Overview
- Washington beat Chicago 5-1 at United Center, powered by Connor McMichael’s goal and assist, Justin Sourdif’s tally, and a 23-save outing from Logan Thompson.
- Alex Ovechkin recorded his 916th career goal and 19th of the season, extending his goal streak to three games.
- A stomach bug sidelined Blackhawks goalies Spencer Knight and Arvid Soderblom plus other skaters, prompting Drew Commesso to start and emergency backup Dave Nozzolillo to dress.
- Back from a 12-game shoulder absence, Connor Bedard logged roughly 17 minutes with four shots and will avoid taking faceoffs for the foreseeable future, coach Jeff Blashill said.
- Elsewhere, Montreal’s 6-2 win over Florida set up a first-place showdown with Detroit in the Atlantic, while the Rangers placed Adam Fox on LTIR and Igor Shesterkin on IR.