Alex Ovechkin contributed assists on goals by Tom Wilson and Aliaksei Protas. At the same time, Logan Thompson made 24 saves against his former team, as the Washington Capitals handed the Vegas Golden Knights their first season loss, 4-2, on Tuesday night.
Ovechkin, in pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record, also reached a milestone by becoming the 60th player in NHL history to record 700 assists. He now has three assists in Washington’s first two games of the season and remains 42 goals away from surpassing Gretzky’s career total.
Jakub Vrana made an immediate impact in his return to the Capitals, scoring on his first shot of the season. Vrana, who won the Stanley Cup with Washington in 2018 when they defeated Vegas, rejoined the team after attending training camp on a tryout. Jakob Chychrun also notched his first goal as a Capital since joining the team in a summer trade from Ottawa.
After an offseason shake-up, Thompson, one of several new faces for the Capitals, secured the win against Vegas after being traded by the Golden Knights, who chose not to offer him a bigger role. Adin Hill, who led Vegas to the Stanley Cup in 2023, allowed four goals on 22 shots. Victor Olofsson and Jack Eichel scored for the Golden Knights.
Takeaways
Golden Knights: This loss felt like a “schedule loss,” as Vegas had just played at home Sunday night and did not have much time to adjust to the Eastern Time Zone before facing Washington.
Capitals: After starting their season later than most teams, the Capitals appeared to have found their rhythm in their second game of the campaign.
Key Moment
Jakob Chychrun extended the Capitals’ lead to 4-1 early in the second period, batting in a goal off the rush from Nic Dowd.
Key Stat
Ovechkin joined an elite group of players—Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe, Jaromir Jagr, Marcel Dionne, and Phil Esposito—who have both 700 goals and 700 assists in their NHL careers.
Up Next
The Golden Knights continue their Eastern Conference road trip with a stop in Tampa Bay on Thursday, while the Capitals host the Dallas Stars the same night.