Tuch scores twice as Capitals open season with 5–2 win

Alex Tuch scored twice in his Washington debut as the Capitals opened their season with a 5–2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday, October 2, at Lenovo Center.

Tuch scored at 6:33 of the first period. Cole Hutson doubled the lead five minutes later, and Tuch added his second at 14:23 to give Washington a 3–0 advantage at the first intermission.

Jakob Chychrun’s power-play goal made it 4–0 early in the second. Sebastian Aho put Carolina on the board at 16:50, but Ryan Leonard answered eight seconds later. Logan Stankoven scored Carolina’s other goal in the third.

Logan Thompson made 31 saves. Washington allowed one goal during six Carolina power plays. The Capitals continue their opening road trip at Tampa Bay on Saturday.

Source: Official team report.

Prepared with AI assistance from the linked official source. Illustration: NSMT visual.