Caps win preseason opener 6-2

The Washington Capitals downed the Columbus Blue Jackets 6-2 tonight in their preseason opener. Matt Hendricks, a former Hershey Bear under Bruce Boudreau and a training camp invitee, notched a hat trick to lead the Caps offensive onslaught.

Tomas Fleischmann added a three point night, scoring two goals and adding an assist. Alexander Semin added three assists and 2009 first rounder Marcus Johansson added 2 assists.

Braden Holtby stopped 17 of 19 shots and Semyon Varlamov stopped all 20 shots he faced.

With only two likely forward spots available, Hendricks and Johansson had big nights, as they battle other forwards like Andrew Gordon, Jay Beagle, Keith Aucoin, and Mathieu Perreault.

DCPSR Player of the Game: the Hat Tricker, Matt Hendricks

Next up: Nashville Predators on Saturday at 8 PM.