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The Day After 53.0: Hyman’s late goal, Bouchard’s historic performance carry Oilers over Capitals
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Photo credit: © Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
Cam Lewis
Jan 25, 2026, 13:00 ESTUpdated: Jan 25, 2026, 13:02 EST
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That was certainly an exciting way to get back into the win column.
After back-to-back uninspiring losses at home earlier this week, the Edmonton Oilers clawed out a wild 6-5 overtime victory over the Washington Capitals on Saturday night, evening their record at two wins and two losses through the midway point of their eight-game homestand.
Washington arrived in Edmonton fresh off a 3-1 win over the Calgary Flames the night before and looked very much like a team eager to keep rolling.
Evan Bouchard opened the scoring late in the first period, but Aliaksei Protas answered just 22 seconds later to send the teams into the intermission tied 1-1. Bouchard struck again early in the second, only for the Capitals to respond with two goals of their own to grab the lead.
The back-and-forth continued in the third. Bouchard completed his first career hat trick early in the frame to make it 3-3, but Dylan Strome restored Washington’s lead on the power play minutes later. Edmonton answered quickly, with Connor McDavid tying the game on the man advantage. With five minutes remaining, Connor McMichael appeared to deliver the decisive blow for the Capitals, but Zach Hyman kept the Oilers alive by jamming home the equalizer with just 32 seconds left in regulation.
With five minutes left to go in the third, Connor McMichael put the Caps ahead with a 5-4 lead. The Oilers responded with 32 seconds left to go on the clock, as Zach Hyman shovelled a puck past goaltender Charlie Lindgren to keep the game alive.
Overtime didn’t last long. Just 47 seconds in, Bouchard corralled a floating puck in the defensive zone and, while being tripped and sent into the boards, managed to spring McDavid on a breakaway for the winner.
The night belonged to Bouchard, who factored in on all six of Edmonton’s goals. Playing in his 400th NHL game, the tenth overall pick from the 2018 draft posted three goals and three assists, finished plus-five, and logged a massive 29:25 of ice time.
It was a historic performance on a milestone night. Bouchard became just the fourth defenceman in NHL history to factor in on all six goals in a game, joining Bobby Orr, Paul Coffey, and Al MacInnis. He also became only the second defenceman ever to record a six-point game with eight shots on goal, a feat previously achieved only by Orr. Among Oilers blueliners, Bouchard is now the third to post a six-point night, alongside Coffey and Kevin Lowe, and the first since Coffey’s eight-point explosion in 1986. His hat trick was the first by an Edmonton defenceman in nearly two decades and made him just the second defenceman in league history to record one in his 400th career game.
The win kept the Oilers on pace with the Vegas Golden Knights, who beat the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday to snap a two-game skid. Edmonton is two points back of Vegas for the top spot in the Pacific Division, though the Golden Knights have three games in hand.

What they said…

Evan Bouchard on leading the Oilers to a win with his first-ever hat trick…
“Never had a hat trick. It’s my first one. I was definitely excited. It kept us in the game, it was a big goal for us at the time.
“Just a really solid, gutsy win. That was huge for us being down the last minute, not quitting, and getting the tying goal. It’s a big homestand for us, so we really have to build on that and keep it going into the next game.”
Connor McDavid on Bouchard being among the elite talents in the NHL…
“As good a game as I’ve seen from a D-man. You know, that’s his level. His best is among the best in the world. Not just D-men. Players.”
“He’s a special player, and he played great. He’s the first over the boards for the penalty kill, has to do a lot of different things, and he just keeps getting better and better. I can’t say enough good things about the guy.”
Head coach Kris Knoblauch on the Oilers and Capitals exchanging goals…
“There were a lot of things I liked about our game, but the only thing I didn’t like was how Washington was able to respond after pretty much every goal that we scored. You look at the first period, and we didn’t give up a shot until about two minutes left, and we finally pushed to get that first goal. We should be ecstatic, feeling good about our period, and they respond right away with the goal, and that was pretty deflating.
“We responded a few times, and obviously, we had a nice push at the end of the game on the six-on-five. But I thought we played a pretty good game despite how we let them score immediately after our goals.”
Washington head coach Spencer Carbery on the loss in Edmonton after a win in Calgary…
“I loved our game tonight, I thought our guys fought like hell tonight. It’s as difficult a game as we have on the schedule, and then you put in the travel, last night getting in at 4 a.m.
“Just the way we fought through the adversity of the game, the ups and downs. We were up, and now it’s back to even, I’m just real proud of the way we played tonight.”
Capitals forward Anthony Beauvillier on the Capitals losing despite a strong effort…
“If we play like that every night, we give ourselves a really good chance to win some games. That’s just the way it goes sometimes, it’s been a grind lately. But I think we gave ourselves the best chance to win tonight and this is how it’s going to have to look if we want to win.
“It’s still a huge point for us, but it’s unfortunate when it ends like that.”

Up next…

The Oilers will continue their eight-game homestand on Monday when they host the Anaheim Ducks. Edmonton will be off until Thursday, when the San Jose Sharks visit Rogers Place. On Saturday, they’ll host Quinn Hughes and the Minnesota Wild.

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