BALLSTON, Va. - Tuesday, the Washington Capitals made what should be their final cuts when they sent Cody Eakin, Mattias Sjogren and Dmitry Orlov to AHL Hershey. That left Mathieu Perreault and Jay Beagle as the final players to solidify their respective places on the roster, something that both players definitely cherish.
"It feels good," Perreault said on making the team. "I've been waiting for it the past three years and finally, I got it. I showed up in good shape and ready to go and I went out there and gave everything I had."
"I'm definitely excited to be here and be with this team," Beagle said. "It's such a great group of guys and a great team. It's just really exciting."
During Tuesday's practice, Perreault skated on the second line with Alexander Semin and Troy Brouwer, while Beagle was on the fourth line with D.J. King, Matt Hendricks and Jeff Halpern. The most noteworthy placement was Marcus Johansson's, who found himself on the third line after spending most of training camp on the first line. Head coach Bruce Boudreau, however, said that not much should be made about Tuesday's lines.
"I don't know how much you want to read into that or whether I'm sending a message to other people," Boudreau said. "I don't want to expound on that right now."
Perreault and Beagle will start the season with the Caps and just like the upcoming season, their personal journeys are also about to begin.
"In another sense, it's just the start," Beagle said. "The goal is to make the team and now it's time to go and try to make an impact and help this team win games and eventually win the Stanley Cup."
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