By Noah Trister
Tom Wilson had a goal and two assists, and the Washington Capitals held on for a win in Alex Ovechkin’s final home opener, 5-3 over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night.
Anthony Beauvillier, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Alex Tuch and Ryan Leonard also scored for the Capitals, who introduced their roster one by one before the game, saving Ovechkin for last. The Russian star’s two kids handled that announcement, and the crowd gave a standing ovation.
Ovechkin announced earlier in the week that this season would be the last in the NHL for the league’s career leader in goals.
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Bryan Rust, Tommy Novak and Nick Robertson scored for the Penguins, who nearly rallied from a 4-1 second-period deficit.
This is the 22nd straight season Ovechkin and Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby have played against each other at some point. Only one forward duo in NHL history has clashed in more consecutive seasons: Mark Messier and Ron Francis, who played each other in 23.
Crosby was on the ice for every Washington even-strength goal, finishing with a minus-4. His only career minus-5 was March 6, 2014, at San Jose.
Beauvillier opened the scoring for Washington after just 23 seconds. The Penguins needed less than a minute to tie it on Bryan Rust’s goal from in close.
Veteran defenseman Kris Letang of the Penguins played a blind pass in his own zone and paid for it when the puck went to Pierre-Luc Dubois behind the net. One pass later, and Wilson was making it 2-1 Capitals from alone in front.
Those same two players combined in the second period to make it 3-1 after another Pittsburgh mistake. Silovs went behind his net, but when he played the puck along the boards Wilson was right there to collect it and find Dubois in front.
Tuch intercepted a pass at his own blue line, and suddenly he and Wilson were bearing down alone on Silovs. After two quick passes back and forth, Tuch scored to put Washington up by three.
Novak quickly answered for the Penguins, and then Robertson cut the lead to one with a deflection from the slot.
It was 4-3 after two, but Leonard’s power-play goal in the third gave the Capitals a bit of a cushion.
Later in the third, Washington goalie Logan Thompson kept the lead at two by stopping Blake Lizotte on a breakaway just after the Pittsburgh forward came out of the penalty box.
Declan Carlile of the Penguins was shaken up in the third after Dubois was assessed a minor penalty for boarding him.
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