Harry Lichtman
The Washington Capitals ((37-28-9) finished their three-game road trip on a thrillingly high note. Though it wasn’t easy, they escaped past the Vegas Golden Knights (32-26-16) 5-4 in a shootout on Saturday night.
The Capitals got off to a strong start as Hendrix Lapierre opened the scoring in the first period. The team followed that up with goals from Justin Sourdif and Anthony Beauvillier for a 3-0 lead in the middle frame.
However, in the same period, the Capitals went on the power play and gave up back-to-back shorthanded goals from Vegas. The momentum soon swung towards the Golden Knights as they took a 4-3 lead early in the third.
Fortunately, Dylan Strome turned out to be the hero on Saturday night, as he tied the game up at 4-4. He then followed that up with the game-winner in the skills competition.
With that, the Capitals are officially done with Western Conference opponents this season. Next up, the team returns home to face division rival Philadelphia on Tuesday night.
Capitals Analysis
Early in the game, Ivan Miroshnichenko and Brandon Duhaime helped recover a fumble and got the puck up to Lapierre. Lapierre then scored on a breakaway to give the Capitals a 1-0 lead, as he and Miroshnichenko now have points in back-to-back games.
Later in the period, Aliaksei Protas and former teammate Nic Dowd both went for the puck but collided head-first into each other. Both were down in visible pain, and Protas was ruled out for the rest of the night.
To open the second period, Justin Sourdif scored a power-play goal off a give-and-go play with Connor McMichael. Then, Ryan Leonard’s shot was redirected by Beauvillier past Adin Hill for the 3-0 lead.
However, the Capitals’ next power-play chance is when things started to fall apart. The team gave up back-to-back shorthanded goals for the second time this month.
First, Tom Wilson’s error in the defensive zone led to Dowd taking the puck and scoring on Logan Thompson. This marked Dowd’s first goal since being dealt to Vegas at the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline.
Seconds later in the man advantage, Rasmus Andersson sped into the offensive zone before deking Cole Hutson and beating Thompson. As a result, Vegas had cut the deficit to 3-2.
Still in the middle frame, Jack Eichel fired into the net to tie it at 3-3 and swing the momentum in Vegas’ favor. Then, to open the third, Mitch Marner scored on the power play to give the Golden Knights a 4-3 lead.
However, Washington didn’t give up as Strome came through after being in the penalty box for a double minor.
The Capitals went on another power play, and Strome fired a one-timer off a Hutson feed to tie it at 4-4. The 29-year-old forced overtime as he ended a 17-game goal drought.
There was no scoring in 3-on-3 OT, as the game headed to a shootout. Strome ended up recording the only goal, while Thompson stopped all three shots.
Capitals Report Card
Team: B+
The Capitals got off to a strong start, then let Vegas come all the way back. Luckily, they rebounded and actually got a shootout win for once.
Dylan Strome: A
Strome was the hero the Capitals needed as he ended his 17-game goal drought. The 29-year-old scored the game-tying tally in the third, and the game-winner in the shootout.
Capitals Power Play: C+
The Capitals may have scored two power play goals. However, it’s the second time this month the team gave up back-to-back shorthanded tallies in one man advantage.
Ivan Miroshnichenko: A
Miroshnichenko continues to make a difference filling in for Ethen Frank. His secondary assist on Lapierre’s goal gave him points in back-to-back games.
Cole Hutson: A
Hutson finished the night with two assists, helping out both Sourdif and Strome on the power play. It’s the rookie’s first multi-point game of his career.
