March 28 vs. Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena
Time: 10:30 p.m.
TV: MNMT
Radio: 106.7 THE FAN/Caps Radio Network
Washington Capitals (36-28-9)
Vegas Golden Knights (32-26-15)
The Caps conclude their final multi-game road trip of the season and face their final Western Conference opponent of the 2025-26 season on Saturday night in Vegas when they take on the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena.
Washington opened the trip with a 3-0 shutout setback at the hands of the Blues in St. Louis on Tuesday night, and it fell into a 3-1 hole 20 minutes into the middle match of the trip on Thursday night in Utah. But the Caps roared back for two goals from Alex Ovechkin in the second period, and they struck for four more in the third to roar to a 7-4 comeback win over the Mammoth.
Ovechkin finished his 34th career hat trick with a late empty-net goal, and Ivan Miroshnichenko chipped in with a pair of critical goals, his first two tallies of the season, and his first multi-goal game in the NHL. Washington defensemen factored in each of the game’s first six goals, contributing a goal and six assists to the offensive cause. It all added up to Logan Thompson’s 25th victory of the season, a 36-save effort.
Utah forward Brandon Tanev helped light a fire under the Caps with a hard hit from behind on Washington defenseman Matt Roy, a hit that pushed the blueliner’s head hard into the glass. The hit looked much more like an attempt to injure than P-L Dubois’ match penalty in St. Louis on Tuesday night, but that’s not how the officials saw it. Tanev was assessed a minor for boarding, and Utah went on the power play because Tom Wilson was handed a double minor for roughing.
When Brandon Duhaime fought Tanev immediately after Ovechkin’s second goal – which tied the game at 3-3 midway through the second period – the Caps’ Brandon did more punch landin’ than the Mammoth’s Brandon did, and the Caps showed their appreciation for what Duhaime does on a nightly basis, but particularly on this night. Washington’s bench spontaneously emptied in the aftermath of the bout, and they formed a receiving line in front of the box to pass along their appreciation and respect for Duhaime before the game resumed.
“First time,” says Ovechkin, asked if he’d ever seen a receiving line for a teammate at the penalty box before. “But it shows how tight we are, and it was a big moment for us.”
Fittingly, the Mammoth helped seal its own fate. Utah forward Landon Crouse made a beeline for Wilson as he exited the penalty box for an interference minor early in the third, but Landon didn’t do much landin’ either. Wilson – who finished the night with 21 penalty minutes – finished Crouse’s night with a thorough thumping, and the Caps rubbed it in by scoring the goal that put them ahead for good while Crouse was serving a minor penalty for being the instigator. He also got a 10-minute misconduct and was not seen on the ice for the remainder of the evening.
With Crouse cooling his heels in the sin bin, Anthony Beauvillier tipped home Cole Hutson’s center point shot to give the Caps a lead they would not relinquish. Hutson has factored in all three power-play goals (one goal, two assists) the Caps have scored since he joined the team just over a week ago.
“It was tough because we gave up some chances early [in the game] on the power play, so then we get another one, and it was a little helter skelter out there,” says Caps coach Spencer Carbery of the critical power-play goal. “But a lot of times special teams is you need a big goal at a big moment, and the power play delivered that tonight on the back half of that late power play.
“It's a great tip there, great job by Beau, who's filling in for Willie, [who is] in the penalty box there. So, he gets an opportunity to get on the power play. I thought he was excellent in the third period; he makes two big plays. He makes the other play [when] he holds onto it and gets [Utah goalie Vitek Vanecek] out of his crease, and throws it back up top where [Rasmus Sandin] shoots it in the empty net. So, Beau makes a couple big plays in that third period to help earn us that win.”
The Caps conducted an early afternoon practice at T-Mobile Arena on Friday afternoon, shortly after Vegas had its team photo taken; the Golden Knights also practiced Friday ahead of the Caps. The confluence enabled Washington players and staffers an opportunity to catch up with ex-Caps Nic Dowd and Joel Ward, both now with Vegas, Ward as an assistant coach.
Thursday’s win gives the Caps an opportunity to come home with a winning record from their final multi-game trip, and Washington goes into Saturday’s game with a 4-1-2 record in its last seven games.
Heading into Friday night’s slim slate of NHL activity, the Golden Knights sit in third place in the Pacific Division. They hold a three-point lead over Los Angeles, and the two division rivals have concluded their season series together.
Vegas limps into Saturday’s game with a 1-4-1 mark to show for its last half dozen contests. Last month in Washington, the Caps won the first meeting between the two teams, taking a 3-2 decision on a pair of goals from Dubois and a 24-save effort from Thompson against his former employers.
Most recently, the Golden Knights dropped a 4-3 overtime result to Edmonton here on Thursday night in the opener of a four-game homestand. The Oilers are a realistic/likely first-round playoff opponent for the Golden Knights, and if the season ended today, those two Pacific Division denizens would tangle in the opening round. Vegas visits Edmonton next weekend, the third meeting between the two teams since March 8.
