Tom Wilson's first hat trick leads Washington Capitals past slumping Anaheim Ducks 5-4

2023-12-01 14:20

Tom Wilson scored with 5:38 left to complete his first career hat trick in his 700th game, and the Washington Capitals extended the Anaheim Ducks’ losing streak to eight with a 5-4 victory

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Tom Wilson scored with 5:38 left to complete his first career hat trick in his 700th game, and the Washington Capitals extended the Anaheim Ducks' losing streak to eight with a 5-4 victory Thursday night.

Wilson, a Capitals stalwart since 2013, scored twice during Washington’s four-goal first period. He added a late power-play goal after Anaheim had trimmed the Caps' lead to 4-3 on Brock McGinn's goal with 8:15 to play.

Frank Vatrano added another goal for the Ducks with 27 seconds to go, but the Caps hung on.

Alex Ovechkin got his second assist of the night on Wilson's third goal, giving him 1,499 career points. One more and the Capitals' Russian captain will be the 16th NHL player to reach 1,500.

Nic Dowd and Anthony Mantha also scored and Darcy Kuemper made 28 saves for the Caps, who have won seven of nine. Washington went 2-1-0 on the California portion of its five-game road trip.

Wilson loves playing at Honda Center: He had his first multi-goal game since the Caps’ last trip to Anaheim on March 1, when he scored an overtime winner.

Tristan Luneau scored his first NHL goal and Brett Leason had a goal and an assist against his former team in the first period for the Ducks, whose impressive start to the season has come to a crashing halt.

John Gibson stopped 21 shots for Anaheim, which had won eight of 10 before abruptly losing every game it has played since Nov. 14.

Mantha scored just 87 seconds after the opening faceoff. Luneau, the Ducks’ promising 19-year-old Quebecois defenseman, found the net 22 seconds later in just his fifth game.

Leason then scored on the rebound after Ducks rookie Leo Carlsson stormed through three Washington skaters on an impressive rush. But Anaheim's defense fell apart: Wilson tied it and put the Caps ahead on two goals 2:45 apart, and Dowd scored just 20 seconds later.

McGinn scored his first goal of the season for Anaheim on a nifty shot, but Wilson answered. Vatrano smacked home a rebound in the final minute for his Ducks-leading 14th goal.

T.J. Oshie missed his third straight game with an injury, while Anaheim's Trevor Zegras missed his 11th consecutive game.

UP NEXT

Capitals: At Vegas on Saturday.

Ducks: Host Colorado on Saturday.

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