SPORTS
Tuch Scores Twice in Capitals Debut as Washington Opens Season With 5-2 Win
Thompson makes 31 saves against defending champion Carolina
RALEIGH, N.C. — Alex Tuch scored twice in the first period of his Washington Capitals debut, and the Capitals opened the 2026-27 season with a 5-2 win over the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night before 18,905 at Lenovo Center.
Logan Thompson made 31 saves. Tuch, 30, was acquired from Buffalo in a sign-and-trade in June.
Cole Hutson, Jakob Chychrun and Ryan Leonard also scored for the Capitals, who scored three times in the first 14:23 and led 4-0 early in the second period.
Pierre-Luc Dubois and Dylan Strome each had two assists. Alex Ovechkin, 41, began his 22nd NHL season with an assist.
Tuch scored his first goal as a Capital at 6:33. Dubois stripped the puck from Carolina goaltender Brandon Bussi behind the net and fed Tuch, who put it into the open net from between the circles. Ovechkin also had an assist.
“I don’t think I’ve scored many of those goals in my career,” Tuch said.
Hutson made it 2-0 at 11:33 on a short-side snap shot off a pass from Ilya Protas.
Tuch scored again at 14:23, tapping the puck in after Tom Wilson’s shot from above the left circle trickled through Bussi.
Ovechkin’s assist on Tuch’s first goal was the 759th of his career, three short of Nicklas Backstrom’s franchise record of 762.
Chychrun made it 4-0 on a second-period power play at 1:36, shooting from inside the blue line.
Washington was then called for six straight penalties. Aho scored on one of them, a power-play goal off a feed from Andrei Svechnikov at 16:50, to make it 4-1. Washington killed five of Carolina’s six power plays.
Eight seconds after Aho’s goal, Leonard drove the net and redirected a pass from Strome to make it 5-1. He said the line coming on after a goal is trying to create positive momentum, and that he got to the back door on a 2-on-1 with Strome.
Thompson credited the penalty killers, saying the unit kept Washington afloat while it was killing that many penalties in a row.
Logan Stankoven cut it to 5-2 at 10:50 of the third period, tipping K’Andre Miller’s wrist shot from the point.
Carolina outshot Washington 33-27.
Bussi made 22 saves. Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said the start was poor and that his team gave up two free goals. Carolina captain Jordan Staal said the Hurricanes were outplayed.
Washington coach Spencer Carbery called it a fantastic start and said his team handled Carolina’s pressure and capitalized early.
Tuch finished with two goals on three shots. Jordan Kyrou had two shots in 12:16 in his Capitals debut.
Thompson’s 63rd win with the club moved him past Jose Theodore for ninth place in franchise history.
Defenseman Rasmus Sandin, on the injured non-roster list, did not play.
Washington improved to 1-0-0. Carolina fell to 0-1-1, after a 1-0 overtime loss to Florida on Tuesday.
The Capitals play Saturday night at Tampa Bay, then host Pittsburgh in their home opener Wednesday, Oct. 7, at 7:30 p.m. at Capital One Arena.
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Watch the game recap: https://youtu.be/zWuXs5OHe2g
