WASHINGTON — Ryan Leonard knew it was just a matter of time before the puck went in.

And as hard as being patient was, he did his job and trusted the process. It paid off, as he broke out to lead the Washington Capitals to a huge two points on Wednesday against the Edmonton Oilers.

Leonard scored twice, and Alex Ovechkin added his 904th career goal en route to a 7-4 victory.

Here are the takeaways

Leonard Busts Out, Protas Getting Back In Swing

It'd been 12 games since Ryan Leonard last scored, and though it was frustrating getting chance after chance and not seeing the puck go in, he reiterated the importance of staying patient and sticking with his game.

Finally, he busted out in a critical game against Edmonton, muscling his way to the net, being strong on pucks and being strong at both ends. He got on the board in the first period after cutting to the slot, holding onto the puck and waiting before sniping a quick shot past Stuart Skinner.

Then, in the second period, he added another, breaking away and out-muscling Evan Bouchard, to stick with the bouncing puck in front and deke it past Skinner for his first career multi-goal game.

It was exactly what Washington, a team that has struggled to finish at 5-on-5, needed to see from the rookie, and gave him a much-needed confidence boost.

On top of that, Aliaksei Protas also got on the board, ending a seven-game goal drought after crashing the crease and tapping in a rebound in front. He now has points in back-to-back games as he looks to be getting back to that higher level he was playing at to open the season.

Ovechkin Stays Hot, 'Strovillier' Combines For Two Goals As Caps Finish At 5-on-5

Alex Ovechkin has also been looking more like himself over these last few games, and kept things going against Edmonton.

Ovechkin got to the front of the net and tipped a point drive from Jakob Chychrun past Skinner for his 904th career NHL goal. It marked the third straight game he's scored in, and he now has goals in four of his last five outings overall.

Not only has he been getting on the board, but he just has more jump in his game and appears more comfortable and in sync than he was to start the season.

Then, in the third, after the Oilers had pulled within one, the "Strovillier" line struck again, as Dylan Strome and Anthony Beauvillier went on a 2-on-1 that Beauvillier finished for his first goal in six games.

It was a breakout game for the Capitals, who got all five of their goals at 5-on-5. The numbers and avanced analytics had been there, there was just a lack of finish that'd plagued the team. They got over that on Wednesday.

Capitals Step Up To Shut Down McDavid Without Dubois & Dowd; McMichael, Sourdif & Wilson Shine; Penalty Kill Still Shaky

On the other side of the puck, the Capitals faced a tall task in shutting down Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, and it was even more of a challenge with Pierre-Luc Dubois out long-term and Nic Dowd a late scratch due to an upper-body injury which will hold him out against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday (he'll be re-evaluated).

The Capitals had to work hard to shut them down, and at even strength, got the job done. However, it was a different story on the penalty kill, where Washington gave up a Draisaitl one-timer on the Oilers' third attempt of the game.

Though the first two kills are strong, things fell apart on the last PK in the third, allowing Edmonton back into the game. It marks the fourth straight game that D.C. has given up a powerplay goal.

Overall, though, at even strength, Washington got the job done. A lot of credit goes to Justin Sourdif, who stayed with McDavid and Draisaitl and made some smart plays and good decisions with the puck at center. Tom Wilson was also a huge part in playing that shutdown role and led all forwards in ice time, and iced the game with two empty-netters late. He's the first Cap to hit the 10-goal mark this season.

Connor McMichael played center in Dowd's absence, and fared well, picking up three assists to extend his point streak to three games while complementing Leonard and Brandon Duhaime well. He stepped up iin a big way defensively, too.