The Washington Capitals defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 5-1 on Friday night, evening the season series after Chicago's shootout victory last weekend. The Capitals' victory snapped the Blackhawks' four-game winning streak.

The Capitals seized control early, scoring three goals in the first period. Anthony Beauvillier redirected a pass from John Carlson into the net at 4:03 to open the scoring. Connor McMichael extended the lead, slipping a shot past Blackhawks goalie Drew Commesso at 15:07. Ethen Frank added another goal with a wrist shot at 18:54, making it 3-0. Carlson and Martin Fehervary each contributed two assists to Washington's offensive effort.

In the second period, Oliver Moore scored a power-play goal for Chicago at 8:48, assisted by rookie Nick Lardis. However, Justin Sourdif quickly responded for Washington, stuffing a loose puck into the net at 12:38 to restore the three-goal lead. Sourdif has been on a hot streak, with six goals in his last six games.

Alex Ovechkin scored in the third period at 13:33, increasing Washington's lead to 5-1. This was Ovechkin's 19th goal of the season and the 916th of his career. He has now scored on 187 different goalies, adding to his NHL record. Logan Thompson made 23 saves for the Capitals, while Drew Commesso stopped 19 of 24 shots for the Blackhawks.

The Blackhawks were significantly impacted by an illness that swept through the locker room, forcing them to scratch goalies Spencer Knight and Arvid Soderblom, as well as forward Ilya Mikheyev and defenseman Louis Crevier. This led to Commesso's recall from the AHL's Rockford IceHogs and his first NHL home start.

Connor Bedard returned to the Blackhawks' lineup after missing 12 games with a shoulder injury. He played for over 17 minutes and recorded four shots on goal.

The Capitals will visit Nashville on Sunday night, while the Blackhawks will play the Predators on Saturday night.