It took them a while, but the Washington Capitals finally began play in the 2023-24 NHL season sometime towards the end of the first period against the Calgary Flames last night. Darcy Kuemper kept the seat warm for them as he waited for the team to arrive, making 16 saves in a first period that could’ve ended a lot uglier than Calgary leading 2-0.
This opened the door for some high-level schadenfreude in the second period, as a sweet give-and-go between Sonny Milano and Matthew Phillips–two skilled wingers who could’ve very easily been on the Flames’ bench instead–ended up in the back of the net as Phillips picked up his first NHL goal.