WASHINGTON (AP) — Alex Ovechkin scored for the first time this season, Dylan Strome added a pair of goals, and the Washington Capitals defeated the Minnesota Wild 5-1 on Friday night, marking their fourth straight victory.
Ovechkin’s third-period shot pinged off the left post and went in, prompting the crowd to roar as the counter above one corner of the ice flipped to 898, his new career goal total. The NHL’s career leader in goals also contributed an assist as part of a dominant showing at home for Washington.
Goalie Logan Thompson allowed only one goal, scored by ex-Capital Marcus Johansson in the second period. Johansson’s tally tied the game at 1, but Aliaksei Protas answered just 31 seconds later to give Washington the lead again.
Minnesota entered the game boasting the league’s top power play, having converted on 10 of 21 opportunities. However, the Capitals were disciplined, taking only two penalties and successfully killing them off. Washington outshot the Wild 45-14 overall.
The scoring opened with Ovechkin passing up a good shooting chance from the right side, instead finding Strome for an easy tap-in to put Washington ahead in the first period.
Despite a double-minor penalty on Minnesota’s Jake Middleton in the second period, Washington failed to capitalize on the advantage. Then, with 3:13 remaining in the second, Johansson beat Thompson with a wrist shot. This goal snapped a streak where the last nine Minnesota goals had come on the power play and was just the third 5-on-5 goal allowed by the Capitals this season.
The Capitals responded quickly. Protas, standing open to the left of the net, took a pass from teammate Connor McMichael, who was positioned on the opposite side of the crease, and sent the puck past goalie Filip Gustavsson for his fourth goal of the 2025-26 season.
In the third period, Ovechkin scored again shortly after Strome won a faceoff in the offensive zone and passed to him. Strome followed that with another goal, knocking in a rebound to extend Washington’s lead to 4-1.
Tom Wilson sealed the victory with a power-play goal with 1:57 remaining in the game.
Up next:
Wild: At Philadelphia on Saturday night.
Capitals: Host Vancouver on Sunday.
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