Capitals Report Card: Caps Beat Rangers to Finish 2025

The Washington Capitals (21-14-5) finished the calendar year of 2025 on a high note. They beat the New York Rangers (19-18-5) 6-3 in front of a home crowd on Wednesday afternoon.

It was a special day for Capitals alternate captain Tom Wilson. Not only was he named to Team Canada’s Olympic roster, but he also recorded a Gordie Howe Hat Trick.

“I think it’s that’s the highest honor you can receive as a player is to be called by your country to play in the Olympics,” said Wilson. “It’s a dream come true. It sounds cliche, but you want to win a Stanley Cup and a gold medal as a Canadian kid growing up.”

In the process, Wilson recorded three points (2 goals, 1 assist) and fought Rangers forward Sam Carrick in the second period.

Anthony Beauvillier put the Capitals on the board first before Vincent Trocheck tied it up at 1-1 in the opening period.

In the middle frame, both Wilson and Justin Sourdif added tallies before Adam Fox cut the deficit to 3-2.

The Capitals took advantage in the third period as Aliaksei Protas and Wilson each increased the lead to 5-2. Sourdif then sealed it with an empty-net goal.

Next up, the Capitals head to Ottawa to finish this midweek afternoon back-to-back and kick off 2026.

Capitals Analysis

Earlier in the day, Wilson and Logan Thompson were both announced to Team Canada’s roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics. Wilson took full advantage of the opportunity and finished with one of his best performances on the ice.

With the score 1-1 in the middle frame, Wilson laid out a big hit on Noah Laba before crashing the net and capitalizing on a passing play to make it 2-1. This marked Wilson’s 20th goal of the season and his fifth career 20-goal campaign.

Shortly after the tally, Wilson answered for the hit on Laba and dropped the gloves with Carrick. Carrick was sent to the box for an extra two minutes, which put the Capitals on the man advantage.

Though the Capitals had been struggling on the power play, it actually worked on New Year’s Eve. Sourdif buried the puck in front off a feed from Alex Ovechkin to extend the lead to 3-1.

While Thompson had a much-deserved day off, Charlie Lindgren got the start between the pipes. After giving up five goals to the Rangers back on Dec. 23, Lindgren bounced back and stopped 22 of 25 shots.

The Capitals then got some insurance goals from Protas and Wilson, who scored his 200th career goal to make it 5-3.

Finally, Wilson’s Gordie Howe Hat Trick was completed when he recorded an assist on Sourdif’s empty-netter.

Capitals Report Card

Team: A-

The Capitals played much better to close out 2025, as they got plenty of chances and had a secret weapon: Tom Wilson.

Tom Wilson: A+

Wilson had himself a day between the Gordie Howe Hat Trick and the Team Canada roster announcement. He now has 200 career goals and 21 on the season.

Justin Sourdif: A

Sourdif ended a 16-game goal drought by scoring twice on Wednesday. His first goal came on the power play and his second was an empty-netter to seal it.

Charlie Lindgren: B+

Lindgren made some key saves and finished the day with 22 saves. It was a redemption performance for the 32-year-old goaltender after giving up five goals to the Rangers the week before.

Capitals Special Teams: B-

The Capitals went 1-for-3 on the power play as it was one of their better days on the man advantage. However, the penalty kill could still use some work as they gave up a power play goal from Adam Fox.