The Washington Capitals were tied with the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes when Ryan Leonard was called for a two-minute penalty for slashing.
Leonard never was put into a game for another shift after that.
The Capitals went from tied 2-2 to a 4-2 loss, and Leonard’s usage had fans trying to decide what they thought of the situation.
Clearly, he had been benched. But was it warranted? And did it change the outcome of the game?
Why Ryan Leonard Was Benched
It appears the Capitals’ coaching staff simply didn’t like Leonard’s approach when he got penalized.
He wasn’t really doing anything useful when he committed a slash, and then he did it again, too.
The penalty that got Ryan Leonard benched for the rest of the third period #ALLCAPS https://t.co/CH0WkpH4qE
— Capitals Replays (@CapitalsReplays) October 14, 2026
There’s never really a reason to be whacking an opposing player quite like that, but on this play in particular it didn’t seem to gain Leonard an advantage.
Instead, he managed to give Carolina a man-up, and while they didn’t score on that power play, they managed to keep the momentum up and score the go-ahead goal on another power play not long after.
The Hurricanes’ final goal came on an empty net, and that was that.
With the defeat, the Capitals fell to 3-3.
How Ryan Leonard’s Benching Mattered
Clearly, Leonard is an opportunity offensive piece for the Capitals.
He assisted solo on their first goal of the night when Boone Jenner put the Caps up about halfway through the first period.
Leonard also joined Dylan Strome in assisting on Justin Holl’s first goal of the season, which put Washington up 2-1 after 6:39 had been played in the second period.
Those two assists gave Leonard four goals for the season, and he has two goals, as well.
Still just 21 years old, Leonard evidently was being taught a bit of a lesson by Washington’s coaching staff.
But clearly not having the young winger on the ice mattered. The Capitals are better when he’s in the game. He’s a threat in a variety of ways.
If you had offered the Hurricanes the chance to play against the Capitals without Leonard for the final dozen minutes of the game, they would’ve taken it — and that’s exactly what they got.
Carolina still might’ve won anyway. They’re on a hot streak and are the defending champs for a reason.
But the Capitals chose to send a message, even at the expense of what would’ve been an impressive win.
Why Capitals Benched Ryan Leonard in a Tie Game