Brief

Lightning defeat Capitals 3-1 in home opener

Vasilevskiy’s 19 saves and early goals from D'Astous and Geekie powered Tampa Bay to a home‑opener victory.

By Felo News Desk · Published Tue, 06 Oct 2026 20:24:06 GMT

Andrei Vasilevskiy made 19 saves as the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Washington Capitals 3-1 in their home opener on Saturday night, Oct. 3, 2026, according to the Associated Press.

What happened

Charle‑Edouard D'Astous opened the scoring at 2:26 of the first period, receiving a pass from Brandon Hagel and firing a wrist shot past Capitals netminder Charlie Lindgren. Conor Geekie added a second goal three minutes later after a Hagel feed. Washington cut the lead in the second period when Justin Sourdif redirected a point‑shot from Jacob Chychurn. Jake Guentzel scored an empty‑net goal with 2:05 left in the third period.

What the reports add

The AP noted that Brandon Hagel contributed two assists for Tampa Bay, while John Carlson, a former Capital who spent 17 seasons in Washington, recorded an assist on the empty‑net goal in his first game against his old club. The Capitals played the third period without defenseman Matt Roy, who left with a lower‑body injury.

What was said

No direct quotes were provided in the report.

How it came about

Tampa Bay opened the season on Thursday with a 5-1 loss to the New York Rangers, making the victory over Washington a quick rebound. The Capitals had begun their road stretch with a win in Carolina the previous night.

Key facts

Andrei Vasilevskiy made 19 saves for Tampa Bay. (winnipegfreepress.com)
Charle‑Edouard D'Astous and Conor Geekie each scored in the first period. (winnipegfreepress.com)
Jake Guentzel scored an empty‑net goal with 2:05 left. (winnipegfreepress.com)
John Carlson recorded an assist in his first game against Washington. (winnipegfreepress.com)
Washington played the third period without defenseman Matt Roy due to injury. (winnipegfreepress.com)