Alex Ovechkin's 898th career goal propelled the Washington Capitals to a 5-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Friday night, extending their winning streak to four games. Ovechkin's goal, his first of the season, was a result of a shot that ricocheted off the left post and into the net, eliciting a thunderous ovation from the crowd as the scoreboard was updated to reflect his new career total. Ovechkin, the NHL's all-time leading goal scorer, also contributed an assist, showcasing his dominance on home ice.
The Capitals' Logan Thompson made only one mistake, allowing Marcus Johansson's goal in the second period, which tied the game at 1. However, Aliaksei Protas quickly responded, scoring 31 seconds later. Despite Minnesota's league-leading power play, the Capitals' strong penalty-killing skills and shot dominance (45-15) proved decisive.
Ovechkin and Dylan Strome demonstrated their teamwork, with Ovechkin passing up a prime shooting opportunity to set up Strome for an easy tap-in during the first period. The Capitals' penalty-killing prowess was tested in the second period when Minnesota's Jake Middleton was given a double-minor penalty, but Washington failed to capitalize. Johansson then beat Thompson with a wrist shot, breaking a streak of Minnesota's power-play goals and marking just the third 5-on-5 goal allowed by Washington this season.
The Capitals responded swiftly with Protas' fourth goal of the 2025-26 season. Standing alone to the left of the goal, Protas received a pass from Connor McMichael and sent the puck toward the net, slipping past the goalie. Ovechkin's third-period goal was set up by Strome's faceoff win in the offensive zone, followed by Strome's rebound goal, making it 4-1. Tom Wilson added a power-play goal with 1:57 remaining, securing the Capitals' victory.
