Capitals fall to Ducks in Ovechkin return, lose 6th in row

WASHINGTON -- The Washington Capitals lost their sixth straight game in Alex Ovechkin's return, 4-2 to the Anaheim Ducks at Capital One Arena on Thursday.

Ovechkin had five shots on goal and was minus-2 in 21:36 of ice time after being away from the team for four games following the death of his father Feb. 15.
"It was OK," Ovechkin, the Washington captain, said of his first game back. "You know, it's a good thing I'm back and you know, I feel the game better every shift obviously. But next game's going to be better."
John Gibson made 41 saves, and Troy Terry scored after missing the previous seven games with an upper-body injury for the Ducks (18-34-7), who had lost six straight (0-5-1). Cam Fowler had two assists.
"It's been a really tough stretch for us here lately," Anaheim forward Jakob Silfverberg said. "It hasn't just been the results. It's been kind of the way we've been playing too. Obviously playing a little bit of a better game tonight and we've got some areas we can clean up too, but just getting the win and getting the morale boost in the room, that's a lot."

T.J. Oshie and Nick Jensen scored, and Charlie Lindgren made 17 saves for the Capitals (28-26-6).
"I thought we did a lot of good things, especially that second half of the second period into the third, we did a lot, generated a lot," Washington defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk said. "This time of year, it's about getting results, not necessarily how you play."
Silfverberg put Anaheim ahead 3-2 at 2:15 of the third period, taking a pass from Max Comtois on a 2-on-1 and beating Lindgren through the five-hole.
Derek Grant scored into an empty net at 18:29 for the 4-2 final.
Washington didn't score in the third despite outshooting Anaheim 16-5.
"[Gibson] is about as fierce a competitor that you can find," Ducks coach Dallas Eakins said. "He's been extremely resilient, being a goaltender for a total rebuilding team. That takes a lot of patience and it takes a lot of intestinal fortitude. So, I was really proud of how he played tonight."
Oshie gave Washington a 1-0 lead at 11:41 of the first period when he deflected Erik Gustafsson's shot in the slot during a power play. It was the Capitals' first lead in six games.
Isac Lundestrom tied it 1-1 on a breakaway at 7:09 of the second period, deking to his left before going right and lifting a backhand over Lindgren's left pad.

Jensen gave the Capitals a 2-1 lead at 9:07, taking a pass from Nic Dowd at the point and skating through the left face-off circle before cutting to the net and scoring.
Anaheim tied it 2-2 at 9:51 when Terry's shot hit the crossbar, fell behind Lindgren and rolled across the goal line during a scramble.
"I would've liked to have seen us get the next goal," Capitals coach Peter Laviolette said of taking that 2-1 lead. "The goal after that and put some distance [between us], and we couldn't get that done. They scored quick to tie it back 2-2 and that lead didn't last very long."
Prior to the game, the Capitals traded defenseman Dmitry Orlov and forward Garnet Hathaway to the Boston Bruins in a three-team deal that included the Minnesota Wild. Washington received forward Craig Smith, a first-round pick in the 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft, a third-round selection in the 2024 NHL Draft and a second-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.
Minnesota received Boston's fifth-round pick in this year's draft. The Bruins also acquired forward prospect Andrei Svetlakov from the Wild.
NOTES: Gibson has made 1,343 saves through 40 games, the most since Jacques Plante made 1,396 through that many games for the New York Rangers in 1963-64. … Fowler has seven points (two goals, five assists) in his past five games. … Ducks forward Ryan Strome (one shot in 15:53) has won all seven games against his younger brother, Capitals forward Dylan Strome (three shots, minus-1 in 15:45). … Washington forward Evgeny Kuznetsov won 10 of 16 face-offs (63 percent).