One last home opener, one 5–3 Capitals win

Alex Ovechkin’s final NHL home opener began with his two sons joining his introduction and ended with a 5–3 Washington win over Pittsburgh. Getting from one moment to the other took an immediate goal, a lead that nearly unraveled and a third-period answer.

Afterward, coach Spencer Carbery said “they nailed that moment” of the introduction at Capital One Arena. He described it as special for the people in the building, the players and the coaching staff. Washington had a winning finish to attach to it.

Anthony Beauvillier supplied the first jolt just 23 seconds into Wednesday’s game, scoring against Arturs Silovs off a Dylan Strome assist. Carbery credited that opening line with getting the building going. Bryan Rust tied the score at 1:19, but Tom Wilson put Washington back ahead at 11:51.

Wilson’s line then helped turn the advantage into a three-goal cushion. Pierre-Luc Dubois scored at 4:42 of the second period, and Alex Tuch made it 4–1 at 13:14. Carbery praised their forechecking, pressure on Pittsburgh’s defense and ability to sustain offensive-zone shifts while matching up against Sidney Crosby’s line.

That cushion did not last. Tommy Novak scored at 14:05, and Nick Robertson followed at 18:01. A 4–1 game had become a 4–3 game before the second intermission. “You gotta, you gotta stop the bleeding,” Carbery said, explaining how one mistake had become several and allowed Pittsburgh back into the contest.

Carbery treated the stretch as a lesson for a group with young players in important situations. The Capitals still had a lead to defend, and Ryan Leonard gave them room to do it: his power-play goal at 3:55 of the third, assisted by Jordan Kyrou and Cole Hutson, restored the two-goal margin at 5–3.

Logan Thompson helped keep that margin intact. He stopped 27 of 30 shots, and Carbery pointed afterward to the saves that mattered while the game was still close, including late chances off the rush. He called them “difference-making saves,” emphasizing the extra stop a team needs with the result in doubt.

Wilson finished with a goal and two assists and earned the first star. Dubois, with a goal and an assist, received the second; Tuch received the third after scoring what became the winning goal. Washington had contributions across its lineup on a night that began with its captain’s family.

Ovechkin has announced this will be his final NHL season. The next home game arrives Friday, October 9, against the New York Rangers: 7 p.m. Eastern at Capital One Arena, with Monumental Sports Network carrying it locally.