Capitals hunt down Ducks behind Tom Wilson hat trick

Behind a hat trick from Tom Wilson, who played in his 700th career game and two assists from Alex Ovechkin to reach 1,499 career points, the Washington Capitals defeated the Anaheim Ducks 5-4. The Ducks have now lost eight in a row while the Caps swept their back to back.

The first 20 minutes was crazy to say the least. At 1:27, Anthony Mantha stole the puck and glided across the net before backhanding it in for his fifth goal of the season.

At 1:49 Tristan Luneau tied it. Brett Leason, a former Caps prospect, gave them the lead at 7:51. Then Wilson would take over the game which was fitting considering it was his 700th game. His first goal came fresh out of the penalty box at 15:54 as he stole the puck and raced down with a backhanded shot for a breakaway goal.

At 18:39 the Capitals finally scored a power play goal for the first time in what felt like centuries. As John Carlson fed Ovechkin for a one time shot from his office, Wilson rebounded it in for his second goal of the night to give the Caps the 3-2 lead.

20 seconds later Nicolas Aube-Kubel fed Rasmus Sandin. The defenseman shot it form downtown and Nic Dowd was there to tip it in for his second goal of the season to extend the Caps lead to 4-2.

4-2 would be the score after one as the Caps led in shots 13-10. The second period was scoreless and the Caps were outshot 15-4. The Caps had the edge in shots in the third period 9-7 while the Ducks had the edge in shots overall 32-26.

Brock McGinn the playoff villain from 2019 who was then with the Carolina Hurricanes but now with the Ducks made it a 4-3 game at 11:45.

The Caps would answer right back at 14:22 with another power play goal from Wilson. As Carlson fed Ovechkin from the office, everyone thought he would shoot it but instead he passed it to Wilson who was positioned in front of the net. It took Wilson a few tries but he followed his own rebound and completed the hat trick.

At 19:32 the Ducks made it a one goal game from Frank Vatrano but that wasn’t enough as the Caps held on for the 5-4 win. Darcy Kuemper finished with 28 saves.

The Caps continue their road trip with two different dessert stops. First up is the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday with the game starting at 10 p.m. eastern on Monumental Sports Network.