WASHINGTON — From the second period on, Tuesday's tilt between the Washington Capitals and Vegas Golden Knights was truly "All Caps" — and all Alex Ovechkin.
Ovechkin hit 700 career assists with a multi-point outing and was a force to be reckoned with, and Jakub Vrana also scored in his season debut while D.C. dominated in the second en route to a dominant 4-2 win over Vegas.
Here are all the takeaways from the Capitals' first victory of the season.
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Jakub Vrana Makes Noise In Return To Capitals
Washington switched things up and shook up the third line after a bit of a rough go of it in the season opener, putting Jakub Vrana in the lineup for Sonny Milano and moving Andrew Mangiapane to that line to provide a spark.
It worked, as Vrana got to work right away for D.C. Mangiapane did what he does best, winning a board battle and making a great feed to Vrana crashing the net in the slot. Vrana then rocketed a shot past Adin Hill to make it 1-0 for D.C.
The goal was Vrana's first regular-season tally with the Capitals organization since April 9, 2021. It was a sweet moment for the Snake after three long years away.
Besides getting on the scoresheet, Vrana was using his speed to his advantage and making good decisions with the puck all night long. He fit in well on the revamped third line, and ultimately, made a case for head coach Spencer Carbery to consider keeping him in the lineup for a bit longer.
Alex Ovechkin Leads Way With Milestone Night
As he continues his pursuit of becoming the NHL's greatest goal scorer of all time, Alex Ovechkin is still making sure to pass the puck — and it led to a big milestone as he hit 700 career assists on Tuesday.
Ovechkin's first helper was a secondary on the power play as he won a board battle and fed Dylan Strome behind the net, who then found Tom Wilson to make it 2-1 for D.C. in the second.
Minutes later, the 39-year-old worked wonders with the puck in the corner, deking out Zach Whitecloud and feeding Aliaksei Protas in the slot to hit the magic number.
Ovechkin has three assists through his first two outings of the season, and he's also the 60th player in NHL history to record 700 in his career and just the sixth to have at least 700 goals and 700 assists. The only other Capital to record that number: Nicklas Backstrom, who is the franchise leader with 762.
Not only did Ovechkin help power the offense and lead with six shots as he played right and left wing throughout the night, but he helped set the tone physically with five hits.
Fourth Line Strong, Jakob Chychrun Shines & Gets First As A Capital
The fourth line of Brandon Duhaime, Nic Dowd and Taylor Raddysh has been reliable to start its tenure in D.C., and Tuesday was no different as the trio continued to find chemistry and chipped in offensively with the help of Jakob Chychrun.
Chychrun was stellar for D.C. on Tuesday, moving the puck well, using his skating and speed to his advantage, and ultimately, joined the rush and scored his first as a member of the Capitals on a 2-on-1 with Dowd.
Dowd calmed a bouncing puck and lifted it over to Chychrun, who was crashing the net and batted it in out of mid-air to put Washington up 4-1.
Both Chychrun and the fourth line did a great job of generating pressure up the ice, and ultimately, it paid off.
Logan Thompson Impresses In Debut
It was a game of "mixed feelings" for Logan Thompson, as he started his first game for D.C. against the very team that traded him just a few months ago. Ultimately, it was a sweet night for the 27-year-old, as he was able to steal a win from Vegas.
Thompson was solid in his first game, reacting quickly with some ten-bell saves and tracking the puck well. He also robbed Alex Holtz on a breakaway in the second to keep D.C. up by two, and stood his ground while showcasing his quick glove hand.
The only goals against weren't to blame on him, as one was a can't-miss power-play goal from Victor Olofsson while Jack Eichel scored on an empty net after a mixup in front. He also stopped Eichel again in front later and stopped Ivan Barbashev and Tomas Hertl at point-blank range late.
Thompson finished with 24 on 26 shots for a .923 save percentage.
Top Shelf Takes
- Tom Wilson has goals in back-to-back games, and Strome also has helpers in back-to-back outings.
- Andrew Mangiapane's first assist and point with the Capitals came on Jakub Vrana's goal. Vrana wears 13. The Columbus Blue Jackets honored Johnny Gaudreau, who was Mangiapane's good friend and longtime teammate, at their home opener on Tuesday. Mangiapane was a pallbearer at Gaudreau's funeral. An emotional first helper.
- John Carlson had seven shot attempts blocked and had an assist, giving him three points in two games.
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