That's D.C. Hockey Pilot The storylines for the Saturday night showdown between the Washington Capitals and Toronto Maple Leafs practically wrote themselves. After being out for roughly five weeks with a fractured left fibula, Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin made his anticipated return to the lineup, scoring an empty-netter as his team rallied around its fearless leader en route to a 5-2 victory. Ovechkin was not the only noteworthy scorer last night though, as Jakob Chychrun and Andrew Mangiapane each added a goal and an assist, while Nic Dowd scored his ninth of the season and Tom Wilson scored his 14th of the year on the power play. Let's dive deeper into the win and look ahead to Sunday's matchup against the Detroit Red Wings. OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN Courtesy of the Washington Capitals [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjExNzQwODQ2MTYzMjQwOTM2/gf7jp_9wkaaeaq3.jpg] Courtesy of the Washington Capitals It goes without saying that Saturday's biggest draw was the return of Alex Ovechkin. After suffering a broken leg against the Utah Hockey Club on Nov. 18, the legend himself returned to the ice, putting up a decent showing. Far be it from me to over-criticize a living NHL legend chasing down the Great One's goal-scoring record in his return from a fractured leg after just five weeks of being out of the line-up. As someone roughly the same age as Ovi, I'd still be sitting on my couch whining about my fractured leg and absolutely not playing hockey. Ovi had to shake off some rust in this one, which is obviously expected, as he has been out of action for over a month. But this return was equally as symbolic for the team as it was about bringing back their star captain into the fold. Obviously, Ovechkin leads the locker room and the team rallies around him; it's tough to quantify the intangible benefits that the 39-year-old brings to this team beyond the goals and assists. But it's safe to say that this otherwise routine empty-netter late in the third period meant as much to the rest of the gang as it did to the man himself. Whether or not he returns to the absolute heater he was on before the injury in Utah remains to be seen, but rest assured the Capitals roster benefits greatly from the return of their captain — just look at the win and the rejuvenation of the offense. THOMPSON SHINES AS CAPITALS SHAKE OFF RUST Beyond Ovechkin, the Capitals also had to get back in the rhythm of things following a lengthy holiday break. However, one player who didn't need any time to get back to his game was Logan Thompson; he had himself a night, starting with this stop on William Nylander. What makes the save even sweeter is that the Toronto broadcast originally marked it as a goal. nope. [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjExNzQyNjUzMDAyMjk0ODE5/screenshot-2024-12-29-105358.png] nope. Jokes aside, Thompson looked like the LT we have all come to expect from him this season, stopping 35 of 37 for the Capitals (.946 save percentage). Several of his stops were some real high-danger chances too, including a pair of breakaways from the aforementioned Nylander. The Swede was buzzing all night for the Leafs, but fortunately for Washington, Thompson was too. Washington did look rough out of the gate though. Toronto appeared to be ready for the Capitals, as they came out swinging early with a deflection by John Tavares that gave them an early advantage. That momentum lasted mere moments, however, as Washington put some quality shots on Matt Murray (who has returned to the Leafs' line-up after a long stretch of injuries and time in the AHL). Finally, Mangiapane got one to trickle past Murray, tying it up and jumpstarting the forecheck for D.C. There were several rough moments for the Capitals throughout this one, especially in the first two periods. A couple of bad passes led to high-danger chances for a Leafs team well-known for its potent offense. The Capitals got better in the third, but in the meantime, they had to rely on Thompson, who didn't disappoint. It speaks volumes that the Capitals have a goalie tandem as top-notch as Thompson and Charlie Lindgren to count on when they have rough starts. DEPTH CONTINUES TO PAY OFF AS OFFENSE FINDS SPARK It's been written about many times on this site and elsewhere about Washington's roster depth, but Saturday was just another example of what happens when the whole team pitches in for the win. The aforementioned goal by Mangiapane, who moved back to the third line with Ovechkin's return, kickstarted the scoring for the Capitals, and things got easier from there. The go-ahead goal was courtesy of a rocket from Jakob Chychrun a short time later. Take note in that clip of Chychrun's hockey IQ and his ability to organize and quarterback the play before scoring. The Florida native came back in the third period on the Capitals' only power play of the game to help send another laser past Murray, which went off Wilson and in. Play like this is trademark Chychrun and is a big reason why the Capitals are such a formidable team this season. That said, an extension should come sooner rather than later. Sandwiched in between these goals was the game-winner, a sharp-angle shot from Nic Dowd that came off a really nice cross-crease pass by Rasmus Sandin. Dowd is on pace for his first career 20-goal season, and his classic fourth line finally reuniting gave D.C. a much-needed spark. All the while, Pierre-Luc Dubois extended his point streak to five games, while Aliaksei Protas remains on pace for 70-plus points. The Capitals' 5-on-5 scoring had taken a hit with Ovechkin out but got back to the basics in Toronto. Now, it's just about maintaining momentum. Roster depth like this does more than win games. Assuming this continues for Washington, it should pave the way for a good playoff run. Also, I want to shout out the Capitals social media team for this bit of savagery last night. THE ROAD AHEAD The road takes Washington to Detroit for the second game of a back-to-back, this time against the Red Wings. While Detroit's roster hosts some excellent young talent like Moritz Seider and Alex Debrincat next to veterans like Ben Chiarot and Vladimir Tarasenko, the team has struggled this season and has also lost four straight. The Red Wings are also in the throes of a coaching change, with Todd McLellan taking over for Derek Lalonde. A struggling team can be the most dangerous to play against, and Washington will need to be sharp in this one. While Detroit is one of the lowest-scoring teams in the league so far, averaging 2.44 goals per game, the talent on the roster shouldn't be underestimated. Assuming the Capitals shook off all the cobwebs last night, the defense should be able lock down Wings goal scorers and secure another road win. And maybe we'll get lucky enough to see No. 870, too.
