WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 18: Cole Hutson #44 of the Washington Capitals poses with the puck from his first career NHL goal against the Ottawa Senators at Capital One Arena on March 18, 2026 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by John McCreary/NHLI via Getty Images)
Give the Washington Capitals credit, if they miss the playoffs, it won’t be from lack of trying.
Washington completed the week 2-0-1, netting five out of a possible six points. The final one coming in a gritty 3-2 overtime loss to league leading Colorado that saw the Caps tie the game with less than six minutes left in the third period on an Alex Ovechkin powerplay goal. That score gave Ovi 1,000 regular season and playoff combined goals for his career. The only other person to do that? Who else, Wayne Gretzky.
“It’s always nice to reach [a milestone], and it was an important goal as well,” Ovechkin said after the game.
Washington’s overarching problem remained, however. The lack of offense.
Against the Avalanche, the Capitals managed just one goal, though a beauty from Justin Sourdiff who scored his 14th of the year on an excellent assist from Connor McMichael in the first period. After that, it was crickets until the Ovi heroics.
Washington once again leaned on goaltender Logan Thompson who was elite, making 21 saves but the Caps produced only 22 shots on goal the entire game. General Manager Chris Patrick and team president Brian McClellan went shopping for a top six forward to add scoring punch at the trade deadline but came up empty. Now, we see why they were keen on seeking help as the offense has continued to struggle since the Olympic break.
What now for Ovi?
The Great 8 still has not addressed whether he will be back for a 22nd season. As it stands, Ovechkin is on pace for a sub 30 goal season for just the second time in his career, the other being the COVID shortened 2020-21 season. His hits and total average ice time is also the lowest of his career. Are we watching him wind down his career in DC? It remains to be seen but if the Caps want him for one more ride, they need to get some help this off season.
The Cole Hutson era begins:
The Caps signed the 2024 second round draft pick to a three year, entry level deal that will pay the 19 year-old around $975,000 per season. Hutson immediately joined the Caps and was in the line-up alongside veteran Matt Roy.
He equated himself well with a few good hits and two points including an empty net goal in his debut against Ottawa. Late in the third period, Hutson iced the game as forward Connor McMichael signaled him to take a shot instead of passing the puck. It resulted in his first goal as a professional.
“I couldn’t pass it to him if [I] tried,” Hutson said, when asked if he saw McMichael. “He had no stick on the ice. He wanted me to just take it all the way in, so I kind of had to.”
“He’s smooth with the puck,” Tom Wilson said post game. “It’s a funny feeling when you have a first-year, first-game guy, and you know he’s got the puck back there, and you’re just confident that, you know he’s going to make the right play and he’s going to do good things with it. It’s a pretty cool feeling when a kid comes in with that much poise and can make plays, and you can just see the see the potential.”
The lack of offense is still a problem:
Despite the feel good Hutson story, the Capitals offense is still struggling. Even when it looks good on the score board, see four goals against the Senators, it’s back to square one the next night, 2 goals against the Devils and two against Colorado.
Goalie Logan Thompson kept the Caps in both games but the pressure to be perfect is just too much, it seems as if both he and Charlie Lindgren need to pitch shut outs to give the team a chance to win.
A hot goalie is essential for a deep playoff run but you need goals to get to the post season first. There may not be enough in the lineup to make tha happen.
Bob Matthews is a 33 year veteran broadcast journalist, spending the last 29 years of his career in Virginia. Bob has covered both news and sports stories and for the last three seasons, the Washington Commanders. He looks forward to continuing to provide coverage to Sportsjourney.com both on the website and through his podcast, The Bob Matthews Show.
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