Spencer Carbery on the Capitals' win over Anaheim

Washington won 7-4 on Monday at Capital One Arena, snapping a two-game skid and steadying a 22-15-6 start.

They were up 5-1 in the second period, then spent the third hanging on while Anaheim pumped 45 shots. Charlie Lindgren stopped 41 and the Caps finally breathed after two empty-netters.

Justin Sourdif, 23, delivered a first NHL hat trick and added two assists for five points. Florida drafted him 87th overall in 2020, and Washington grabbed him in a June trade.

Sourdif centered Connor McMichael and Ryan Leonard, and the trio piled up 11 points together. McMichael, a 2019 first-round pick, set up four goals, and Leonard, the 2023 eighth overall pick, finished one too.

Carbery did not pretend the win was pretty, he just called it a huge one for his group. The line about burning the film sounded like a coach exhaling through a grin.

Caps fans will love the win, but nobody is pretending that third period was clean. You could feel the building tighten every time the puck bounced in the slot.

For forty minutes, Washington played direct, got through the neutral zone, and attacked off the rush with speed. Once the lead grew, exits got loose and the support under the puck disappeared.

That opened lanes for Anaheim to reload, throw pucks from the points, and hunt rebounds around the crease. Lindgren tracked well, and his penalty shot stop kept the game from turning into a pure scramble.

The injuries are the backdrop, with Tom Wilson and Aliaksei Protas both out with lower-body issues. Pierre-Luc Dubois is still sidelined after November surgery, so Carbery is juggling centers and minutes nightly.

In the middle of it all, Alex Ovechkin scored twice, including an empty-netter for his 17th goal this season. John Carlson also hit the empty cage, a quiet reminder that smart clears matter late.

Sourdif's five-point outburst bought Washington some breathing room, but the lesson is obvious.

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