The Washington Capitals (25-21-6) finally ended their four-game losing skid. They escaped with a 3-1 victory over the Calgary Flames (21-25-5) on Friday night.
This was a much needed win for the Capitals after they fell to league-worst Vancouver on Wednesday.
It wasn’t easy though as Calgary went up 1-0 early on a power play goal from Morgan Frost. This was originally a sign that the Capitals could drop their fifth consecutive game.
However, the unthinkable happened in the second period when Hendrix Lapierre tied it up with his first goal of the season. Lapierre had struggled for so long as his tally really impressed his teammates and coaches.
“I trust the work that I put in on a daily basis,” said Lapierre. “It feels good to get one. Just got to keep going with the consistency now and rack a couple wins up.”
In the third period, Aliaksei Protas ended up scoring the game-winner, while Alex Ovechkin sealed it with an empty-netter.
Next up, the Capitals finish up their weekend back-to-back in Alberta as they visit Edmonton on Saturday night.
Capitals Analysis
The Capitals went down early as they were forced to go to the penalty kill. That’s when Frost skated through the offensive zone and fired the puck past Logan Thompson.
However, the middle frame was much better for the Capitals as they outshot Calgary 17-4. They also got an unlikely hero to show up.
Lapierre came through in the period to tie the game up at 1-1. The 23-year-old got to the front of the net and buried a rebound off John Carlson’s shot.
Fun fact: This was Lapierre’s first NHL goal since March 18, 2024, which was against…Calgary. It took 90 games for him to score in a Capitals uniform again.
The Capitals’ offense got going as they got many good chances on Devin Cooley. The team was able to go back to basics and play simple hockey.
With 12:30 in the third, Justin Sourdif found Wilson in front, but he wasn’t able to bury the puck. Luckily, Protas was there to send the puck into an empty net for the lead.
The Capitals’ defense was able to hold Calgary to one goal the rest of the night. Ovechkin’s empty-netter gave him his 21st of the year and 918th of his career.
Capitals Report Card
Team: A-
The Capitals got it together in the second period and played aggressive hockey to snap their losing skid.
Hendrix Lapierre: A
Lapierre came through and scored his first NHL goal in nearly two years. That’s when the Capitals were able to build off that momentum as he defended the lead in the third.
Aliaksei Protas: A
Protas recorded the game-winning goal in the third period. He now has 17 on the season as it was his first in his last seven games.
Tom Wilson: B
Wilson finished with an assist on Protas’ late tally. The veteran now has points in five of his last six games. Though he did receive a 10-minute misconduct late for chirping at Mackenzie Weegar.
Logan Thompson: B+
Thompson played a solid game in net as he stopped 25 of 26 shots. We’ll see how he keeps the momentum up as he represents Team Canada in the Olympics.
Jakob Chychrun: B-
Chychrun also looked impressive as he almost scored by attempting a Michigan on Cooley. This was before he got hit by Nazam Kadri and had to leave the game.
