The Washington Capitals wrapped up their two-game homestand with a fourth consecutive victory, defeating the Seattle Kraken 4-2 on Sunday. With momentum on their side, the Caps now head west for a California road trip.
It wasn’t the prettiest win, but it counts all the same. The hope is that they can start stronger in their upcoming games.
Washington’s performance was far from dominant. The Capitals struggled through the first period, showed flashes of brilliance early in the second, then lost their edge before finally pulling it together in the third. The sluggish starts must be frustrating for head coach Spencer Carbery and his staff, considering how dominant the team looks once they get rolling. At five-on-five in the third period, Washington held a strong edge in key metrics, including shot attempts (+10), scoring chances (+8), high-danger chances (+6), and expected goals (+0.22).
Alex Ovechkin reached another historic milestone, recording his 1,600th career point with his 886th career goal. He becomes just the 11th player in NHL history to hit the mark and now sits only nine goals shy of Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record. According to the Capitals, Ovechkin’s goal was his 157th in the month of March, tying Gretzky (157 in December) for the most in a single calendar month.
Other notable milestones from the game included Martin Fehervary setting a new career high in points (18), Connor McMichael hitting 100 career points, and Dylan Strome skating in his 500th career game. Strome’s goal—his 19th of the season—also means he has now scored against every team in the NHL, including the Capitals.
Aliaksei Protas assisted on Fehervary’s goal, giving him 30 assists in a season for the first time in his career. Protas has been on a tear, recording 19 points (7g, 12a) in his last 19 games, and is on pace for a 71-point season (32g, 39a). Among NHL players under 25, only Jack Hughes (27) and Cole Caufield (31) have more goals this season than Protas.
Goaltender Charlie Lindgren was outstanding, earning his 15th win of the year with 30 saves on 32 shots. According to MoneyPuck, he saved 2.34 more goals than expected.
With the victory, the Capitals (92 points) have already surpassed last season’s total (91 points) in 18 fewer games. They are now tied with the Winnipeg Jets atop the NHL standings, hold a nine-point lead over the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference, and sit 12 points ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes in the Metropolitan Division.
