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The Utah Hockey Club pulled off an electrifying 5-4 shootout win against the Washington Capitals, thanks to Nick Schmaltz’s clutch shootout goal. Josh Doan and Dylan Guenther each scored a goal and notched an assist, with Michael Carcone and Jack McBain rounding out the scoring for the visitors.

Utah, which has now won three of their last four games, came out swinging, with Doan scoring just over a minute into the game, followed by Carcone’s goal 32 seconds later. While that was a picture-perfect start for the Hockey Club, it was a nightmare scenario for the Caps, who trailed 2-0 barely 90 seconds into the contest.

Goalie Connor Ingram, who earned the start for Utah, stopped nine of 11 shots before exiting the game with an upper-body injury. Ingram appeared to suffer an injury when he was hit high by an Alex Ovechkin blast. Netminder Karel Vejmelka stepped in and saved the day, stopping 30 of 32 shots as well as all three of Washington’s shootout attempts.

Capitals forward Tom Wilson scored twice, and Ovechkin dished out three assists in the loss. Dylan Strome and Pierre-Luc Dubois rounded out the scoring for the home team. Logan Thompson, who’s been having an incredible season, allowed goals on the first two shots he faced, but rebounded with 23 saves and still sports an impressive 24-2-5 record this season.

After a late rally by Washington forced overtime and a shootout, Schmaltz’s slick move sealed the deal for Utah. He deked Thompson and beat him high stick side, giving Utah skills competition win. Caps defenseman John Carlson, who assisted Wilson’s second goal, was honored before the game for reaching 700 career points. Ovechkin extended his point streak to five games and moved past Phil Esposito for 11th on the NHL’s all-time point list.

As the final seconds of regulation ticked away, Alex Ovechkin rifled a shot from center ice. The defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers had already pulled their goalie, so the only obstacle standing between The Great 8 and the back of the net was the clock. Once Ovechkin sank the shot and the game officials reviewed the play, it was determined Washington’s captain had scored his 878th career goal with 0.1 seconds left on the clock as the Capitals defeated the Panthers, 6-3.

Ovechkin is now just 17 goals from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal scoring record of 894. With 29 regular games remaining on Washington’s schedule, the 39-year-old has a chance to claim a record that once appeared to be untouchable this season.

In a battle between the two division leaders in the Eastern Conference, Andrew Mangiapane, Tom Wilson, Lars Eller and Nic Dowd scored on two-time Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. Aliaksei Protas and Ovechkin each scored an empty netter to clinch the victory. Capitals netminder Logan Thompson, who should be considered a Vezina Trophy contender this season, stopped 31 of the 34 shots to keep Washington from losing a third consecutive game.

Two moments stood out for Washington. Although they started slowly, the Caps sprung to life courtesy of a shorthanded goal by Wilson, which he converted on a two-on-one breakaway setup by Protas. Early in the third period, Eller outmaneuvered defenseman Dmitry Kulikov and roofed a backhand shot over Bobrovsky for his ninth goal of the season which snapped a 10-game scoring drought.

While the Caps failed to score on their three powerplay opportunities, Dowd’s eventual game winner came on a delayed penalty call against Florida. The Panthers snapped a three-game winning streak despite goals from Sam Bennett, Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk. Bobrovsky recorded 21 saves in the loss.

The Washington Capitals pulled off a thrilling 2-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday night, thanks to forward Pierre-Luc Dubois’ overtime heroics. Dubois scored his second goal of the game with just 40.3 seconds left in overtime, sending the Capitals’ bench into a frenzy.

That said, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for the Caps. Despite goalie Logan Thompson’s stellar 30-save performance, the home team struggled to find its rhythm, managing just 18 shots on goal. Thompson was particularly impressive in the second period, stopping 20 of the 21 shots he faced.

The Canucks, meanwhile, are stuck in a rut, having lost three straight and eight of their last 10 games. Conor Garland scored their lone goal, while goalie Anton Lankinen made 16 saves in the defeat.

As for the subplot of all subplots: Alex Ovechkin remains 23 goals shy of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL career record after being held scoreless for the second straight game. Despite his impressive start to the season, Ovechkin remains at 872 career goals for another night.

The Capitals have now earned points in five consecutive games and sit atop the Eastern Conference. That said, Caps coach Spencer Carbery will likely have plenty to focus on after watching his team sleepwalk through large chunks of the first and third periods. But for now, he’ll take the two points on a night when clearly the home team was not at its best and hope Washington can build on this momentum.

As Carolina forward Tyson Jost ripped a shot on net while racing into the offensive zone midway through the second period, Capitals goalie Charlie Lindgren made a split-second decision. Rather than attempting to “get big” in hopes of deflecting the shot aside, Lindgren pulled off an absurd acrobatic windmill save that electrified the building and earned him a standing ovation from those in attendance.

The feat became even more impressive upon discovery that the netminder was so under the weather that he was vomiting during intermission. Lindgren, who had 23 saves on the night, was rewarded for his heroic efforts as Washington earned a 3-1 win over Carolina. Forwards Aliaksei Protas and Connor McMichael scored crucial goals in the final minute of the first and second periods, respectively, to propel the Capitals to victory and snap a two-game losing streak.

Jakub Vrana added an insurance goal for the Caps, who improved to 10-4-2 at Capital One Arena this season. Hurricanes forward Seth Jarvis spoiled Lindgren’s shutout bid with 9:38 left, but it was too little, too late for the visitors.

Despite a strong showing from goalie Pyotr Kochetkov, who stopped 19 of 22, Carolina’s recent road woes continued. The Canes have been outscored 21-10 in regulation while dropping five consecutive away game (0-4-1). The Capitals, meanwhile, won their ninth game in 13 without injured captain Alex Ovechkin. Coach Spencer Carbery ruled out a possible Ovechkin return before the Christmas break, but the 39-year-old could be back before the new year.

Expectations were low for both the Washington Capitals and San Jose Sharks entering the season. Washington limped into the playoffs last season allowing 37 more goals than they scored. The Sharks landed the first pick in the draft after earning a league-worst 47 points one year ago.

Fortunately for both fanbases, both teams have been significantly better than advertised. The Washington Capitals have been a joy to watch this season, with seemingly every offseason gamble the front office made already paying dividends. A team that struggled to score with any regularity last season now boasts one of the league’s best offenses.

Washington has done an amazing job of consistently creating high-percentage shots and scoring chances this season. All four lines have been productive, making it easier for coach Spencer Carbery to spread playing time out more evenly than in previous years. Additionally, Caps defensemen — specifically John Carlson, Jakob Chychrun, Rasmus Sandin and Trevor van Riemsdyk — have consistently contributed to the offense as well, nearly matching the production of last year’s defense in roughly a quarter of the season.

The normally high-octane Capitals failed to get rolling against a young and scrappy San Jose team that appears to be ahead of schedule in their rebuild, losing 2-1 in overtime which snapped Washington’s four-game winning streak. William Eklund scored the game-winning goal during a power play just 39 seconds into the extra session. A high sticking by Tom Wilson on Sharks center Macklin Celebrini resulted in a double-minor penalty, which was too much for the home team to overcome. Capitals goalie Logan Thompson stopped 29 of 31 shots, while goalie Mackenzie Blackwood saved 27 of 28 shots faced for San Jose.

The Sharks, who started the season 0-7-2, improve to 10-6-3 over their last 19 games — which is ninth best in the NHL during that span. Baby-faced Celebrini, the number one pick in the 2024 draft, leads the way with 11 points in his last nine games.

Just hours before the puck dropped between the Washington Capitals and Colorado Avalanche, it was announced that Caps captain Alex Ovechkin suffered a fracture to his left fibula and will be out of action for four to six weeks.

The Russian Machine is temporarily broken thanks to a knee-on-knee collision with Utah Hockey Club forward Jack McBain three days earlier. Prior to the collision, the 39-year-old was off to arguably the best start of his Hall of Fame career, with an impressive 15 goals and 10 assists in 18 games played this season. Without his hulking presence in the lineup or on the ice, Washington struggled to get going offensively. Forward Pierre-Luc Dubois scored his second goal of the season, but no one else was able to slip a puck past Colorado goalie Alexandar Georgiev, who stopped 28 of 29 shots he faced.

The Capitals have gotten off to an impressive start this season, posting a 13-5-1 record thus far. But much of their success could be attributed to Ovechkin’s incredible production. Without their captain in the lineup for the foreseeable future, can others step up to help fill the void? Beyond that short-term problem for Spencer Carbery’s squad, the biggest storyline in hockey is now on hold — with Ovechkin sidelined at 868 career goals, just 27 shy of surpassing Wayne Gretzky’s record.

Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin scored his 861st career goal midway through the third period to lift Washington to a 3-2 victory over the Nashville Predators. The Great 8 scored his eighth goal of the season, tying him with center Connor McMichael for the team lead.

McMichael and forward Aliaksei Protas also scored, and goalie Logan Thompson stopped 33 of 35 shots he faced to improve to 6-0-0 in Washington. Center Dylan Strome picked up his 200th career assist on Ovechkin’s goal and defenseman Matt Roy picked up his first assist with the Capitals, with the primary helper on McMichael’s tally.

On the other side of the ice, Nashville dropped to a hugely disappointing 4-8-1 on the season. A perennial playoff team featuring Filip Forsberg, Ryan O’Reilly, Roman Josi and Steven Stamkos is clearly not where they hoped to be after their first dozen or so games. Rather than scheduling a players’ meeting, maybe they can cancel another planned concert outing. That seemed to get them back on track previously.