With all eyes on Alex Ovechkin’s chase of Wayne Gretzky, Tom Wilson has showcased his own scoring talent to lead the Capitals in goals. Wilson has scored in three straight games to open the season, adding to his tally with a goal against the Dallas Stars on Thursday night.
Wilson’s goal came less than a minute into the second period, when he scored in the slot off a pass from Pierre-Luc Dubois to tie the game at one. The Caps did not trail for the remainder of the game and ultimately defeated the Stars 3-2.
Wilson’s first goal of the season in the third period of an attempted comeback effort against the New Jersey Devils. Though the Caps ultimately fell 5-4, the tally got the Capitals within one before an empty-netter from Dawson Mercer sealed the game.
Wilson later scored his first power-play goal of the year with another early-second-period tally against the Vegas Golden Knights. All three of his goals have come from the slot.
Head coach Spencer Carbery praised Wilson’s play so far after the win against Dallas, noting how Wilson’s strong systematic successes have paid off on the scoresheet.
“Huge goal,” Carbery said. “I think he’s playing really, really well and he’s being rewarded for it, which is always nice. Some guys are playing at a real high level or go through stretches through the season that play really well, but don’t get rewarded for it — but you’re happy as a coach because when you go through the film they’re doing a ton of great things. He’s being rewarded for it, which is nice to see.
“Anytime guys are scoring goals, ultimately they want to produce offensively and show that they can put the puck in the net. And his shot, to me, that’s where [he’s scoring] right now: getting his shot off quickly, getting it on net, and not worrying about taking an extra second and a half. So, happy for him…We needed guys to put pucks in the back of the net and he’s leading the way right now.”
Wilson has been effective against tough competition in his first three games. At five-on-five, the have outscored opponents 3-2, out-chanced them 19-17, and have held a 9-8 edge in high-danger shots with Wilson on the ice, per Natural Stat Trick.
Dylan Strome also highlighted Wilson’s performance Thursday night, pointing to not only his scoring but his consistency and growing role among his teammates.
“He’s finding ways to get open,” Strome said. “I think three, pretty much from nearly the same spot. He’s picking corners and I think he leads by example on our team.”
Part of that leadership, in Strome’s view, has seen Wilson step up in the absence of TJ Oshie, who stepped away from the team after years of recurrent back issues. Oshie served as not only the heart and soul of the Capitals’ locker room but also a prolific scorer in the bumper position, somewhere Wilson’s helped to pick up the slack.
“Obviously, we’re kind of missing Osh in that bumper slot, but when you’ve got a guy like Tom there, he can do almost as good a job as Osh did. And he’s finding ways to get open, and he just missed one on the power play too from Dubie. He’s doing a great job, so nice to see him get rewarded and well deserved for him. He works really hard.”
When asked about the streak himself, however, Wilson downplayed the accomplishment, instead directing praise towards linemates Pierre-Luc Dubois and Andrew Mangiapane.
“Yeah, good linemates,” he said. “They’re finding me in good spots, they’re going in, they’re going in. So [I] keep shooting the puck. And it’s been a good start as a group.”
Wilson, who is expected to eventually assume the captaincy, has taken on an increased leadership role on the Caps this year, serving as a full-time alternate after Oshie’s departure. After he ranked fourth on the team in scoring in 2023-24 with 35 points (18g, 17a), this year marks the first year of a seven-year deal that will keep Wilson in Washington through 2031.
