Capitals Defeat Golden Knights for First Win of the Season
Jakub Vrana scores, Alex Ovechkin gets 700th assist
Coming off an opening night loss to the Devils, the Washington Capitals bounced back Tuesday night with a strong 4-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights, whom they beat in the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals.
The first Caps goal of the game from Jakub Vrana in the opening period, as it marked his first tally for Washington since April 11, 2021. The 28-year-old rejoined the team this season.
Even more coincidental was the fact that Vrana wore the late Johnny Gaudreau’s No. 13, while Andrew Mangiapane, Gaudreau’s pallbearer and former teammate up in Calgary, recorded the assist.
With the score tied at 1-1 entering the second period, the Capitals went on a three-goal run thanks to Tom Wilson (on the power play), Aliaksei Protas, and Jakob Chychrun. Chychrun is one of many offseason additions for Washington as he recorded his first tally for the team.
Alex Ovechkin also made his presence known and recorded two assists in the middle frame. He now has 700 assists in his illustrious career, becoming the sixth player in NHL history with 700-plus goals to do so, joining Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe, Jaromir Jagr, Marcel Dionne, and Phil Esposito.
Logan Thompson made his first appearance in net for Washington against his former team, as he stopped 24 of 26 shots to earn his first win as a Capital.
