Jakub Vrana As a player for the Washington Capitals, he made no mistake on his first shot.

Vrana skated on his second shift of the game and punched the puck past Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill to give the Capitals an early 1-0 lead.

“BANG!” shouted Monumental Sports Network’s Joe Beninati as V found the back of the net.

“You know, great forecheck from (Mangiapane),” Vrana told Al Koken of Monumental Sports Network during halftime. “When I saw he had the puck on his stick, I just tried to get open and find a gap there. We’ll talk about that before the game. Once we win pucks on the forecheck, we want to be open in the slot. Luckily that happened. It was good going in.”

When Wes Johnson announced Vrana’s goal, the shout was drowned out by thunderous cheers from the Caps fans.

“It’s great,” Vrana said of the love from fans. “I felt it in the preseason. I really appreciate your support. They were really great for me and the team. It’s great to be playing in this barn again.”

Vrana’s goal was his first regular season goal with the Capitals since April 9, 2021 and his last at Capital One Arena since March 9, 2021, where he scored two goals against the New Jersey Devils.

“That’s what we can do, right?” Capitals assistant coach Mitch Love told Koken in the first period. “He found this great F3 place. Great move by Mangiapane that made it possible for him. On his stick, quickly off his stick. Big goal for us.”

After signing a professional tryout over the summer, Vrana made the team out of training camp, beating out young prospects Andrew Cristall and Ivan Miroshnichenko and earning a one-year contract.

“I want to be part of this team. I love this team and it’s great to be back here in camp and do my best to earn a spot on the team,” said the 2018 Stanley Cup champion. “It means a lot, man. This team means a lot to me.”

Vrana’s first tenure with the Caps failed under former Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette when then-GM Brian MacLellan sent V to the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for Anthony Mantha. His last game as a Capital before tonight was April 8, 2021.

Shoulder surgery and a high-profile stint in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program resulted in Vrana playing just 37 games for Detroit in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons combined. He eventually landed in St. Louis, where he scored ten goals in his first 20 games for the Blues and finished his time there with the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds.

But as Vrana’s career progressed from the big leagues to the minor leagues, one thing remained a constant: his support from Caps fans.

After one game he already makes up for lost time.