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Sonny Milano may have missed almost all of last season due to an upper-body injury, but he wasted no time reinserting himself into the conversation for a lineup spot in Game 1 of the preseason.
Milano scored two goals and notched four points in the Capitals’ emphatic 5-2 victory over the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Sunday night. The winger’s success came while skating on the first line with two other quick-skating, high-skilled forwards, Hendrix Lapierre and Anthony Beauvillier.
The Milano blitzkrieg started early as the Massapequa, New York native scored the Capitals’ first goal of the game 6:48 into the first period. After taking a pass from Lapierre in the slot, Milano flipped a no-look, backhand dart to the top corner, beating goaltender Michael DiPietro and tying the game 1-1.
That highlight-reel goal was just the start. Milano collected his first assist of the night two shifts later after he helped force a turnover down low in the offensive zone. Beauvillier eventually gathered the puck along the boards, finding Lapierre wide open in front of the net for a layup.
The very next time he jumped onto the ice, Milano converted on a breakaway after getting a heads up breakout pass from Ethen Frank.
Milano completed his scoring in the second period after receiving a secondary assist on Ryan Chesley’s first career preseason goal, which proved to be the Capitals’ final tally of the night.
All in all, Milano had three points in the first period, figuring in three goals during a four-shift span. He finished the night a plus-four and with four shots on goal in 16:15 of ice time.
Speaking to Monumental Sports Network’s Al Koken during the first intermission, Milano admitted he was motivated to make a statement after languishing being the scenes last season. Milano appeared in only four games last season before an upper-body injury forced an abrupt end to his season on November 6. Sunday’s Capitals-Bruins game marked Milano’s first bout of competitive hockey in 10 months and 15 days.
“Yeah, it was tough,” Milano told Koken. “Sitting out, watching all those games, thinking you’re going to get back, and it just never really happens. It’s great to finally be back out there.
“[This training camp] is important for me,” he continued. “I got to prove myself once again after missing a whole year.”
While Milano appeared to have incredible chemistry with Lapierre and Beauvillier on the ice, he admitted it wasn’t as easy as it looked.
“They’re speaking French,” he said. “I had to put a stop to that. I got no French in me.”
After his off year, Milano, 29, is attempting to make the Capitals out of training camp, battling with other rising young players like Ryan Leonard, Ethen Frank, Hendrix Lapierre, Justin Souridf, Ivan Miroshnichenko, Bogdan Trineyev, and Henrik Rybinski for a spot on the roster. He has one season remaining on the three-year contract he signed in 2023.
While one preseason game isn’t everything, Milano certainly reminded everyone just how talented of a player he can be when he’s at his best. Now it’s just up to him to keep it going.
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