The Washington Capitals survived a late push from the Winnipeg Jets to secure a 4-3 victory on Wednesday night at Capital One Arena. Alex Ovechkin's 908th career goal proved to be the game-winner, highlighting a tightly contested match between two teams striving to climb in their respective division standings.
Washington's defensemen continued their offensive surge, contributing the first two goals of the game. John Carlson opened the scoring at 6:38 of the first period, converting a pass from Tom Wilson. Jakob Chychrun followed up with a wrist shot that found the back of the net, extending the Capitals' lead to 2-0. Chychrun's goal marked his fourth consecutive game with a goal and extended his point streak to nine games. He is now tied with Cale Makar for the most goals scored this season by a defenseman.
Winnipeg responded late in the first period, with Gabriel Vilardi scoring with less than 30 seconds remaining, cutting Washington's lead to 2-1. Vilardi struck again early in the second period on the power play, tying the game 2-2.
Ovechkin then put the Capitals back in front, scoring his 908th career goal with a shot through traffic. This was Ovechkin's 576th career even-strength goal, placing him second behind Wayne Gretzky in that category. Connor McMichael added another goal for Washington, increasing their lead to 4-2.
The Jets mounted a late comeback attempt, with Mark Scheifele scoring to reduce the deficit to 4-3. However, Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson stood tall in the final moments, securing the victory for Washington. Thompson ended the night with 18 saves. Eric Comrie stopped 30 shots for the Jets.
The Capitals have now won five of their last six games. Ovechkin has been on a scoring tear in November, with nine goals and six assists in 12 games. Carlson has also been a consistent contributor, with points in four of his last five games and 22 points through 23 games. Tom Wilson leads the Capitals with 24 points in 24 games.
Prior to the game, Ovechkin was honored in a pregame ceremony for reaching 900 goals and 1,500 games played. The ceremony included the presentation of a custom 900-goal trophy and a painting that featured every teammate he has played with.
