The Washington Capitals closed out their longest road trip of the season by grinding out a 4-3 shootout win over the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night, banking two imperative points despite playing without starting goaltender Logan Thompson and finishing the game with concerns around Charlie Lindgren's health. The victory ended a stretch in which Washington had lost six of its previous seven games and was just its second win in eight outings.
Detroit appeared to strike first on an early power play, but the goal was overturned after a successful offside challenge. The Capitals capitalized soon after, as Nic Dowd opened the scoring 6:27 into the first period on Washington's first shot of the night. The tally, his third of the season, materialized after a punishing shift in which he imposed himself physically before slipping a wrist shot past John Gibson from the left circle. Lindgren faced only three shots in the opening period.
The Red Wings tied the game midway through the second period when Ben Chiarot scored from the point, set up by Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane. The assist was Kane's 1,375th career NHL point, moving him past Mike Modano to become the highest-scoring U.S.-born player in league history. Kane had initially appeared to reach the milestone earlier in the game, but that goal was disallowed for offside.
Washington regained control in the third period. Dylan Strome gave the Capitals a 2–1 lead after poking the puck away from Gibson and wrapping it around the post, a goal that stood after a coach's challenge for goaltender interference. With 5:16 remaining, Declan Chisholm pushed the lead to 3–1 with his first goal of the season, a deflection in front of the net.
Detroit mounted a dramatic late comeback after pulling Gibson for an extra attacker. DeBrincat scored at 18:20 to cut the deficit to one, then tied the game at 19:07 when his dump-in attempt took a fortunate bounce off the end boards and deflected off Lindgren and into the net.
A scoreless overtime led to a shootout that determined the winner. Lucas Raymond and Kane scored for the Red Wings, while Dylan Larkin hit the crossbar on his attempt. The Capitals converted on all three of their chances, with goals from Strome, Ryan Leonard, and Dowd. Lindgren faced a barrage of shots, stopping 17 in regulation to match Gibson, but got injured at the end of OT. Washington kept him in the crease through his apparent injury, and his teammates carried him off after Larkin struck the crossbar. Dowd clinched the win after Larkin was denied, completing a night in which he scored the opening goal, the shootout winner, and was arguably the game's most impactful player.
The Capitals now head home to host the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday at Capital One Arena.
