The Washington Capitals ((37-28-9) finished their three-game road trip in thrilling fashion. Although it was not easy, they managed to defeat the Vegas Golden Knights (32-26-16) 5-4 in a shootout on Saturday night.
The Capitals started off strong with Hendricks Lapierre opening the scoring in the first period. The team then took a 3–0 lead in the middle frame with goals from Justin Sourdiff and Anthony Beauvillier.
However, in the same period, the Capitals continued to play on the power play and gave up back-to-back shorthanded goals to Vegas. The momentum soon shifted to the Golden Knights as they took a 4–3 lead early in the third.
Luckily, Dylan Strome proved to be the hero on Saturday night, as he tied the game at 4-4. After this he became the game-winner in the skills competition.
With that, the Capitals are officially done with their Western Conference opponents this season. Next, the team will return home to face division rival Philadelphia on Tuesday night.
capitals analysis
Early in the game, Ivan Miroshnichenko and Brandon Duhaime recovered a fumble and gave Lapierre a puck. Lapierre then scored on a breakaway to give the Capitals a 1–0 lead, as he and Miroshnichenko now have points in consecutive games.
Later in the period, Aliaksi Protas and former teammate Nick Dowd both went for the puck but collided with each other. Both were suffering obvious pain, and Protas was knocked out for the entire night.
To start the second period, Justin Sourdiff connected with Connor McMichael on a power-play goal. Then, Ryan Leonard's shot was redirected by Beauvillier past Adin Hill for a 3–0 lead.
However, the Capitals' next power-play opportunity is when things started to fall apart. The team gave up shorthanded goals for the second consecutive time this month.
First, an error by Tom Wilson in the defensive zone led to Dowd getting the puck and scoring on Logan Thompson. It was Dowd's first goal since being dealt to Vegas at the 2026 NHL trade deadline.
A few seconds later, on the man advantage, Rasmus Andersson drove into the offensive zone before decking Cole Hutson and beating Thompson. As a result, Vegas cut the deficit to 3-2.
Still in the middle frame, Jack Eichel fired into the net to tie it 3–3 and swing the momentum in Vegas' favor. Then, to start the third, Mitch Marner scored on the power play to give the Golden Knights a 4–3 lead.
However, Washington did not give up as Strome came in after being in the penalty box for a double minor.
The Capitals started another power play and Strome drained a one-timer off a Hutson feed to tie the score at 4-4. The 29-year-old forced overtime to end his 17-game goal drought.
There was no scoring in 3-on-3 OT, as the game headed to a shootout. Strome recorded the only goal, while Thompson stopped all three shots.
capitals report card
Team: B+
The Capitals started strong, then let Vegas trail all the way. Fortunately, they counterattacked and actually won a shootout once.
Dylan Strome: A
Strome was the hero the Capitals needed as they ended their 17-game goal drought. The 29-year-old equalized in the third game and scored the game winner in the shootout.
Capitals Power Play: C+
The Capitals might have scored two goals in the power play. However, this is the second time this month the team has given up back-to-back shorthanded tallies in a one-man advantage.
Ivan Miroshnichenko: A
Miroshnichenko continues to make a difference in replacing Ethan Frank. His secondary assist on Lapierre's goal gave him points in consecutive games.
Cole Hutson: A
Hutson finished the night with two assists, helping both Sourdiff and Strome on the power play. This is the first multi-point game of the rookie's career.
