Ovechkin gives a nervous Rasmus Sandin a proper welcome to Washington; Sandin goes on to play one of the best games of his career

Last night marked the first home game for former Leafs defenseman Rasmus Sandin with his new team in Washington, D.C. Heading into that game, Sandin had produced 1 goal and 4 assists in his previous 2 games, playing on the Capitals' top pair in the absence of John Carlson and Nick Jensen.

The nerves were real for Sandin as he paced in the hallway before game time, but Caps captain Alex Ovechkin gave him a bit of a pep-talk to help calm him down and get him focused before the team took to the ice. Just a captain doing captain things. Here's the clip of Ovechkin helping to get Sandin centered and focused, welcoming him to Washington properly.


As it turns out, it worked out and Sandin played well enough to rack up almost 29:58 in ice time, a new career high, helping the Caps to collect an important point in a 3-2 shootout loss to the New Jersey Devils.


Sandman didn't record any points in the contest, but was a +2, with 2 shots on goal and 2 hits against New Jersey. Even without his name on the score sheet, Sandin still has 5 points in 3 games. He's had a nice start to his tenure with the Capitals. It hurts to see him on another team, for sure - but we wish Sandy nothing but the best in his already bright future.