Photo via John Carlson.
Mathieu Perreault‘s time in Washington has come to an end, as he was traded to Anaheim to reunite with former Caps coach Bruce Boudreau. The Caps in return get a fourth round draft pick in 2014 and forward John Mitchell.
Without further ado, we give you the top six Mathieu Perreault moments with the Caps.
6. Power Play Goal versus Calgary, 03/28/2010
In what was a 5-3 losing effort for the Caps, Perreault scored with one hand from behind the net, his third goal of 2009-2019 and his first power play goal in the NHL.
5. First NHL Goal versus Florida, 11/07/2009
In his third game in the NHL, Perreault scored a dandy of a wrap-around goal at the 2:21 mark of the third period, tying the game at three goals apiece and sparking a four-goal Caps comeback victory.
4. First Two-Goal Game versus Toronto, 12/06/2010
Perreault scored the first and third Caps goals of the game in what was an eventual 5-4 shootout loss to the Maple Leafs. Though they lost, Perreault put forth a valiant effort, prompting Coach Boudreau to make the following comments post game:
“He brought great energy like we thought and he made plays like we thought. If some of the other forwards played with as much energy as him, we wouldn’t have been in the situation we were in.”
3. The Broken Nose versus Carolina, 12/26/2010
Perreault opened the scoring for the Caps at the 13:33 mark of the first period off an amazing blind pass from Alex Semin. Shortly afterward, he took a hard hit from Hurricanes defenseman Tim Gleason that resulted in a broken visor and a broken nose. Perreault missed a game against Montreal, but was able to return in time for the Winter Classic. This incident also gave rise to one of the all-time great picture tweets from John Carlson (photo above).
2. Two-Goal Game versus Ottawa, 12/19/2010
On December 19, 2010, the Caps entered Scotiabank Place on an eight-game losing streak. Perreault’s first goal of the night came at the 0:34 mark of the second period, bringing the Caps to within one goal of the Senators. A little over six minutes later, Perreault scored the game-winning power play goal that ended the losing streak and solidified Mathieu Perreault’s place in the hearts of Caps fans everywhere.
1. Hat trick vs. Boston, 1/14/2012
Without Alex Ovechkin in the lineup against a very heavily-favored Boston Bruins, Perreault scored his first career three-goal game to lead the Caps to victory.
Bonus
Whatever he was doing here:
Au revoir, Mathieu Perreault!
Further reporting by Samantha Bass.
