標籤: Caps

The Washington Capitals (43-30-9) finished the 2025-26 season on a high note. They got their fourth straight win by defeating the Columbus Blue Jackets (40-30-12) 2-1 on Tuesday.

More importantly, this could be the final NHL game for Alex Ovechkin. The Capitals captain received a final ovation from the crowd at Nationwide Arena.

It’s a full circle moment for Ovechkin, who made his debut against Columbus in October 2005. The 40-year-old recorded an assist in the Capitals’ win in the season series (4-0-0) against the Blue Jackets.

“We try to win,” Ovechkin said. “We’re trying to finish the season on a good note and I hope this isn’t my last game. I don’t know what’s going to happen. We’ll see.”

The first goal came early in the middle frame when Boone Jenner scored for Columbus. However, Anthony Beauvillier responded with the tying goal in the same period.

Then, in the third, Jacob Chykrun came up with the game-winner on the power play. Clay Stevenson was also strong in net, making 27 saves.

The season has already ended, with the Capitals sitting in fourth place in the Metropolitan Division with 95 points.

capitals analysis

All eyes were once again on Ovechkin as he suited up for the Capitals for possibly the last time. Although he is still undecided, the 40-year-old received plenty of cheers from the crowd in Columbus.

Many Capitals fans traveled as far as Ohio to see The Great 8 once again. As on Sunday, many in the stands chanted “one more year” and “Ovi”.

Ovechkin looked impressive on the ice as he recorded a secondary assist on Chirkrun’s goal. He led the team with four shots, 12 attempts and two hits during 18:24 ice time.

Winning Tuesday’s game was no longer necessary, so many players got a chance to shine. Stevenson started in net and looked strong, stopping 27 of 28 shots.

The Capitals finally responded, after Jenner scored 27 seconds into the middle frame. Trevor van Riemsdyk found Beauvillier on a breakaway as he beat Jett Greaves to make the score 1–1.

In the third, the Capitals played a key power play, as Ovechkin once again made his presence felt. He allowed Chirkrun to get a shot past Greaves for the go-ahead goal. The 28-year-old finished the season with 26 goals, the most among NHL defencemen.

With secondary assistance, Ovechkin finished his 21st season with 64 points (32 goals, 32 assists) in 82 games. This marked the first time since 2017–18 that The Great 8 appeared in all 82 games.

capitals report card

Team: B+

The Capitals went on to finish the season with four consecutive wins. If the team was not troubled by injuries and inconsistencies, they could have reached the playoffs.

Alex Ovechkin: A

Ovechkin made quite an impact in his swan song. He finished the 2025–26 season with 64 points (32 goals, 32 assists).

Clay Stevenson: A

Stevenson had a solid effort stopping 27 of 28 shots against Columbus. The 27-year-old got the start over Logan Thompson and the injured Charlie Lindgren.

Anthony Beauvillier: A

Beauvillier fueled the Capitals’ offense with the game-tying goal in the second period. He finished the season with a season-high 15 points.

Jacob Chykrun:A

Chicrun recorded the game-winner to help the team finish strong. He finished with 26 goals, the most among NHL blueliners this season.

Harry Lichtman is an award-winning journalist who covers the Washington Capitals for SportsNut. He also contributes to the sites… More about Harry Lichtman

The Washington Capitals (39-30-9) playoff chances took a big blow on Sunday night. They lost 8–1 completely against the last-place New York Rangers (33–36–9) at Madison Square Garden.

The Capitals looked to be in good shape after upsetting red-hot Buffalo on Saturday. However, a second period collapse and lack of coverage led to a significant loss on the road.

After the Rangers took an early 1–0 lead, Connor McMichael scored the only goal for the Capitals to tie the score at 1–1. The first period looked to be a more competitive contest.

Unfortunately, the second period is when the wheels completely came off for the Capitals. The defense broke down and Rangers surrendered five goals.

It was also a tough night for Charlie Lindgren, who had lost his last 10 games and was playing his second consecutive half. The 32-year-old netminder finished the night by stopping 24 of 32 shots.

With the loss, the Capitals are now three points behind the second wild card spot in the East and third place in the Metropolitan Division. Next, Washington will look to bounce back when they visit Toronto on Wednesday night.

capitals analysis

After Connor Sherry opened the scoring, Tom Wilson played a nice pass to McMichael for a breakaway goal to tie the score at 1–1. Unfortunately, that first period matchup was really the only highlight of Washington’s offense all night.

The middle structure is when the capitals became completely separate. First, the Rangers went on the power play as JT Miller deflected a rebound. Then, Will Cooley scored on an even play by going backdoor and redirecting the puck past Lindgren.

Quayle scored his second goal, beating Lindgren from the right circle and making the score 4–1 Rangers. Adam Sikora then capped the blowout with a one-timer and Adam Fox’s shot through traffic resulted in a power-play goal.

The Rangers led 6-1 at the second intermission as the Capitals had no answer. The defense looked shaky and Lindgren struggled in his first game since March 12.

Early in the third, Vincent Trocheck beat Lindgren in the five-hole to cut the Rangers’ lead to 7–1. Then, with 31.5 seconds remaining, Quayle fired away from the slot to finish the night with a hat trick.

The Capitals were so disappointed with the results that three players left the opposition. Jacob Chychrun, Brandon Duhaime and Hendricks Lapierre were all given five-minute majors.

While the Capitals had recently been successful based on individual gains, their struggles made a sudden return. The team went 0-3 on the power play, as they failed to create chances.

capitals report card

Team: F

The performance of the Capitals, who are trying to keep their playoff hopes alive, has been absolutely disappointing. That second period is further proof of this.

Charlie Lindgren 😀

It didn’t help that Lindgren sat out the last 10 games for Logan Thompson. The netminder looked lost in the net as he conceded eight goals.

Capitals Special Teams: F

Somehow, the Capitals’ special teams struggles returned in the worst way possible. The team went 0-3 on the power play and gave up two goals on the penalty kill.

Harry Lichtman is an award-winning journalist who covers the Washington Capitals for SportsNut. He also contributes to the sites… More about Harry Lichtman

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.

Harry Lichtman is an award-winning journalist who covers the Washington Capitals for SportsNut. He also contributes to the sites… More about Harry Lichtman

It certainly wasn’t the result the Washington Capitals (35-28-9) wanted. They fell flat and suffered a 3-0 loss to the St. Louis Blues (29-30-11) on Tuesday night.

It was the Capitals’ first stop on a three-game road trip as they look to keep their playoff hopes alive. Unfortunately, Tuesday’s shutout loss certainly wasn’t that.

The Capitals looked promising early, but could not locate St. Louis goaltender Joel Hofer. The team’s power-play problems also continued.

The highlight for the Capitals was when they went toe-to-toe with the Blues. Ryan Leonard’s aggressive attitude continued as he dropped the gloves with Otto Steinberg.

Later in the game, Pierre-Luc Dubois received a five-minute match penalty for fouling Robert Thomas. Many people questioned whether the fine was too high.

The Capitals’ regulation loss hurts more when you realize that Boston, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and the Islanders all lost on the same night. Washington’s playoff chances are shrinking by the minute.

Next, the Capitals will head to the Rocky Mountains to face Utah on Thursday night.

capitals analysis

From the moment they took the ice, the Capitals just took off on Tuesday. They were unable to score on Hoffer as the St. Louis netminder stopped all 21 shots.

What’s worse is that the Capitals could only muster six shots on goal in the first 40 minutes. An additional 14 in the third period ultimately were not enough.

The ongoing power-play problems continued as the Capitals went 0-2 on the night. The team was unable to create high quality chances.

The Blues went ahead 1–0 in the middle frame as Jimmy Snuggerud fired a one-timer from the left circle.

Shortly after that goal, Leonard took a high hit from Stenberg and a scuffle broke out between the two players. The 21-year-old tried to breathe some life into his team as he now has two matches left in his career.

In the final period, Stenberg doubled St. Louis’ lead when he caught Logan Thompson in front.

Down 2-0, Dubois caught Thomas and threw him hard to the ice. Thomas appeared to be badly hurt, and was given a match penalty for intent to injure Dubois.

Late in the game, Jordan Kirou recorded an empty-netter to complete the Blues’ shutout victory.

capitals report card

Team: D-

Absolutely flat performance from the Capitals, especially on attack. However, things went a little haywire in St. Louis.

Capitals Power Play: F

Once again, the Capitals could not advance on the man advantage. The team failed to create chances and fell 0-2.

Ryan Leonard: B–

Leonard tried to breathe some life into the Capitals by dropping the gloves with Stenberg. It looks like the 21-year-old is learning hard from Tom Wilson.

Logan Thompson: B

Thompson was influential despite being disappointed by his teammates. He stopped 24 of 26 shots against the Blues.

Ivan Miroshnichenko: C+

Miroshnichenko stepped in for the injured Ethan Frank in the fourth row. He hit a shot off the post after a feed from Hendricks Lapierre.

Harry Lichtman is an award-winning journalist who covers the Washington Capitals for SportsNut. He also contributes to the sites… More about Harry Lichtman

The Washington Capitals (35-27-8) have now won two in a row. They didn’t need much scoring to get the job done as they defeated the New Jersey Devils (35-32-2) 2-1 on Friday night.

The game was a goaltending duel between Logan Thompson and Jake Allen. In the end, Thompson was victorious.

The Olympic silver medalist made 30 saves on 31 shots. Thompson nearly recorded a shutout, but still recorded his 23rd win in the end.

“I don’t really care about it,” Thompson said of not getting the shutout. “They won’t remember me for the shutout. That wasn’t on my mind. I just wanted to win.”

Ryan Leonard and Aliaksi Protas scored two goals each for the Capitals on the night. Cole Hutson also contributed in his second NHL game.

The Capitals have kept their playoff hopes alive with seven extra points from four matches. However, if they are to be able to do so they will have to win and get some help.

Next, the Capitals conclude their four-game homestand with a Sunday matinee matchup against Colorado.

capitals analysis

Capitals were looking very strong in the initial stages. Leonard and Hutson were two skaters who made a difference.

As soon as he got the puck, Leonard came off the bench and made a sharp shot on Allen to make the score 1-0. The 21-year-old now has goals in five of his last eight games.

Additionally, Leonard made history as the first Capitals rookie since Alex Ovechkin to reach the 15-goal mark.

Hutson made his second NHL start and has continued to make his presence felt. The 19-year-old created many chances and was solid defensively. She even had a physical relationship with Olympic gold medalist Jack Hughes.

Ultimately, the Capitals’ MVP on Friday night was Thompson. The 29-year-old made several key saves, including on the front door and with his glove.

Allen also came out for New Jersey and made 26 saves against the Capitals’ offense. However, after leaving the ice, Aliaksi Protas recorded an empty-netter to make it 2–0.

Thompson’s shutout effort ended when Jesper Bratt scored with less than a minute remaining. Nonetheless, the Capitals netminder stepped up with 18 saves in the final period.

capitals report card

Team: B

The Capitals were stronger defensively than offensively on Friday night. However, they did enough to win their second consecutive game.

Logan Thompson: A+

Thompson was the true MVP that night with 30 saves. The 29-year-old now has 23 wins on the season.

Ryan Leonard: A

Leonard recorded the game-winning goal in the opening period. The 21-year-old is now the first Capitals rookie since Alex Ovechkin to score 15 goals.

Cole Hutson: A

Hutson created many chances and was strong defensively. The newbie continues to show poise and confidence.

Harry Lichtman is an award-winning journalist who covers the Washington Capitals for SportsNut. He also contributes to the sites… More about Harry Lichtman

The Washington Capitals (34-27-8) got a much-needed win at home on Wednesday night. They looked strong on the ice in a 4-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators (34-24-9).

Wednesday’s game marked the debut of Capitals defenseman Cole Hutson. He made quite an impact as he skated well and recorded an empty-net goal late on.

Alex Ovechkin also made more history when he scored the Capitals’ first goal of the night. The Great 8 tied Gordie Howe for the most 25-goal seasons in NHL history.

After this, Tom Wilson scored an own goal to give the Capitals a 2-0 lead in the middle frame. Logan Thompson also had an impressive performance in the net.

Ottawa scored late in the comeback attempt. However, the Capitals sealed it with two empty-netters from Aleksi Protas and Hutson.

Capitals got two points as they now have 76 points in the season. They are currently six points behind Boston and Detroit, who hold the two wild card spots in the East.

Next, the Capitals continue their four-game homestand by hosting New Jersey on Friday night.

capitals analysis

All eyes were on Hutson as he made his NHL debut for the Capitals. The 19-year-old was paired with Matt Roy for Wednesday’s home game.

It proved to be an impressive debut for Hutson, as he looked more comfortable as the game progressed. The rookie skated well, took good care of the puck and found his teammates at the tape.

Then, after Ottawa’s goaltender drew a late power play, Hutson recorded his first NHL goal on an empty-netter. He finished the game with one tally and three shots during 16:24 of ice time.

The Capitals outshot Ottawa 16–7 in the middle frame and the game remained scoreless. That is, Ovechkin came out of his mini-slump.

The 40-year-old redirected Rasmus Sandin’s feed past Linus Ullmark to put the Capitals up 1-0. It was Ovechkin’s 25th goal of the season and career goal No. 922.

More importantly, The Great 8 made more history as he tied Gordie Howe for the most 25-goal seasons in NHL history. Ovechkin is also one point away from 1,000 combined regular season and playoff goals.

After this, Wilson reached the bottom of the circle and made a shot on Ullmark to make the score 2-0. The 31-year-old was also very physical as he helped his team by being aggressive on the forecheck.

Wilson’s Team Canada teammate Thompson was also dominant between the pipes. He stopped 34 of 35 shots and shut out Brady Tkachuk and Ottawa most of the time.

Despite still trailing 2–0, the Senators came up with six strikeouts as Tim Stützle finished Thompson’s shutout night. However, Capitals sealed it with two empty-netters from Protas and Hutson.

capitals report card

Team: A-

One of the team’s strongest performances in recent times. The Capitals have kept their playoff hopes alive for now.

Cole Hutson: A

Hutson’s NHL debut was impressive. The 19-year-old skated well and finished with a goal and three shots during 16:24 of ice time.

Alex Ovechkin: A

Ovechkin recovered from the slump to record goal No. 922. The 40-year-old continues to make history as many question whether this is his last season.

Tom Wilson: A

Wilson contributed to the Capitals’ victory with Ovechkin scoring 25 goals on the season. The 31-year-old also showed his trademark physicality against Ottawa when needed.

Logan Thompson: A

Thompson took a big step in net with 34 saves. The netminder made several acrobatic saves to stop Ottawa’s attack.

Martin Fehrvary: B+

Fehrweri did his part to defend Thompson by bailing him out. He finished the game with six of the Capitals’ 21 blocks.

Harry Lichtman is an award-winning journalist who covers the Washington Capitals for SportsNut. He also contributes to the sites… More about Harry Lichtman

The Washington Capitals (33-27-8) played longer than necessary on Saturday afternoon. They hung with the Boston Bruins (37-23-6) but lost 3-2 in a shootout that lasted nine rounds.

The Capitals needed a win to stay tied with Boston for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. Washington finished with one point, despite needing two points.

The Capitals blue line took a big step to keep hope alive. Matt Roy led the scoring, while Rasmus Sandin had a multi-point game.

However, Boston never trailed as Charlie McAvoy recorded two goals. But neither team was able to score on many power play opportunities.

The game required overtime and then a shootout, which lasted nine rounds. Despite the Capitals’ best efforts, Fraser Minton scored the game-winner for Boston.

Next, the Capitals continue their four-game homestand by hosting Ottawa on Wednesday.

capitals analysis

After a scoreless opening period, Roy scored to put the Capitals ahead 1–0 75 seconds into the middle frame. The 31-year-old blueliner fired an 86 MPH shot past Jeremy Swayman into the top corner.

Roy generally looked impressive on the ice. The defensemen moved the puck well, and made smart reads at both ends of the ice.

Sandin also played well and recorded an assist on Roy’s tally. The 26-year-old player then scored an own goal at the beginning of the third.

With the score tied at 1–1, Sandin made the score 2–1 with a knuckle puck from the point. The blueliner also showed impressive two-way play and grabbed four blocks.

However, Boston’s blue line came through thanks to two goals from McAvoy. The Olympic gold medalist hit a point shot to equalize in the second, then deflected a shot to make it 2-2.

With the score tied late, the Capitals had two power play opportunities to try to take the lead. Unfortunately, the team’s problems continued on the man advantage.

Things got worse when Connor McMichael took a late penalty and the Capitals were shorthanded with more than a minute remaining. Thankfully, Boston did not score while their power play extended to OT.

The capital penalty kill intensified early in this period. Tom Wilson and Anthony Beauvillier were both in the box, but the team successfully killed 39 seconds of 5-on-3.

Despite the loss, Logan Thompson put in a remarkable performance, stopping 32 of 34 shots on net. He also made eight saves in the skills competition.

capitals report card

Team: B-

The Capitals tried their best to keep the game competitive in regulation, overtime and the shootout. Sadly, he could not win.

Rasmus Sandin: A+

Sandin had a multi-point day with a goal and an assist. The blueliner got a lot of good looks and got high-danger chances while also playing well on defense.

Matt Roy: A

Roy opened the scoring 75 seconds into the second period. He recorded his first goal since on November 17 versus Los Angeles.

Capitals Special Teams: C+

The Capitals’ power play once again struggled and their score became 0-3. However, the penalty kill was much better, including a 5-on-3 in the third.

Logan Thompson: B

Thompson made 32 saves in the loss. The netminder also stopped eight shots in the shootout.

Harry Lichtman is an award-winning journalist who covers the Washington Capitals for SportsNut. He also contributes to the sites… More about Harry Lichtman

The Washington Capitals (33-27-7) go up against a tough opponent on Thursday night. Thankfully, they were able to pull out a 2-1 upset win over the Buffalo Sabers (40-10-6).

It wasn’t easy though, as the Capitals got off to a slow start. Sam Carrick got Buffalo on the board early as the Sabers looked for their ninth consecutive win.

However, the Capitals took the lead in the middle frame as Ryan Leonard tied it with a tally. The rookie now has goals in three consecutive games.

Charlie Lindgren was also impressive against a fiery Buffalo team. The 32-year-old netminder stopped shot after shot and finished with 29 saves.

“Again, the character of this team — just going out and continuing to fight,” Lindgren said. “It was fun to watch. I thought we played very well the last 40 minutes.”

Late in regulation, the Capitals got just what they needed as Jacob Chykrun scored the game-winner with 1:33 remaining. Washington kept their playoff hopes alive as they handed Buffalo their first loss since Feb. 5.

After that, the Capitals will return home for a Saturday afternoon matchup against Boston.

capitals analysis

After a blowout 4-1 loss to Philadelphia on Wednesday, the Capitals knew they would face a big test the next evening. Buffalo entered Thursday as one of the top teams in the NHL after years of futility.

The Sabers took the lead early and led 1–0 in the opening period. Former Capital Beck Malensteen skated in and slid the puck past Carrick in front for the tally.

Fortunately, Lindgren was able to shut out Buffalo the rest of the way. The netminder got the start after Logan Thompson played last night in Philadelphia.

The Capitals were also successful on the penalty kill late in the first. Olympic gold medalist Tage Thompson fired five consecutive one-timers, but none of them went in.

The second period is when the Capitals really started playing well. Trailing 1-0, Leonard skated up the ice with the puck and hit a wicked shot to tie it 1-1.

The 21-year-old registered his 14th goal of the season in the process. He extended his goal streak to three games and his point streak to five.

Due to the match being very competitive, the match remained tied at 1-1. After being outshot in the first two periods, the Capitals outscored Buffalo 13–4 in the third.

Then, with 1:33 left in regulation, Aliaksei Protas found a wide open chicron, who fired in for the game-winner. The 27-year-old now leads all NHL defensemen with 23 tallies and seven game-winning goals this season.

Additionally, Protas’ assist proved to be the 100th assist of his career. The Russian forward now has 45 points this season.

capitals report card

Team: A-

Despite the slow start, the Capitals got the job done against a red-hot Buffalo team. They also kept their playoff hopes alive with an extra two points.

Charlie Lindgren: A

Lindgren was notable between the pipes as he stopped 29 of 30 shots. The 32-year-old made several key saves to hold off the Sabres.

Jacob Chykrun:A

Chicrun came up in the clutch with the game-winning goal at the end of regulation. The blueliner now has 23 goals on the season.

Ryan Leonard: A

Leonard continued his hot streak and equalized in the second period. The 21-year-old player registered his 14th goal this year.

Harry Lichtman is an award-winning journalist who covers the Washington Capitals for SportsNut. He also contributes to the sites… More about Harry Lichtman

The Washington Capitals (32-27-7) scoring problems continued on Wednesday night. They were not able to generate much offense as they lost 4–1 to the Philadelphia Flyers (30–23–11).

The Capitals got things going, at least in the first period. Ryan Leonard took an early 1–0 lead with a power-play goal.

However, things turned sour after that. The Capitals made things more complicated and let Philadelphia take over the rest of the way.

Travis Konecny ​​and Trevor Zegras each scored to give the Flyers a 2–1 lead in the middle frame. As far as this rivalry is concerned, players from both the teams also got involved in it.

The Capitals tried to swing the momentum back in their favor but failed. Jamie Drysdale and Owen Tippett added two more points in the third for Philadelphia.

Next, the Capitals continue their road set of back-to-backs by heading to Buffalo on Thursday.

capitals analysis

The Capitals started the power play early in the game, but Tom Wilson was tired from his previous innings. Luckily, that’s when Leonard came into the top PP unit.

Leonard drove into the slot and hit a quick shot past Samuel Ersson about 10 minutes into the opening period. The 21-year-old now has 13 goals this season and extended his point streak to four games. Additionally, Leonard has 34 points, fourth-most among rookies in the NHL this season.

The Capitals went 1-for-3 on the man advantage on Wednesday night as they now have goals in three of their last four games.

Unfortunately, the second period is where things fell apart for the Capitals. A number of mistakes resulted in Philadelphia taking advantage.

First, a wide open Konecny ​​shot a pass from Logan Thompson in the right circle to tie the score at 1-1. Then, Zegras and Tippett went 2-on-0, as Zegras scored to make it 2–1 Philadelphia.

Things got extra playful as usual with these two arch rivals. Brandon Duhaime got into it with Nikita Grebenkin, while Wilson traded blows with Konecny. Afterwards, a frustrated Rasmus Sandin threw Tippett onto the ice.

Spencer Carberry once again changed the lines in hopes of better chemistry. However, as much as the Capitals tried to rally, they relied too heavily on passing rather than shooting the puck.

Down 3-1, the Capitals added an extra attacker in hopes of a miracle comeback. However, Tippett sealed it with an empty-net.

capitals report card

Team: C-

The first period was strong for the Capitals, but that was it. The team once again struggled to find the net and relied heavily on passing the puck.

Ryan Leonard: A

Leonard came on the power play in the first period. The rookie now has 13 goals and 34 points on the season.

Timothy Liljegren: B

Liljegren was solid in his Capitals debut after being acquired from San Jose. The Swedish blueliner showed off his two-way game and helped keep Philadelphia’s forwards out of the crease. He finished the night with a team-leading three blocks.

Jacob Chykrun 😀

It was one of the weaker nights for the Capitals’ best blueliner this season. Chykrun finished with a plus/minus of minus-4 and received a bounty.

Harry Lichtman is an award-winning journalist who covers the Washington Capitals for SportsNut. He also contributes to the sites… More about Harry Lichtman

The Washington Capitals (32-26-7) snapped their three-game losing streak. He scored seven goals in a 7-3 home win over the Calgary Flames (25-31-7) on Monday night.

The Capitals had a dominant performance in the first period with three goals each from Hendricks Lapierre, Tom Wilson and Connor McMichael. This was an early sign that the losing streak would end.

However, leading 3–0, Calgary responded with three unanswered long points in the middle frame. What’s worse, the Capitals scored consecutive shorthanded goals on the same power play.

Nevertheless, the Capitals were resilient in the third period. It all started when McMichael again hit the man advantage, followed by Justin Sourdiff’s goal just seconds later.

Later the Capitals sealed it with goals from Ethan Frank and Ryan Leonard.

Next, the Capitals take the field for their next two games, starting with Philadelphia on Wednesday, then Buffalo on Thursday.

capitals analysis

Capitals head coach Spencer Carberry once again shook things up after Saturday’s crushing 3-1 loss to Boston. The most notable change was the separation of Alex Ovechkin and Dylan Strome.

Ovechkin worked with Sourdiff and Anthony Beauvillier, while Strome was placed between Wilson and Aliaksei Protas. Leonard moved up to the second line with McMichael and Pierre-Luc Dubois, while the fourth line remained the same.

The changes worked in the first period, as Lapierre came forward and buried Martin Fehrvary’s rebound. Then, a deflected puck fell to Wilson as he went top shelf from a tough angle for his 24th of the season.

At the end of the period, McMichael scored the first of his two goals and the Capitals went up 3–0.

Unfortunately, the middle frame is when the shutout ended. Matvey Gridin went backdoor and delivered a shot to Logan Thompson to get Calgary on the board.

Then, the Capitals’ second power-play opportunity is when things really fell apart. First, Blake Coleman went on a breakaway for a shorthanded goal. A few seconds later, an AA miscue led to Joel Farabee stealing the puck and passing Yegor Sharangovich to tie the score at 3–3.

Thankfully, the third period is when the Capitals regained control. The team went into its third power-play opportunity with a few changes to the top unit.

The Capitals kept the puck in the zone, as McMichael batted in the rebound to make it 4–3. 23 seconds later, Sourdiff fired a shot that hit the foot of Kevin Bahl and made it 5–3.

The Capitals sealed it later when Frank found an empty net and Leonard scored on a breakaway goal.

capitals report card

Team: B+

The Capitals had a strong first period, but fell apart in the second. Fortunately, they showed their resilience by scoring four goals in the third.

Connor McMichael: A

McMichael recorded two goals, including a go-ahead run on the man advantage. The 25-year-old now has 10 goals to his name this season.

Capitals Power Play: C+

Giving up two shorthanded goals on a power play is absolutely unacceptable. The good thing is that McMichael responded to give the Capitals a 4-3 lead.

Ryan Leonard: A

Leonard scored the final goal on a breakaway with 15 seconds remaining. The 20-year-old has extended his point streak to three games.

Hendrix Lapierre: A

Lapierre made another impact on the fourth line with his third inning of the season. He later recorded a secondary assist on Frank’s empty-netter.

Harry Lichtman is an award-winning journalist who covers the Washington Capitals for SportsNut. He also contributes to the sites… More about Harry Lichtman

华盛顿首都队 (31-25-7) 主场五连胜已经结束。周二晚上，球队以 3-2 不敌犹他猛犸象队 (32-25-4)。

第一个时期对首都队来说很艰难，因为他们没有取得太大进展。他们在防守时的盖帽次数多于射门次数。

首都队在第一场比赛中就让犹他队丢掉了两个进球，这要归功于迪伦·冈瑟和米哈伊尔·谢尔加乔夫。现在被称为“猛犸象”的球队总体上看起来准备得更加充分。

幸运的是，首都队从皮埃尔-吕克·杜布瓦和瑞安·伦纳德身上打进了两个强力进球。这两次得分给球队带来了一些活力。

首都队也在密切关注联盟的情况，以争取季后赛的最后阶段。不幸的是，拥有东部最后一个外卡席位的波士顿队周二以 2-1 击败了匹兹堡队。

说到这里，首都队的下一场比赛将于周六下午前往波士顿迎战棕熊队。

资本分析

首都队再次缺席了约翰·卡尔森，他因下半身日常受伤缺席了第四场比赛。球队还错过了因个人原因缺阵的阿利亚克塞·普罗塔斯。

冰球一落下，首都队就表现不佳，在进攻上无能为力。他们无法射门，无法赢得板球大战，也无法将冰球击落。

在开场的大部分时间里，首都队都表现出了防守，他们在比赛的前 10 分钟内就完成了 10 次盖帽。截至当晚，球队总共盖帽36次。

犹他州队一开始就先发制人，冈瑟（Guenther）从左圈上方击败了洛根·汤普森（Logan Thompson）。

至于特勤队，首都队的实力发挥确实很出色，当晚他们打出了 2 比 2 的成绩。杜波依斯在第一节末打入球队的第一个进球，而伦纳德在第三节进球。

两名球员的投篮得分也相似，杜波依斯和伦纳德都从右圈击败了卡雷尔·维梅尔卡。周二之前，奇才队在人员优势上10投0中，表现糟糕透顶。

然而，首都队的点球大战却是另一番景象，他们2投0中。

在第一节比赛中，谢尔加乔夫试图穿过车流并入网得分，为犹他队2-0领先。然后，在中场比赛中，汤普森不小心击中了JJ彼得卡的一记投篮，球飞出了篮板。

首都队试图在监管后期扳回一球，但最终未能成功。维梅尔卡对于犹他州来说实在是太多了。

首都成绩单

团队：C-

首都队在整个晚上的大部分时间里都表现不佳，因为他们在进攻上没有产生太大的作用。讽刺的是，球队在防守上总共盖帽了 36 次。

首都权力游戏：A+

首都队在此前10投0中的情况下实际上成功地实现了人员优势。杜波依斯和伦纳德都在两次强力进攻机会中各得分。

首都队点球击杀：D-

与此同时，首都队在两次点球大战中都让犹他队丢掉了进球。队伍在PK中非常缺少卡尔森和普罗塔斯。

哈里·利奇曼 (Harry Lichtman) 是一位屡获殊荣的记者，为《Sportsnaut》报道华盛顿首都队。他还为网站做出贡献…更多关于 Harry Lichtman

華盛頓首都隊 (31-25-7) 主場五連勝已經結束。週二晚上，球隊以 3-2 輸給猶他猛獁象隊 (32-25-4)。

第一個時期對首都隊來說很艱難，因為他們沒有取得太多進展。他們在防守時的蓋帽次數多於射門次數。

首都隊在第一場比賽中就讓猶他隊丟掉了兩個進球，這要歸功於迪倫·岡瑟和米哈伊爾·謝爾加喬夫。現在被稱為「猛獁象」的球隊總體上看起來準備得更加充分。

幸運的是，首都隊從皮埃爾-呂克·杜布瓦和瑞安·倫納德身上打進了兩個強力進球。這兩次得分給球隊帶來了一些活力。

首都隊也密切關注聯盟的情況，以爭取季後賽的最後階段。不幸的是，擁有東部最後一個外卡席位的波士頓隊週二以 2-1 擊敗了匹茲堡隊。

說到這裡，首都隊的下一場比賽將於週六下午前往波士頓迎戰棕熊隊。

資本分析

首都隊再次缺席了約翰·卡爾森，他因下半身日常受傷缺席了第四場比賽。球隊也錯過了因個人原因缺席的阿利亞克塞·普羅塔斯。

冰球一落下，首都隊就表現不佳，在進攻上無能為力。他們無法射門，無法贏得板球大戰，也無法將冰球擊落。

在開場的大部分時間裡，首都隊都表現出了防守，他們在比賽的前 10 分鐘內就完成了 10 次蓋帽。截至當晚，球隊總共蓋帽36次。

猶他州隊一開始就先發制人，岡瑟（Guenther）從左圈上方擊敗了洛根·湯普森（Logan Thompson）。

至於特勤隊，首都隊的實力發揮確實很出色，當晚他們打出了 2 比 2 的成績。杜波依斯在第一節末打入球隊的第一個進球，而倫納德在第三節進球。

兩名球員的投籃得分也相似，杜波依斯和倫納德都從右圈擊敗了卡雷爾·維梅爾卡。在週二之前，巫師隊在人員優勢上10投0中，表現糟糕透頂。

然而，首都隊的點球大戰卻是另一番景象，他們2投0中。

在第一節比賽中，謝爾加喬夫試圖穿過車流併入網得分，為猶他隊以2-0領先。然後，在中場比賽中，湯普森不小心擊中了JJ彼得卡的一記投籃，球飛出了籃板。

首都隊試圖在監管後期扳回一球，但最終未能成功。維梅爾卡對猶他州來說實在太多了。

首都成績單

團隊：C-

首都隊在整個晚上的大部分時間都表現不佳，因為他們在進攻上沒有產生太大的作用。諷刺的是，球隊在防守上總共蓋帽了 36 次。

首都權力遊戲：A+

首都隊在先前10投0中的情況下實際上成功地實現了人員優勢。杜波依斯和倫納德都在兩次強力進攻機會中各得分。

首都隊點球擊殺：D-

與此同時，首都隊在兩次點球大戰中都讓猶他隊丟掉了進球。隊伍在PK中非常缺少卡爾森和普羅塔斯。

哈里·利奇曼 (Harry Lichtman) 是一位屢獲殊榮的記者，為《Sportsnaut》報道華盛頓首都隊。他還為網站做出貢獻…更多關於 Harry Lichtman

The Washington Capitals (30-23-7) officially return to action after the Olympic break. Despite a slow start, they picked up a 3-1 home win over the Philadelphia Flyers (25-21-21) on Wednesday night.

The Capitals were also without both the alternate captains. Tom Wilson was out with an illness, while John Carlson is still day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

The first period was tough, but Rasmus Sandin was able to break the scoreless tie in the middle frame and make it 1–0 Capitals.

After Philadelphia equalized early in the third, Trevor van Riemsdyk responded with the game-winning goal later on. Aliaksei Protas eventually sealed it with an empty-net.

“We know where we are in the standings,” van Riemsdyk said. “We had three weeks to look at that, look at the numbers and know that we couldn’t afford any more losses.”

Logan Thompson was also fantastic in his return after representing Canada at the Winter Olympics. On his 29th birthday, he stopped 23 of 24 shots.

Next, the Capitals will host Vegas in a rematch of the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals on Friday night.

capitals analysis

The Capitals were closed for almost three weeks due to the Olympic holiday and its impact was visible early on. For most of the opening period, the Capitals spent time in the defensive zone and were outscored 8–1.

However, that’s when the Capitals started to click as they generated more zone time and pressure.

Without Wilson, Hendricks Lapierre came into the lineup and really made a big impact. He showed off his two-way game while playing on the fourth line with Brandon Duhaime and Nick Dowd.

Late in the middle frame, Lapierre found Sandin coming off the bench as he fired a shot over Dan Vladar. The Capitals broke the scoreless tie as Lapierre now has three points in his last eight games.

Noah Cates tied the score at 1–1 for Philadelphia early in the third, but the Capitals eventually responded. Declan Chisholm fed the puck to Van Riemsdyk, who buried it for the go-ahead goal with 5:52 remaining in regulation. It was the 34-year-old blueliner’s second accomplishment of the season.

With less than a minute remaining, the Capitals got a late penalty kill due to a delay of game call on Nick Dowd. Still, the defense stood up and Protas sealed it with an empty-netter.

The 25-year-old has now reached the 20-goal mark in consecutive seasons. He also reached the 20-assist mark with his contribution to van Riemsdyk’s game-winner.

However, it also helped that the Capitals got Thompson back in net. The Olympic silver medalist made some important stops and ousted the likes of Trevor Zegras and Matvey Mitchkov.

capitals report card

Team: B

The Capitals got off to a slow start, but eventually turned it around in the middle frame. The team got goals from two defensemen who don’t score often.

Logan Thompson: A

Thompson accomplished the feat on his birthday with 23 shutouts. The 29-year-old’s save on Michkov in the third was a turning point for the team.

Trevor van Riemsdyk: A

The 34-year-old defenseman scored the game-winning goal. It was also his second tally of the season.

Hendrix Lapierre: A

Lapierre finished with an assist on the Sandin goal and was very physical on the ice. A particular highlight was a big hit on Kates in the beginning.

Beauvillier-Sourdiff-Franc Line: B+

This trio proved to be very effective, as they created many chances and maintained the pressure.

Harry Lichtman is an award-winning journalist who covers the Washington Capitals for SportsNut. He also contributes to the sites… More about Harry Lichtman

Jack Hughes almost didn’t get the chance to become an American hero.

Sitting in the penalty box late in the third period of Sunday’s 1-1 gold-medal game against Canada, the superstar New Jersey Devils forward was more likely to lose the game to the United States than win the game for his country.

“I took my picture on a barstool [Sports] Like America hates that guy because Canada scores on the power play,” Hughes said after the game. “I was saying ‘Oh my God, it’s here.’

“I’m glad we got out of the pickle I got us into.”

Still, when Hughes’ teammates picked him up, he made sure to return the favor by capping a big turnover at both ends of the rink with the game-winning goal at 1:39 of overtime in the United States’ 2–1 overtime win over Canada at the Milan Santagiuliano Arena, sealing the USA’s first gold medal since 1980.

Most Devils fans who were “done” with Jack Hughes before the tournament may need to placate them with a “sorry Jack” chant given the Lindy Ruff treatment during the 2022-23 season, especially if he uses his first Olympics as a springboard for the rest of this season and beyond.

Hughes finished with four goals and seven points and led the Americans in both categories. He tied with Nathan MacKinnon (Canada) and Juraj Slafkowski of Slovakia for the second-most goals among all players.

“I think Jack had a great tournament,” USA coach Mike Sullivan said after the game. “The goals he scored were big-time goals. … I think Jack was at the center of a lot of good things that happened for our team. He’s a high-risk player. He played at his best when the stakes were highest.”

Hughes proved his coach’s point by scripting two elite plays that saved the Americans and allowed himself to cement his legacy in USA Hockey history.

defense on conor mcdavid

Hughes did not start overtime on the ice, but he left for the Americans’ third shift of the extra session.

His first overtime job? Playing defense against the best player in the world.

That’s Connor McDavid attacking Hughes and the US net with gusto. He took the puck from his linemate and broke free to Canadian star Maclin Celebrini at his own blue line.

“I came right off the bench,” Hughes said, before addressing Sullivan, “You were probably liking it, right Sully?” McDavid is coming at me.

McDavid eats up even elite-level NHL defensemen in this kind of rush every night. He has 96 points in 58 games this season and is averaging 1.5 points per game for his decade-plus in the NHL and was named MVP of the tournament after leading the entire Olympic field with 13 points.

And in this game he’s being defended by a 5-11, 175-pound forward.

“When the best player in the world — maybe ever — comes at you in overtime in the gold-medal game and you’re on the forward, my first thought was ‘I’ve got to gap up,'” Hughes said, “and I was like ‘I can’t gap up, he’ll come right at me.’

Still, Hughes did what he needed to do to slow down McDavid and disrupt any potential scoring opportunities.

“He did a great job,” Sullivan said. “He recognized that he had no opportunity to pay attention to it. He just absorbed it. I think he did a great job defending her.”

“I just dunked and hopefully he couldn’t get around me because there wasn’t enough space between me and the net,” Hughes said. “Honestly that’s what happened.”

poke check on black makar

Hughes’ second defensive play may be lost compared to McDavid’s body and the golden goal. But his help in getting out of the defensive zone was no less important.

Hughes deflected the puck away from McDavid and took it into the back of the net before hitting the puck past USA defenseman Zach Werenski. But the forechecking McDavid put pressure on Werenski and he delivered a soft backhand pass to Hughes on the way out of the zone.

Still, the dark caper at the blue line – the defenseman’s Connor McDavid – was in sight. Makar was named one of two defenders on the All-Olympic team, along with Jack’s brother Quinn Hughes, as he had six points in six games and Canada’s only goal in the gold medal game.

Werenski was breaking out of the USA defensive zone to make offensive plays. So if Makar intercepts the pass — or even makes a strong tip of it — McDavid is all alone on goalie Connor Hellebuyck and scores the OT winner for the second time in as many best-on-best tournaments.

Nevertheless, it was Hughes who managed to beat Makar and Werenski to create a three-on-one that ultimately led to his goal.

Finding and scoring cool ice

The puck went all the way into the USA offensive zone, where Werenski won the puck battle from Nathan MacKinnon. Dylan Larkin went to back up Werenski, while McDavid defended, and Hughes made a layup to get into prime scoring territory.

With Makar trailing in the game, Werenski found Hughes. Hughes beat Binnington with a snip between the pads, which certainly reminded Devils fans of what has made them one of the NHL’s elite 3-on-3 overtime teams over the past three seasons.

Hughes’ goal would change his life. Still, after scoring possibly the greatest goal in American hockey history, he was more focused on fulfilling a dream and doing the same with his USA Hockey brethren.

“We’re a great team,” Hughes said. “We wanted to go through Canada and beat them, and it could have gone either way tonight, but it’s an incredible win for the Americans.”

Pat Pickens is an award-winning sports writer and author who has covered the NHL since 2013. He reveals more about Pat Pickens.