front that sets up our third goal. I liked a lot of what the combinations in the third did.”
Leonard has eight points (3g, 5a) through 17 games in his rookie NHL campaign. He has 12 shots on goal combined in his last two games and ranks fifth among Capitals forwards in total shots (35) this season. His 22.9 shot attempts per 60 minutes rank first on the club, just ahead of Alex Ovechkin (22.8).
Among all NHL players in the league, he ranks sixth in the stat, topped only by Cutter Gauthier (26.1), Tage Thompson (26.0), Alex DeBrincat (24.9), David Pastrnak (23.7), and Nikita Kucherov (22.9).
Ravens Preparing to Face Browns QB Shedeur Sanders on Sunday
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The Ravens are preparing for the possibility of Shedeur Sanders seeing the field for the Browns.
The Cleveland Browns will roll with Dillon Gabriel as their starter on Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens. Still, Baltimore is doing its due diligence on Cleveland’s high-profile backup, Shedeur Sanders.
Cleveland has made it clear that Gabriel will start in Week 11 and has shown no indication that the third-round rookie is in danger of being replaced by Sanders any time soon.
“I don’t think it’s fair to speculate,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said this week when asked about a potential timetable for Sanders playing. “We’re committed to getting better as an offense. Dillon is certainly committed to improving in every way he can. And at the same time, all of our young players are developing and working extremely hard behind the scenes to make sure they’re getting better every day.”
The Ravens aren’t leaving anything to chance. With uncertainty swirling around Cleveland’s offense, Baltimore is preparing for the possibility that Sanders could enter the game.
“Definitely. We always look at that. Our scouts do a great job of preparing us [for] who could possibly be coming into the game, and we always do that with backup quarterbacks, because you want to know what you could potentially be facing,” Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr said. “So, we’ve definitely done some work on [Shedeur Sanders both] last game and getting ready for this game.”
Browns Not ‘Eager’ to Play Shedeur Sanders
The Browns are remaining patient with Gabriel despite a lack of results on the field. Cleveland is 1-4 with Gabriel as the starter and he’s done little to spark the offense. Gabriel has passed for 869 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions this season.
As Stefanski’s comments make clear, the Browns have offered little clarity on Sanders’ timeline or when he might see meaningful snaps. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, there’s currently no internal push to get the rookie on the field.
“Coming out of the Week 9 bye, the Browns’ plan was to give Dillon Gabriel a fairly long runway of games to evaluate what they have in him. But as we see with young quarterbacks and teams in transition all the time, those plans can change,” Fowler said. “The public pressure in Cleveland is mounting. But I simply haven’t sensed that the Browns have been eager to turn to Shedeur Sanders.”
Browns Defend Dillon Gabriel’s Performance
The Browns handed play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Tommy Rees after the bye week, hoping to spark the offense. While the unit showed small signs of improvement, the same issues persisted. Inconsistent execution and a lack of explosive plays ultimately sank Cleveland in a 27–20 loss to the lowly New York Jets.
Gabriel’s play has left much to be desired, but Rees still has faith in his rookie.
“Nobody’s gonna bat a thousand. Certainly, I don’t bat a thousand calling it,” Rees told reporters on Thursday. “Nobody’s going to bat a thousand in really anything they do. But I would say he grades out where we want him.”
Gabriel will get another chance to prove himself on Sunday against the Ravens. Baltimore is a hefty 7.5-point favorite for the matchup.
