WASHINGTON — Miles Wood netted the decisive goal early in the third period, propelling the Colorado Avalanche to a 2-1 victory over the Washington Capitals on Thursday evening.

Mikko Rantanen also contributed a goal for the Avalanche, who have triumphed in five of their last six contests. Goalie Alexandar Georgiev turned away 29 shots, earning his fourth consecutive win after recovering from an upper-body injury that had sidelined him for the previous two games.

Pierre-Luc Dubois found the net for the Capitals, who saw their three-game winning streak come to an end. Logan Thompson, in his first regulation loss of the season, recorded 25 saves.

Earlier on the same day, the Capitals received the disappointing news that star player Alex Ovechkin will be out of action for four to six weeks due to a broken left fibula. The injury was sustained during a game against Utah on Monday.

Takeaways:

Avalanche: Nathan MacKinnon was unable to register a point for the second time in three games—both against the Capitals—but Rantanen continued his scoring streak, having earned points in five of the last six games.

Capitals: Struggling offensively in Ovechkin’s absence, Washington’s power play, which had been performing well lately due to their captain’s contributions, went 0 for 2.

Key moment:

Just 3:29 into the third period, Wood positioned himself in front of the net and managed to deflect a shot from Cale Makar past Thompson, securing the lead for his team.

Key stat:

Historically, Washington has struggled without Ovechkin in the lineup, holding a record of 4-14 since the start of the 2021-22 season. At the time of his injury, Ovechkin was leading the league with 15 goals and is only 27 goals shy of matching Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record.

Upcoming matches:

The Avalanche are set to face the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers, on Saturday, while the Capitals will host the New Jersey Devils.