WASHINGTON, DC. – The Washington Capitals edged out the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 in an overtime battle at Capital One Arena on Tuesday night.
Jakob Chychrun potted the winner just 1:19 into the extra frame, sending the 16,948 fans home happy and handing the Bolts their second straight loss.
Early Success and Lightning Milestones
The Lightning struck first when Jake Guentzel scored his first goal of the season at 7:06 of the first period. The goal, assisted by Ryan McDonagh (his first assist) and Anthony Cirelli (his first assist), marked Guentzel’s fifth point of the year, tying him with Brayden Point for the team lead in scoring.
Guentzel’s point production against the Capitals continues to be outstanding; he now has 31 points against Washington since the 2020-21 season, the most of any NHL skater.
Washington’s Alex Protas tied the game late in the second period before Point capitalized on a power play at 1:23 of the third to give the Lightning a 2-1 lead. Point’s second goal of the season was aided by a shot from Victor Hedman that deflected off his stick in front, with Nikita Kucherov picking up the secondary assist.
These assists brought two major career milestones into view:
- Victor Hedman moved within three points of becoming the third Swedish defenseman in NHL history to reach the 800-point milestone, joining Nicklas Lidstrom and Erik Karlsson.
- Nikita Kucherov is now just three points shy of 1,000 career points.
Capitals Battle Back
The Capitals responded quickly to Point’s goal, as Tom Wilson—who was named the first star of the game—scored a power-play goal of his own at 4:56 of the third, knotting the score at 2-2 and eventually forcing overtime.
Tampa Bay was outshot 28-19 in the contest, including an 11-6 deficit in the third period and a 2-0 margin in overtime, which ultimately proved fatal. Chychrun’s overtime goal, his first of the season, sealed the 3-2 victory for Washington.
Team and Player Notes
Despite the loss, Tampa Bay’s power play remains a bright spot, going 1-for-2 on the night and operating at a 30% success rate to start the season, which ranks among the best in the NHL. However, the Lightning’s penalty kill struggled, giving up two goals on three opportunities. The team’s faceoff percentage was 46% (26/56) compared to Washington’s 54% (30/56).
The defeat moves the Lightning to a 1-2-1 record overall. They’ll look to bounce back on Friday night as they hit the road to take on the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena.
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