That's D.C. Hockey Pilot Despite a stellar outing just 24 hours before, the Washington Capitals just couldn't replicate what they did in Toronto across the border. Alex Ovechkin got on the board once again, but an ugly start ultimately led to a 4-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings. Here are all the takeaways. CAPITALS GET OFF TO UGLY START From the moment the puck dropped, things were tilted in the Red Wings' favor, as Detroit took control early and capitalized on its opportunities while holding D.C. to barely any shots on goal. Alex DeBrincat scored on a deflection just over three minutes into action. Then, an undisciplined high-sticking penalty from Lars Eller resulted in a costly power-play goal courtesy of Patrick Kane. Though Alex Ovechkin was able to pull things to 2-1, DeBrincat added his second of the night just 31 seconds later, and Lucas Raymond made it 4-1 just over two minutes after that. In the first 20 minutes, Washington struggled to keep pace with the Red Wings, and the Capitals also struggled with bad bounces and failed passes. Ultimately, it was an ugly start, and though things got better for Washington, it was too little, too late as the start set D.C. up for a disappointing defeat. ALEX OVECHKIN CONTINUES RED-HOT PURSUIT OF WAYNE GRETZKY It may be just his second game back from a broken leg, but Alex Ovechkin [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/washington-capitals/features/washington-capitals-alex-ovechkin-recovery-broken-leg] hasn't missed a single beat. The 39-year-old scored on a classic one-timer, his 17th goal of the season and sixth in his last four games played overall (dating back to Nov. 16). He also led his team with a whopping eight shots while logging 20:22 minutes of ice time. Ovechkin's goal was also the 870th of his career. He is now 25 away from breaking Wayne Gretzky's all-time record, and he is on pace for 56 goals, which would have him breaking the record and passing 900 this season. NIC DOWD HELPS SPARK RALLY, BUT IT'S TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE As the game went on, Washington upped the ante and started to take the tempo of the game back, but there was quite a bit of ground to make up. So, in the third, with his team in need of a goal to spark some kind of late rally, Nic Dowd got to work once again. The center crashed the front of the net and stayed with the puck, tucking it past Alex Lyon to make it a 4-2 game. It marked Dowd's second goal in as many games and his 10th of the year. He has now hit double digits in goals in each of the last five seasons, and he's also on pace for a career-high 21 goals this season. Dowd's goal helped further spark quite a push from the Capitals, and from there, the team worked hard to try and even the score. Washington pushed and got several looks, including a late power play with the goalie pulled, but ultimately, the deficit was too much to overcome. TOP SHELF TAKES - Taylor Raddysh has assists in back-to-back games. - Jakob Chychrun has three points in his last two games. - After a rough opening to action, Charlie Lindgren recovered, coming up with some big stops to give his team a chance. He dned the night with 23 saves on 27 shots.
