Vancouver Canucks 1-5 Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals arrived in Vancouver riding a six game skid, yet had won two of their previous three overall to start the season. On the road, they had faced a common challenge: keeping the game close against opponents who could snatch momentum early. In the latest visit outside Verizon Center, the guests found their rhythm with a standout early push.
Within the opening six minutes, Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin exploited a mistake by Quinn Hughes and converted a rebound chance against Thatcher Demko after a shot by Spencer Martin forced him out of the Vancouver crease.
The Canucks were riding a strong run on the road previously, claiming three consecutive wins away from home and five of six overall. Yet in this matchup Vancouver appeared a step behind at key moments, with Washington capitalizing on timely plays that stretched the margin. Ovechkin rose to the occasion, collecting his thirteenth goal of the season from a position near the left circle to extend the Capitals lead early in the first period.
With that marker, Ovechkin reached another milestone, tying and then surpassing a legendary figure in away goals to become the most prolific away scorer in league history with 403 such goals. The milestone added to the long list of records the veteran has stacked over a storied career in the NHL.
The Russian icon continued to pace the Capitals, and in the first period he reached a personal landmark for games with multi goal performances, moving into a tie for the most such games with Wayne Gretzky on the all time list. The current total for Ovechkin sits at 160, while Gretzky holds 189 in this exclusive club. Meanwhile the pursuit of Gretzky for most career goals remained a talking point as the night pressed on and Ovechkin closed in on Gordie Howe with several close attempts that did not find the target.
Vancouver briefly trimmed the deficit with a goal late in the first frame, only to see Washington reclaim the lead and add to it in the second period. The visitors pressed with a mix of speed and physicality that Vancouver struggled to counter, and the Capitals continued to dictate play through the middle period as the momentum shifted in their favor.
Vancouver’s coaching staff experimented with lineup changes in the third, hoping to spark a comeback. The tactics included a late substitution and a shift to a more aggressive stance, yet Washington’s defense and goaltending held up under pressure. A shot by Ovechkin during a late sequence again missed narrowly, but the captain had already left a long shadow on the game with his earlier goals and the overall performance from the Capitals.
Evgeny Kuznetsov, the Capitals forward, logged 15 minutes and 37 seconds of ice time, registering a shot on goal and a blocked attempt as part of a balanced effort from the visitors. Vancouver’s roster in this one featured several players stepping in from affiliate assignments for experience, and the nabbed late goal by Vasily Podkolzin, who had been assigned to the Abbotsford Canucks, gave a small late spark for the home team in a game that was mostly controlled by the Capitals. The Vancouver line including Ilya Mikheev and Andrey Kuzmenko was unable to turn the tide they sought, finishing with a neutral to slightly negative scoring impact for the night, while Seattle’s Swedish influence stood out in the mixed package of performances.
Pittsburgh Penguins – Carolina Hurricanes – 2:3 OT
In Pittsburgh, Evgeni Malkin was held without a goal on the scoresheet against Carolina at the 18:45 mark, though he did finish with a plus-one rating. Sidney Crosby produced a goal and an assist to open the scoring, yet neither effort was enough to push his team to victory. Carolina managed to turn the tide and level the score, with Andrei Svechnikov tallying the eventual winner by threading the puck behind the net and into the back of the goal for the Hurricanes’ 14th marker of the season.
Jake Guentzel kept the Penguins in the conversation late, delivering a critical goal in the dying moments to force overtime, but Carolina prevailed in the extra frame as Svechnikov set up a finish for Brett Pesce on the game winner. Svechnikov earned recognition as the third star of the match, while goaltender Peter Kochetkov stopped 30 shots in a strong performance that secured the win for the Hurricanes.
Boston Bruins 3-1 Tampa Bay Lightning
Boston continued their strong home form in a hard-fought win over a stubborn Lightning squad. Taylor Hall opened the scoring in the second minute, helping the Bruins remain undefeated this season when they strike first. That milestone marked a noteworthy personal and team achievement, extending a home victory sequence that has carried the team through recent seasons.
Staying with the historical thread, Hall extended a longer personal home point streak as the Bruins maintained a steady pace at the Garden. Tampa Bay responded late in the second period with a powerplay strike from Steven Stamkos, assisted by Nikita Kucherov, marking Stamkos’ seventh of the season and placing him among the league’s elite for powerplay goals this year. The goal represented Stamkos’ 999th career point in the NHL, a milestone page in a career spanning more than a decade.
In the third, Hall delivered again, extending the lead and capping a strong night for Boston. goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, under heavy pressure, stopped a large number of shots but could not keep the puck out on a late sequence, and Brad Marchand added the clinching tally into the empty net. A promising chance for the Lightning fell just short as Braden Point and Corey Perry combined to create a late push that was stymied by a timely defensive play and goaltending from the Bruins.
Other matches
Montreal Canadiens 0-4 San Jose Sharks
Philadelphia Flyers 3-1 New York Islanders
Nashville Predators – Anaheim Ducks – 2:1 Overtime
Winnipeg Jets 5-0 Colorado Avalanche
Calgary Flames 6-2 Florida Panthers
Los Angeles Kings – Seattle Kraken – 8-9 Overtime [citation]