The Washington Capitals earned a much-needed win on Wednesday night, defeating the visiting Edmonton Oilers 7-4 at Capital One Arena. Logan Thompson — who sits second in the NHL in goals-against average in 2025-26 — made 26 saves, including a couple of key ones late in regulation.
He shared some high praise for the back-to-back defending Western Conference champions afterward.
“That’s a talented hockey team over there,” Thompson said, per NHL.com's Harvey Valentine. “They make plays. That was, just from my standpoint, one of the hardest games of the year. Credit to the guys, we stuck with it and found a way to win. These two points are huge.”
The Capitals opened up an early two-goal lead on tallies from Aliaksei Protas and Alex Ovechkin. After that, the cross-conference foes would trade goals back and forth until Tom Wilson sealed the contest with a pair of empty netters late in the third period.
Ryan Leonard was the offensive catalyst, recording the first multi-goal game of his young career, while John Carlson and Connor McMichael dished three assists each.
After a very challenging start to the 2025-26 NHL season, Washington is starting to get back on track. After losing eight of 10 games between October 25 – November 15, the Caps have won two straight, and picked up a point in four of their last five.
Capitals beginning to right the ship
Leonard was the team's best player against the Oilers, and he earned his flowers from his head coach after the game.
“The last few games have been his best games of the season thus far,” said Spencer Carbery, per Valentine. “You can see he’s just getting way more comfortable, way more confident. The little nuances of the game at this level and the expectations, the little plays, the little details of the game are just now becoming second nature to him.”
Leonard is up to 10 points in 20 games in his first full season, and providing critical secondary scoring. Ovechkin is starting to heat up as well, managing goals in three straight games and 16 points overall in 20 tilts of his own. Wilson leads the team in both goals (11) and points (20).
Now 10-8-2 and fifth place in the Metropolitan Division, the Capitals are right in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race. It's a logjam, with five teams sitting at 22 points — including the Tampa Bay Lightning, who currently occupy the final wildcard berth in the conference.
After securing five of a possible six points over a three-game homestand, Washington will head on the road to play the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre on Thursday night.
After that, it's back to the nation's capital for four consecutive, with the Lightning, Columbus Blue Jackets, Winnipeg Jets and Toronto Maple Leafs all visiting Capital One Arena.
