NHL

Washington Capitals at Winnipeg Jets

· National Hockey League
Final
1 - 5

Hellebuyck makes 24 saves in return from knee injury, Jets beat Capitals 5-1

Washington Capitals vs. Winnipeg Jets: Game Highlights

Hellebuyck had arthroscopic surgery three weeks ago. The reigning Hart and Vezina Trophy winner missed 12 games, with the Jets going 2-9-1.

Alex Iafallo had a goal and assist, and Logan Stanley and Morgan Barron also scored for the Jets. Adam Lowry, Josh Morrissey, Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele each had two assists.

Jakob Chychrun spoiled Hellebuyck’s shutout bid on a two-man advantage with 3:28 left. Logan Thompson stopped 30 shots for Washington. The Capitals had earned points in nine games in a row.

The Jets outshot the Capitals 13-3 in the first period. Washington’s first two shots came during a power play that started at 6:50 of the opening period.

Stanley scored his fifth goal of the season 23 seconds after the man advantage expired. He swatted the puck out of the air into the net after it bounced off the backboards from Morrissey’s point shot at 9:13.

The new line of Barron, Lowry and Iafallo also accounted for the next two goals.

Barron made it 2-0 with 1:17 remaining in the first, then Iafallo was credited with a goal when the puck went off the stick of Washington forward Justin Sourdif 3:39 into the second.

Vilardi scored his first of the night with seven seconds remaining in the second. Vilardi and Chychrun had third-period goals.

Jets forward Nino Niederreiter played his 1,000th NHL game to become the first Swiss-born player to reach the milestone.

Up next Capitals: At Minnesota on Tuesday night.

Jets: Host Ottawa on Monday night.

Regular Season Series

Series tied 1-1

Scoring Summary

Goal 1st Period 9:13 Logan Stanley Goal (5) Batted, assists: Josh Morrissey (22), Mark Scheifele (23)
Goal 1st Period 18:43 Morgan Barron Goal (5) Backhand, assists: Adam Lowry (3), Alex Iafallo (6)
Goal 2nd Period 3:39 Alex Iafallo Goal (6) Wrist Shot, assists: Adam Lowry (4)
Goal 2nd Period 19:53 Gabriel Vilardi Goal (15) Tip-In, assists: Kyle Connor (24), Josh Morrissey (23)
Goal 3rd Period 11:55 Gabriel Vilardi Goal (16) Wrist Shot, assists: Kyle Connor (25), Mark Scheifele (24)
Goal 3rd Period 16:32 Jakob Chychrun Goal (12) Slap Shot, assists: John Carlson (18), Alex Ovechkin (17)

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nhl/500/wsh.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originWSH https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nhl/500/wpg.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originWPG
16 Blocked Shots 12
20 Hits 23
3 Takeaways 6
25 Shots 35
1 Power Play Goals 1
5 Power Play Opportunities 3
20.0 Power Play Percentage 33.3
0 Short Handed Goals 0
0 Shootout Goals 0
31 Faceoffs Won 24
56.4 Faceoff Win Percent 43.6
17 Giveaways 11
3 Total Penalties 5
6 Penalty Minutes 10
Winnipeg Jets Winnipeg Jets Injuries
NAME, POS STATUS DATE
Haydn Fleury, D Injured Reserve Dec 12
Washington Capitals Washington Capitals Injuries
NAME, POS STATUS DATE
Ryan Leonard, RW Injured Reserve Dec 11

Game Information

Canada Life Centre

Location: Winnipeg, MB
Attendance: 14,096 | Capacity:

2025-26 Metropolitan Division Standings

TEAM W L PTS OTL
Carolina 21 9 44 2
NY Islanders 19 12 41 3
Philadelphia 17 9 40 6
Washington 18 11 40 4
Pittsburgh 14 9 37 9
New Jersey 18 14 37 1
NY Rangers 16 15 36 4
Columbus 14 13 34 6

2025-26 Central Division Standings

TEAM W L PTS OTL
Colorado 24 2 55 7
Dallas 22 7 49 5
Minnesota 20 9 45 5
Utah 16 16 35 3
Winnipeg 15 15 32 2
Chicago 13 14 32 6
St. Louis 12 15 31 7
Nashville 13 15 30 4
Full Standings