National Hockey League
Washington 2, Vancouver 1
When: 10:00 PM ET, Saturday, March 16, 2024
Where: Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia
Referees: Michael Markovic, Graham Skilliter
Linesmen: Ryan Gibbons, Matt MacPherson
Attendance: 18859

Alex Ovechkin scored the go-ahead goal and the visiting Washington Capitals rallied past the Vancouver Canucks for a 2-1 win on Saturday night.

Tom Wilson also scored for the Capitals, who improved to 2-2 on their five-game Western road trip. Charlie Lindgren made 21 saves. Washington completes the five-game trip Monday in Calgary as they remain in the hunt for an Eastern Conference playoff spot.

Brock Boeser scored his 36th goal of the season for the Canucks, who have lost two straight after winning four in a row. Casey DeSmith made 22 saves.

Both teams went 0-for-1 on the power play.

Washington forward T.J. Oshie, who was a game-time decision after leaving the morning skate due to an upper-body injury, played 20:42 and had one shot on goal in his 1,000th NHL game.

Boeser gave the Capitals a 1-0 lead at 1:11 of the first period. Quinn Hughes skated down into the left circle and his shot was tipped in by Boeser. Hughes boosted his point total to 77 (13 goals, 64 assists), breaking his own record for most points in a season by a Canucks defenseman.

Wilson tied the score 1-1 at 6:01 of the second period. John Carlson shot the puck toward the net from along the right boards. Ivan Miroshnichenko controlled the puck in front and passed across the slot to Wilson, who scored his 16th of the season.

Ovechkin gave the Capitals a 2-1 lead at 7:54 when he completed a tic-tac-toe passing sequence. Alex Alexeyev passed to Connor McMichael in the slot and McMichael fed Ovechkin, who scored from the left post. Ovechkin, who has 19 goals this season, had gone four games without a goal. With 841 goals, he's 53 shy of tying Wayne Gretzky's NHL record of 894 goals.

Washington outshot Vancouver 14-5 in the second period. Vancouver turned the tide and outshot Washington 11-4 in the third period, but could not get the equalizer past Lindgren, who has allowed one goal in each of his past two starts and won both.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Washington   Vancouver
Alex Ovechkin 1 Points Brock Boeser 1
Alex Ovechkin 1 Goals Brock Boeser 1
Alexander Alexeyev 1 Assists Quinn Hughes 1
N/A Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Charlie Lindgren .955 Save Percentage Casey DeSmith .917
Charlie Lindgren 21 Saves Casey DeSmith 22
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Washington 24 2 0-1 1-1 2 17
Vancouver 22 1 0-1 1-1 2 32
Upcoming Games
  • Vancouver will play their next game at home against Buffalo. The Canucks have a W/L % of .581 after a win and .680 after a loss.
  • Washington will play their next game on the road against Calgary. The Capitals have a W/L % of .484 after a win and .486 after a loss.