Oleksy in his NHL debut. (Photo credit: Patrick McDermott)

Down 3-0 after the first period, Caps prospect Steve Oleksy– playing in his first NHL game– made a veteran move along the boards. Instead of a more conservative block, Oleksy took a swing at Zdeno Chara‘s clearing attempt– sending the puck towards Boston’s net. That’s where Alex Ovechkin caught it and fed a no-look cross-crease pass to Mike Ribeiro, who sent the puck home. Oleksy’s move caught the Bruins off-guard, making the goal possible.

That goal started the Caps’ comeback, and it was also Oleksy’s first NHL point. His parents, Andy and Sue, attended the game after making an eleven-hour drive from their home in Michigan.

While Oleksy may not have the physicality of Mike Green or Dmitry Orlov, he plays a bold game while limiting his mistakes. Against the Bruins on Tuesday, the Chesterfield, Michigan native had two shots, two hits, and three blocked shots in 10:05 of playing time.

Steve Oleksy playing like an AHL’er thatwants to be full-time NHL’er. Playing physical, jumping into play & shooting every chance

— Alan May (@MayHockeyCSN) March 6, 2013

Agreed.

Photos

Olesky’s huge first period hit on Shawn Thornton.

Oleksy is interviewed by Al Koken during the second intermission.

Oleksy and Kundratek pose with their milestone pucks. (Photo via Capitals Instagram)

Let’s hope we see a reenactment of this photo many more times in the future. (Photo by: Evan Vucci)

The puck. (Photo credit: Sergey Kocharov)

It’s certainly hard to believe, but earlier this year, on February 27, Dmitry Orlov — at the ripe age of 19 — played in his first professional game for the Hershey Bears. Orlov, who won gold at the World Junior Championships only five weeks earlier, stepped into Hershey’s line-up and immediately made an impact. Looking more like a 10-year veteran than a wide-eyed rookie, Dima assisted on Steve Pinizzotto’s second period power-play goal, collecting his first AHL point in his first AHL game.

Boy, it seems like history is repeating itself. Tonight, Orlov — still not looking out of place in his new surroundings — collected his first NHL point in his second NHL game, assisting on Nicklas Backstrom’s second period marker. Video is below the jump.

BAM!

But Orlov did oh so much more.

Dima also dished out several crushing hits. First, he laid out Blake Wheeler with one of his patented hip checks.

Gif via Dimagus on Japers’ Rink.

Then a little bit later, he nailed Evander Kane sending his stick airborne into the crowd.

Suffice to say, I can’t wait to see what Orlov has in store for us next. Ovi certainly knows who the real star of the show is now.