A single game after his NHL bow, Ilya Protas put together an outing that figures to rank among the most unforgettable of what should be a long big-league run.
Slotted between Tom Wilson and older sibling Aliaksei, the 19-year-old buried his initial league goal and turned in a first career multi-point effort as Washington beat Pittsburgh 6-3, collecting 2nd Star honors along the way.
Afterward, Ilya likened the moment to a boyhood fantasy finally realized, telling reporters how genuinely glad he was to notch his first and come away victorious.
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That landmark tally arrived during a Washington man-advantage, the clock reading 14:04 to play in the final frame.
Parked right at the doorstep, Ilya buried a loose puck behind Pittsburgh stopper Arturs Silovs after a booming point drive off the stick of Cole Hutson. The secondary helper went to Dylan Strome.
Little Pro's breakthrough tally
Appearing on ABC, Ilya called it unbelievable and described the sensation as unreal.
That power-play marker arrived in only the second league contest of his career — and, fittingly, topped by one the zero his older sibling Aliaksei has managed over a 319-game career.
Alex Ovechkin, hockey's most prolific goal man, scooped the keepsake off the playing surface and carried it over to where Washington's bench sat.
Ilya conceded he hadn't actually been aware of that detail; he was simply overjoyed. Ovi happened to be out there as it occurred, skated over, and pulled him in for a hug — something the youngster found unreal.
Ovechkin fetches Little Pro's keepsake puck
At the bench, his proud sibling offered congratulations of his own as well.
Earlier, in the middle frame, Ilya had collected a couple of helpers inside a seven-minute window. The opener counted as a primary setup when his brother reached the 25-goal plateau for the year.
Curling behind the cage, Ilya delivered an immaculate cross-crease feed to Aliaksei, who calmly tucked it past Silovs to stake Washington to its 1-0 edge at the 1:39 mark of the period.
The setup on Aliaksei's 25th of the year
Once the puck crossed the line, the pair of Belarusians shared a hug.
Ilya then flashed his terrific work in tight, collecting a pass off his sibling's stick before dangling past a Pittsburgh blue-liner down low in the slot. Silovs turned aside the initial backhand bid, yet Wilson hammered home the rebound to beat the harried keeper.
The feed on Wilson's 30th of the year
Deployed on the second trio, Ilya now sits at four points — one goal, three assists — across the first two outings of his big-league tenure while Washington battles hard to grab a postseason spot.
Spencer Carbery, the Capitals' head coach, marveled that, this early into his big-league career, the kid produced a whole array of plays with the puck and away from it — and not strictly the offensive variety.
To cap the night, Wilson saluted Ilya's exploits by smashing a pie into his face mid-interview on ABC with reporter Leah Hextall, as a grinning Ovechkin watched nearby.
For all that early success, Ilya admitted the nerves linger. He said the butterflies hadn't gone away, yet he was clearly feeling a touch more self-assured, zeroing in on each upcoming shift and keeping things tidy with a straightforward 200-foot approach.