Takeaways From The Capitals' Win Over Columbus; Cristall, Rempal & More Shine, Wilson & Regulars Already In Top Form

The Capitals are now 4-0 this preseason after a convincing win over the Blue Jackets.

Tuesday’s tilt was an important game for several Washington Capitals on the bubble, with Hendrix Lapierre, Ethen Frank, Ivan Miroshnichenko and Andrew Cristall, among others, suiting up against a pretty complete Columbus Blue Jackets’ squad.

There were some bumps in the road, but ultimately, Tom Wilson’s Gordie Howe hat trick, along with standout performances from the likes of Andrew Cristall, Sheldon Rempal and more, helped the Capitals were able to hold off Columbus for a

Here are the takeaways from the win.

Sheldon Rempal Makes Most Of Capitals Debut

With camp already halfway over, Sheldon Rempal, who signed a two-way deal with Washington over the summer, hadn’t gotten a taste of preseason action yet. But on Tuesday, he got his chance, and notably made the most of it.

Rempal was all over the ice and a force to be reckoned with, and easily put himself on the radar. He put up a team-leading seven shots and used his speed and offensive prowess to generate several high-danger chances, including a great opportunity on a passing play with Hendrix Lapierre and Andrew Cristall in the second.

The 30-year-old eventually earned a promotion to the top line, taking Ethen Frank’s spot alongside Dylan Strome and Anthony Beauvillier, and showed good chemistry there. While there’s still a lot of camp left, the competition up front is heavy, but Rempal did what he could to put himself on the map.

Andrew Cristall Keeps Making Case, Ilya Protas On The Radar

Andrew Cristall isn’t going down without a fight.

Though the 19-year-old seems set to start the year in Hershey with Hendrix Lapierre and Sonny Milano seemingly locked in for spots up front, Cristall has been putting on a show so far this preseason and kept it going on Tuesday.

Cristall picked up a power-play goal in the first, sliding a quick shot past Jet Greaves for his third goal of the preseason. He made some great plays skating on a line with Lapierre and used his speed to his advantage, and certainly has made his case.

Now, it’s just seeing what the plan for his development is.

In addition to Cristall, Ilya Protas also continues to put himself on the radar and had another impressive game at center. He went 4-for-8 in the face-off dot and scored his first NHL preseason goal, jumpstarting a 2-on-1 play with Bogdan Trineyev and sneaking his feed into the back of the net.

Protas is likely to start the year in the AHL given the lack of vacancies at center and D.C.’s desire to have him play down the middle, but he’s certainly on the right track and has the coaching staff’s attention this late in camp.

Tom Wilson, Connor McMichael, Logan Thompson Already In Top Form

It wasn’t even a period and a half into the preseason before Tom Wilson racked up a Gordie Howe hat trick. The 31-year-old helped set up Connor McMichael in the first period, feeding David Gucciardi at the point for a shot that was deflected past Jet Greaves.

Then, he got on the board himself, working with Ivan Miroshnichenko to force a turnover that ultimately tricked into the back of the net. Minutes later, he was dropping the gloves with Erik Gudbranson after he sent Miroshnichenko into the boards with a hard hit from behind.

Overall, it was a strong game for Wilson, who picked his battles, made his presence known and set an example.

Connor McMichael also showed what he can do, putting up a goal and assist as he continues to try and lock down his full-time role as a center. The only thing he needs to work on is his face-offs, but that’ll come with time.

Then, there’s Logan Thompson, who put on a show in net with 35 saves on 38 shots. He was quick and agile in the crease, and looked comfortable in his first full game of preseason action.

Defensive Competition Heating Up

Dylan McIlrath got a lot more ice time (19:31 minutes) and showed flashes of what he can do when he’s at the top of his game, though he still needs to tighten up defensively.

Still, the 33-year-old is doing what he can to show the Capitals that he’s earned his spot at the NHL level, though it’ll be a tough competition that’ll go until the end.

Vincent Iorio, who has been one of the standouts at camp so far, didn’t skate as many minutes, but had another solid game and showcased his physicality.

Declan Chisholm also continues to cement his role as a full-time NHLer and showed D.C. why they traded for him with another impressive outing and another assist.

Another defenseman that deserves props: David Gucciardi was all over the ice and continues to look solid. Watch for him as he continues to develop.