The Washington Capitals (5-2-0) finished their four-game homestand on a high note. They took care of business for a 4-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken (3-2-2).
The Capitals finish their homestand with a record of 3-1, with victories over the Lightning, Wild, and Kraken, and a loss to the Canucks.
Washington jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the opening period, thanks to a tally from Nic Dowd.
In the middle frame, Ryan Leonard and Jakob Chychrun added two more goals to give the Caps a commanding 3-0 lead.
Though Washington gave up a Seattle goal early in the third, Tom Wilson sealed it with an empty-netter in the final minute.
Next up for the Caps is a back-to-back on Friday and Saturday. First they will visit the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday, and then host the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.
Capitals Analysis
Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery made some adjustments to the bottom-6 prior to Tuesday’s contest. He moved Justin Sourdif from fourth-line wing to third-line center, while Hendrix Lapierre moved from center to second-line wing.
In addition, Ethen Frank made his debut on the fourth line, while Sonny Milano sat as a healthy scratch.
Safe to say Carbery’s adjustments worked really well. The fourth line contributed with the first goal in the opening period. Dowd scored on a pass from John Carlson after a smooth entry and play from Brandon Duhaime.
Then, 25 seconds into the second period, Ryan Leonard sniped the puck past Matt Murray off a feed from Aliaksei Protas. That tally made it 2-0 Washington.
“Our execution is getting better and better every single game,” said Leonard. “It’s good to see a lot of good progress within the team and individual play.”
Soon after that, the Caps went on the power play as Alex Ovechkin found a wide open Chychrun on the point. He fired a shot past Murray to make it 3-0. The man advantage went 1-for-2 on the night.
“It was a well-rounded hockey game and, for the most part, that’s how we want to play every night,” said Chychrun.
The lone Kraken goal came early in the third when Jaden Schwartz snuck a lucky bounce past Logan Thompson. However, Tom Wilson made up for it at the end of the contest with an empty-netter in the McNugget Minute. Wilson now has four goals on the season.
Washington’s penalty kill was also successful as it went a perfect 2-for-2.
Capitals Report Card
Team: A
The Caps redeemed themselves after a disastrous first period on Sunday. The team regained form as the bottom-6 and power play led them to victory.
Ryan Leonard: A
The 20-year-old has come to play. After taking friendly fire from Protas, Leonard went on to have a breakout game. He recorded a goal in the middle frame and was a big contributor on the bottom-6.
Jakob Chychrun: A
Chychrun was able to snipe one home on the power play as he also scored in the second period. He now has goals in three of his last four games, and is one goal away from 100 in his career.
Nic Dowd: A
Dowd recorded a multi-point game on Tuesday night, which included his first goal of the year and an assist on Wilson’s late empty-netter.
Brandon Duhaime: A
It was a big night for Duhaime as it turned out to be his 300th career NHL game. He celebrated with an assist on the Dowd tally.
Logan Thompson: B
Thompson didn’t have to do a whole lot, as he stopped 18 of 19 shots that went his way. He is now 4-1 to start the 2025-26 season.
