With the exception of one play to close out the second period — a step closer to history for Alex Ovechkin — there wasn't much for the Washington Capitals to remember from Wednesday's contest against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Ovechkin hit 892, but the Capitals put up a rather ugly showing, and nothing else went right in a 5-1 loss.

Here are all the takeaways from the defeat, D.C.'s fourth over the last five games.

With the Capitals trailing 4-0 and in need of a spark, Alex Ovechkin stood at the point on a 5-on-3 in front of a notable audience, as his wife, Nastya, and owner Ted Leonsis, were joined by Wayne Gretzky and Gary Bettman to watch him try and move closer to passing No. 99.

Ovechkin delivered on the power play in classic Ovi fashion, firing home a one-timer from the left circle to make it a 4-1 game. It marked his 323rd career power-play goal and 892nd goal of his career, putting him a hat trick away from breaking the league's all-time goals record.

The 39-year-old is up to 39 goals on the season, tied with Tage Thompson for the third-most in the league. He has goals in three straight outings, and remains in good position to make history to end the season.

From the moment the puck dropped, the Capitals were overpowered by the Hurricanes, as Carolina dominated early and often. Washington seemed in a rush to get the puck off its stick, and the Hurricanes were able to capitalize on turnovers and poor defensive play while keeping D.C. bogged down in its own end.

Carolina went up 3-0 through the first 13 minutes and change of the opening frame, as Logan Thompson and his teammates were left scrambling.

Thompson was injured and ultimately pulled after giving up three goals on 12 shots after the first 20 minutes of play, though he finished the first period before Charlie Lindgren took over.

Overall, the defensive effort just wasn't there, nor was the intensity. Lindgren was strong in relief though, with 18 saves on 20 shots.

Washington also struggled to stay disciplined, taking six penalties and letting frustration boil over.

It led to three power-play goals for the Hurricanes in what was a rare poor showing from the Capitals' penalty kill. Plays were missed, and there was a lack of execution that ultimately plagued Washington shorthanded.

Then, in the final minutes of regulation, all hell broke loose, as Tom Wilson received a four-minute roughing penalty and misconduct after getting into it with Logan Stankoven.

After that, Brandon Duhaime and Nic Dowd got into it with Tyson Jost and Mark Jankowski, receiving misconducts. Then, Connor McMichael and Jalen Chatfield dropped the gloves, leading to a misconduct, fighting major and extra roughing minor for McMichael.