CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Hendrix Lapierre ended a 90-game goal drought, Alex Ovechkin had an empty-netter and the Washington Capitals beat the Calgary Flames 3-1 on Friday night to end a four-game losing streak.
Aliaksei Protas also scored and Logan Thompson made 25 saves against his hometown town.
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Washington Capitals' Hendrix Lapierre, left, celebrates after his goal against the Calgary Flames with John Carlson, right, during second-period NHL hockey game action in Calgary, Alberta, Friday, Jan. 23, 2026. (Larry MacDougal/The Canadian Press via AP)
Washington Capitals goalie Logan Thompson (48) makes a save against Calgary Flames' Connor Zary (47) during first-period NHL hockey game action in Calgary, Alberta, Friday, Jan. 23, 2026. (Larry MacDougal/The Canadian Press via AP)
Washington Capitals' Ryan Leonard, front left, and Calgary Flames' Yan Kuznetsov, right, battle in front of the Flames' net during second-period NHL hockey game action in Calgary, Alberta, Friday, Jan. 23, 2026. (Larry MacDougal/The Canadian Press via AP)
Washington Capitals' Justin Sourdif (34) looks for a rebound as Calgary Flames goalie Devin Cooley makes a save during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Calgary, Alberta, Friday, Jan. 23, 2026. (Larry MacDougal/The Canadian Press via AP)
Washington Capitals' Aliaksei Protas, right, celebrates his goal against the Calgary Flames with teammates during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Calgary, Alberta, Friday, Jan. 23, 2026. (Larry MacDougal/The Canadian Press via AP)
Morgan Frost scored for Calgary, and Devin Cooley stopped 35 shots. In the third, Cooley denied defenseman Jacob Chychrun's lacrosse-style wraparound attempt on a power play.
Protas broke a tie at 7:35 of the third. When Cooley slid to his left to defend against Tom Wilson, a rebound squirted out to the Belarusian, who fired the puck into an open net.
Lapierre tied it at 1 at 6:33 of the second. John Carlson's shot deflected off the leg of Yan Kuznetsov and onto Lapierre’s stick for the 23-year-old’s first goal since March 18, 2024, which also happened to be against Calgary. He has 10 career goals,
Calgary countered a Washington short-handed, odd-man rush with a power-play goal on the Flames’ next trip down the ice. Frost bear Thompson with a wrist shot below the goalie’s outstretched stick at 6:09 of the first.
Capitals: At Edmonton on Saturday night.
Flames: Host Anaheim on Sunday night.
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Washington Capitals' Hendrix Lapierre, left, celebrates after his goal against the Calgary Flames with John Carlson, right, during second-period NHL hockey game action in Calgary, Alberta, Friday, Jan. 23, 2026. (Larry MacDougal/The Canadian Press via AP)
Washington Capitals goalie Logan Thompson (48) makes a save against Calgary Flames' Connor Zary (47) during first-period NHL hockey game action in Calgary, Alberta, Friday, Jan. 23, 2026. (Larry MacDougal/The Canadian Press via AP)
Washington Capitals' Ryan Leonard, front left, and Calgary Flames' Yan Kuznetsov, right, battle in front of the Flames' net during second-period NHL hockey game action in Calgary, Alberta, Friday, Jan. 23, 2026. (Larry MacDougal/The Canadian Press via AP)
Washington Capitals' Justin Sourdif (34) looks for a rebound as Calgary Flames goalie Devin Cooley makes a save during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Calgary, Alberta, Friday, Jan. 23, 2026. (Larry MacDougal/The Canadian Press via AP)
Washington Capitals' Aliaksei Protas, right, celebrates his goal against the Calgary Flames with teammates during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Calgary, Alberta, Friday, Jan. 23, 2026. (Larry MacDougal/The Canadian Press via AP)
