WASHINGTON — In a matchup on Tuesday night, the Washington Capitals managed to halt the Vegas Golden Knights’ impressive season start, securing a 4-2 win. Alex Ovechkin played a key role in the victory, providing assists for goals from Tom Wilson and Aliaksei Protas. Logan Thompson, once part of the Golden Knights, showcased his skills by making 24 saves against his former teammates.

Ovechkin, who continues to pursue Wayne Gretzky’s long-standing career goals record, achieved a notable milestone by becoming the 60th player in NHL history to amass 700 assists. In just two games in the current season, he has already recorded three assists and is now 42 assists away from surpassing Gretzky’s record.

Returning to the Capitals after a stint away, Jakub Vrana made an immediate impact by scoring with his very first shot. Vrana was a vital player during Washington’s 2018 Stanley Cup victory over Vegas. He secured his place on the team after successfully attending training camp on a tryout basis.

In addition to Vrana’s goal, Jakob Chychrun, who joined the Capitals in a notable summer trade from Ottawa, also found the net for his first goal with the team. Thompson, one of several new additions this season, faced his former team, having been traded by the Knights instead of being given more playing time. Adin Hill, who played a pivotal role in Vegas’ championship run last season, was in goal for the Knights and allowed four goals on 22 shots. For Vegas, Victor Olofsson and Jack Eichel managed to put two points on the board.

Observations from the game indicated that this might have been a challenging match for the Golden Knights, as they faced fatigue from a home game on Sunday and had little time to adjust to the Eastern Time Zone. Conversely, the Capitals seemed to find their rhythm after a late start compared to many of their rivals.

A pivotal moment of the match occurred at 6:13 in the second period when Chychrun converted a pass from Nic Dowd to increase the Capitals’ lead to 4-1.

In terms of highlighting Ovechkin’s achievements, he now joins an elite group of players, including Gretzky, Gordie Howe, Jaromir Jagr, Marcel Dionne, and Phil Esposito, each of whom has reached both 700 goals and 700 assists in their careers.

Looking ahead, the Golden Knights will continue their journey through the Eastern Conference with a stop in Tampa Bay on Thursday. Simultaneously, the Capitals are set to face off against the Dallas Stars on the same night.