Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brandon Hagel unsealed a tie game at 8:42 of the third period to provide a 3-2 win over the Washington Capitals at Benchmark International on Saturday night. The result continues a tough stretch for Washington, with just one victory in its last seven outings following an excellent 6-2-0 start to the 2025-26 season.
Following Saturday’s regulation loss, the Capitals find themselves in an unfamiliar position under head coach Spencer Carbery, looking up at teams like the Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and the New York Rangers from the bottom of the Metropolitan Division.
Wilson on Pace for Career Year in 2025-26
Tom Wilson is on pace for his best statistical campaign in his 13th NHL season. In 15 games this season, the 31-year-old winger has scored six goals and assisted on seven Capitals’ tallies to lead Washington in scoring with 16 points.
Wilson is projected to finish with over 80 points in the regular season if he keeps up his current production, representing a significant improvement from his career-high 65 points in the 2024-25 season.
Wilson showcased his value to the Capitals team during the 2025 postseason, specifically in Washington’s matchup against the Montreal Canadiens. The Toronto native was all over the place for the Capitals, with two goals and five points in the Round 1 series. The Carolina Hurricanes neutralized Wilson’s impact with just two points in the five-game exit in Round 2 of the Eastern Conference Playoffs.
Wilson’s early-season impact resembles what Carbery’s squad saw from the NHL veteran in the early part of the 2025 NHL Postseason.
Carlson Joins Top 5 Scoring Leaders Among Defensemen
John Carlson scored his fourth goal of the season in the second period of Saturday’s contest against Tampa Bay, which vaulted him higher up the NHL leaderboard for blueliners. The 35-year-old is currently in a third-place tie in league scoring among defenseman, trailing Cale Makar (six goals) and rookie Matthew Schaefer (five). The scoring outburst is a beautiful sight for the 2008 first-round selection, as he finished with five goals in 79 regular-season games during the 2024-25 season.
The defensive pairing of Carlson and Jakob Chychrun has been relied upon heavily this season with solid results, even if the Capitals’ 7-7-1 record is less than ideal. Carlson is projected for another 50-plus point season while skating an average of 23:25, the 29th-best rate in the NHL in 2025-26. Chychrun leads Carlson by 23 seconds in average ice time at 23:48, a mark that places him 22nd league-wide.
Lightning Cool Off a Blazing-Hot Thompson
Logan Thompson leads all NHL goalies with a 1.61 goals-against average (GAA) and a .930 save percentage (SV%) among netminders who have played at least five NHL games this season. The 28-year-old goalie has found a home in Carbery’s system following a 31-6-6 record and a 2.49 GAA in 2024-25.
Spencer Knight is currently second with a 2.33 GAA and a .926 SV% in 11 games for the Chicago Blackhawks, followed by the Winnipeg Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck (2.30 GAA and .922 SV%) and Flyers free-agent signing Dan Vladar (2.18 GAA and .917 SV%).
With the 2026 Winter Olympic Games quickly approaching, it is incredibly timely for Thompson to be playing the best hockey of his career. Canada named six skaters to the squad in June 2025, and none of those players were goaltenders. That leaves the potential for one of three spots on Team Canada for the men wearing the oversized pads.
Related: Capitals’ Thompson & Wilson Make Case for Canadian Olympic Team
St. Louis Blues netminder Jordan Binnington is considered the front-runner for a spot on the team, but he has had a subpar start to the 2025-26 season with a record of 3-5-2, a 3.34 GAA, and an .859 SV%. Throughout his decade-long NHL career, Binnington has typically stopped 90% of the shots he has faced. However, there could be some question marks regarding his stop rate, which is down 4% this season.
Adin Hill has been better over a smaller sample size for the Vegas Golden Knights as he makes his bid for Team Canada. In five games, Hill has recorded a 2.73 GAA and a .888 SV% to open his campaign. Sam Montembeault has posted a 3.46 GAA and a .864 SV% over eight starts for the Montreal Canadiens.
As you can see above, none of those goalies are playing as well as Thompson has to start the 2025-26 season. Those should allow Washington’s goalie to swap the red, white, and blue for a red and black outfit this winter.
