As Hendrix Lapierre watched his shot beat Devin Cooley, all of the weight  — 90 games worth — fell off his shoulders as his teammates clobbered him in celebration along the boards.

The Washington Capitals, entering Friday's conttest on a four-game losing skid, desperately needed a spark against the Calgary Flames, and Lapierre's first goal since March 18, 2024, which also came at the Saddledome, paved the way for

Here are the takeaways

Lapierre Gets Monkey Off His Back To Bring Capitals To Life

Hendrix Lapierre's season hasn't gone according to plan; while the chances have been there and the underlying numbers have shown promise, the 23-year-old just wasn't able to find consistency or get much going offensively while averaging just 8:38 minutes per game.

It'd also been nearly two years since he last scored at the NHL level. And, with his team looking to turn the tide after getting off to a slow start in Calgary and trailing 1-0 in the second period, Lapierre took matters into his own hands.

Lapierre got to the front of the net and buried a rebound off John Carlson's shot to make it a 1-1 game. Not only did it even the score, but it sparked the entire team, as the bench roared to life and were left energized by his strike as the bottom-6 provided much-needed offense.

In turn, the Capitals were able to build off that momentum and keep things going, and the offense really kicked into gear and got good chances on Devin Cooley, who was solid for Calgary.

It's also a game Lapierre can build on, as he earned more trust from the coaching staff and got out there to defend the lead late in the third. He did take a late penalty for closing his hand on the puck, but otherwise, he played an impressive game.

Capitals Maintain Control & Pressure, Second Line Cashes In

The name of the game for the Capitals going into Friday's contest was execution, and that's exactly what they were able to accomplish in Calgary after finding their legs in the second.

Washington tilted the ice and took control of the game in the second, and more importantly, was able to maintain that level of play for the final 40 minutes.

The Capitals outshot the Flames __, and needing a go-ahead goal, the second line stepped up to provide it.

Justin Sourdif got the puck across to Tom Wilson in front, and Aliaksei Protas was able to recover the puck from No. 43 and put it into a nearly empty net to put D.C. ahead.

It marked Protas' 17th goal of the season and first in the last seven games. Meanwhile, Wilson now has points in five of his last six games, with 10 points over that span, while Sourdif found the scoresheet for the second consecutive game as he continues to establish himself as a solid playmaker.

Simplicity The Key, Logan Thompson & Defense Strong

Ultimately for D.C., getting back to the basics was the key to success. After the Capitals stopped overcomplicating things in the neutral and offensive zones, going back to simple plays and getting the puck to the net, they were able to gain momentum and take over the game.

It also helped on the defensive side of the game, as, after Morgan Frost's early power-play goal, Washington shut things down defensively and didn't give the Flames too much time or space to work with. Alex Ovechkin later iced the game with an empty-netter for his 21st of the season and 918th of his career.

Logan Thompson also had a bounceback game in his hometown and was solid with 25 saves on 26 shots to end an individual three-game slide.

Sammi's Tidbits

- Jakob Chychrun attempted the Michigan and nearly scored on it, but Devin Cooley stayed with him.

Still, bold move to try, and something Chychrun's more than capable of given his quick hands.

What a play. Props to Cooley for staying with it and covering that top of the net.

Chychrun is such a creative player. So much skill. Insane hands. https://t.co/g7RUb3aBX4

— Sammi Silber 🏒 (@sammisilber) January 24, 2026

- Chychrun took a heavy hit from behind from Nazem Kadri in the final minutes of the third and did not finish the game.

- Adam Klapka got a 10-minute misconduct after hitting Tom Wilson with his stick while seated on the bench. The shove started a huge altercation by the Flames bench, as both players continued to jaw at one another.

The last time these two teams met at the Saddledome, Klapka got a cross-checking penalty on Wilson for hitting him after already taking him down, and Wilson, upon getting up, had no idea who he was and was trying to see the back of his jersey to keep his number in mind. It's No. 43.

Wilson later received a 10-minute misconduct of his own.

- Didn't get on the scoresheet, but Anthony Beauvillier deserves credit for the way he played.

- Dylan Strome extended his point streak to three games with the helper on Ovechkin's goal.