WASHINGTON, DC — The Washington Capitals put on an offensive showcase on Wednesday, and Ryan Leonard rose to the occasion. Leonard ended a 12-game goalless streak in dramatic fashion against the Edmonton Oilers, showing off his skill in the first multi-goal performance of his career.

Just 20 games into his first full pro season, Leonard’s transition to the NHL hasn’t been effortless, but Wednesday night’s performance saw much of his hard work pay off.

“Confidence-wise, obviously, that’s huge, to help the team out win an important game like tonight,” Leonard said postgame. “Every single game you’re trying to contribute, whether that’s scoring goals or just providing energy for the team, and I was lucky enough tonight to get two.”

Leonard’s first goal of the night came midway through an action-packed first period. After getting the puck from Connor McMichael near the blue line, Leonard skated it to the right circle, took his time to line up the shot, and beat Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner.

A period later, Leonard recorded arguably the best goal of his career so far, scoring on a highlight-reel play that quickly attracted attention from around the NHL. Starting from the neutral zone off another pass from McMichael, he out-skated Edmonton blueliner Evan Bouchard to force a breakaway, faking out Skinner on his forehand before backhanding the puck into the net.

“He’s got 30 (goals) in him every season, once he starts rolling,” noted TNT color commentator Darren Pang.

Leonard later broke down what he saw on the play.

“They were caught pretty low,” he said postgame. “I saw Mikey winning the puck battle, and I tried to use my speed to the advantage. Just tried to get inside on the defenseman and take it to the back post.”

Asked if making space by outmuscling the 6-foot-3 Bouchard gave him confidence, Leonard grinned.

“Nah,” he said. “It’s good. It’s good, yeah.”

Leonard, like so many Capitals players, has struggled to convert on his chances to start the season, and the desire to get him more ice time has motivated some of Washington’s recent lineup changes. After so long without a goal, his teammates were all too happy to see him get on the board.

“That was fun to see,” Anthony Beauvillier said postgame. “I think he’s been playing really well, and for him to find the back of the net, obviously it’s huge for our team, and huge for him as well.”

To head coach Spencer Carbery, Leonard’s night wasn’t just fueled by offensive talent. He highlighted how Leonard had internalized the subtler aspects of his game — something Carbery has focused on all season — to the point that they’d become second nature. Without juggling those details in his head, he was free to unleash his underlying scoring power.

“The last few games have been his best games of the season thus far,” Carbery said postgame. “And so you can see, he’s just getting way more comfortable, way more confident. The little nuances of the game at this level, and the expectations, the little plays, the little details of the game are just now becoming second nature to him. So he doesn’t even have to think about that stuff anymore.

“So now he can really just go out there and play. He knows he’s in the right spot. He’s making all the plays that he needs to make, given the time, score, situational awareness. And then you really see his tools and his elite talent come to fruition like tonight…So good for him. Give him some confidence against one of the best teams in the NHL.”

Even Leonard recognizes that most games won’t be like Wednesday — like all rookies, he’ll continue to go through some growing pains as the season progresses. But every time he steps on the ice, Leonard knows he’s making progress.

“Each and every game, 20 games in now, I definitely have a better feel for my personal game, the team’s game, and what we’re playing against every single night,” he said. “So that’s key, but it’s a long season and a long road ahead.”