Pierre-Luc Dubois played his first game in a Washington Capitals jersey on Tuesday night, suiting up for a 4-2 preseason loss to the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Tuesday night.
But despite the defeat, the 26-year-old reacted positively ahead of his first taste of Eastern Conference hockey since he was a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets over three years ago.
“It’s not the regular season, but it’s a step towards that and it’s a step towards good habits, a step towards winning hockey games,” Dubois said before the game, according to NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti.
“Scrimmages are fine, but there’s nothing like a preseason game against other teams. You’re not as scared to shoot the puck. You’re not as scared to get in it physically. So it’s exciting.”
Dubois managed an assist in the contest, also going 7-for-15 on faceoffs while seeing just over 13 minutes of ice time. It was the Quebec native’s first game since his last team, the Los Angeles Kings, were defeated by the Edmonton Oilers in Round 1 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
After a really tough season in California — which was exacerbated considering he had signed a massive eight-year, $68 million contract after being traded from the Winnipeg Jets — he was shipped to the nation’s capital this summer.