Washington Capitals at Ottawa Senators
NHL game between the Washington Capitals and the Ottawa Senators on Jan 01, 2026. Final score: Washington Capitals 3, Ottawa Senators 4.
| Status | Final |
|---|---|
| Date | Jan 01, 2026 |
| Venue | Canadian Tire Centre |
| Washington Capitals score | 3 |
| Ottawa Senators score | 4 |
Shot charts, expected goals (xG), Game Score and advanced box scores for this game are available on Hockey Alchemy.
Three Stars by Game Score
Ranked by Game Score, which rolls goals, assists, shot quality, play-driving and penalties into one number — so the best player is chosen by the box score, not by a vote.
| Player | Pos | G | A | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Shane Pinto | C | 0 | 2 | 1 | 18:54 | 0.06 | 1.72 |
| 2nd | Thomas Chabot | D | 0 | 1 | 0 | 22:54 | 0.06 | 1.70 |
| 3rd | Justin Sourdif | R | 0 | 2 | 1 | 13:25 | 0.32 | 1.70 |
Scoring Summary
| Time | Team | Goal | Assists | Strength | Score (Washington Capitals–Ottawa Senators) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st 08:13 | WSH | Tom Wilson | Justin Sourdif | 5v5 | 1–0 |
| 1st 18:59 | WSH | Dylan Strome | Ryan Leonard, Jakob Chychrun | 4v5 | 2–0 |
| 2nd 07:42 | OTT | Nick Jensen | Jake Sanderson, Shane Pinto | 5v5 | 2–1 |
| 2nd 19:31 | OTT | Ridly Greig | Shane Pinto, Michael Amadio | 5v5 | 2–2 |
| 3rd 02:47 | OTT | David Perron | Stephen Halliday, Nick Cousins | 5v5 | 2–3 |
| 3rd 15:53 | WSH | Aliaksei Protas | Justin Sourdif, Tom Wilson | 5v5 | 3–3 |
| 3rd 17:38 | OTT | Fabian Zetterlund | Thomas Chabot, Tim Stützle | 5v5 | 3–4 |
Team Comparison
| Washington Capitals | Ottawa Senators | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 3 | 4 |
| Shots on goal | 29 | 32 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 2.79 | 3.30 |
| High-danger shots | 10 | 16 |
| Corsi % | 44.2% | 55.8% |
| Power play | 1/3 | 0/4 |
| Faceoff % | 50.9% | 49.1% |
| Hits | 15 | 32 |
| Blocks | 19 | 14 |
| Giveaways | 9 | 17 |
| Takeaways | 5 | 6 |
Washington Capitals Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justin Sourdif | R | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 13:25 | 0.32 | 1.70 |
| Tom Wilson | R | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 22:51 | 0.37 | 1.61 |
| Jakob Chychrun | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 23:25 | 0.09 | 0.73 |
| Ryan Leonard | R | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 12:58 | 0.00 | 0.56 |
| Aliaksei Protas | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 14:55 | 0.19 | 0.53 |
| Brandon Duhaime | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8:37 | 0.00 | 0.35 |
| Hendrix Lapierre | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7:12 | 0.27 | 0.21 |
| Nic Dowd | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17:29 | 0.00 | 0.17 |
| Ethen Frank | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 11:34 | 0.30 | -0.02 |
| Anthony Beauvillier | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 15:27 | 0.17 | -0.04 |
| Matt Roy | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21:38 | 0.01 | -0.06 |
| Connor McMichael | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18:21 | 0.05 | -0.14 |
| Dylan Strome | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 18:47 | 0.20 | -0.20 |
| Trevor van Riemsdyk | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11:39 | 0.03 | -0.32 |
| John Carlson | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 23:15 | 0.02 | -0.32 |
| Martin Fehérváry | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 16:04 | 0.03 | -0.50 |
| Alex Ovechkin | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 16:33 | 0.26 | -0.52 |
| Rasmus Sandin | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 18:05 | 0.02 | -0.62 |
Ottawa Senators Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shane Pinto | C | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 18:54 | 0.06 | 1.72 |
| Thomas Chabot | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 22:54 | 0.06 | 1.70 |
| Jake Sanderson | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 25:44 | 0.86 | 1.67 |
| Nick Jensen | D | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 18:10 | 0.07 | 1.39 |
| Michael Amadio | R | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 16:06 | 0.00 | 1.38 |
| Fabian Zetterlund | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 10:30 | 0.21 | 1.25 |
| Stephen Halliday | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6:54 | 0.40 | 1.23 |
| David Perron | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 12:35 | 0.51 | 1.21 |
| Ridly Greig | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 15:08 | 0.79 | 1.18 |
| Tim Stützle | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 21:23 | 0.20 | 0.89 |
| Brady Tkachuk | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 17:45 | 0.21 | 0.38 |
| Claude Giroux | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 16:56 | 0.02 | 0.26 |
| Nick Cousins | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6:43 | 0.03 | 0.24 |
| Artem Zub | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 18:55 | 0.01 | 0.18 |
| Dylan Cozens | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 18:16 | 0.20 | -0.06 |
| Drake Batherson | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16:07 | 0.15 | -0.07 |
| Jordan Spence | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14:23 | 0.07 | -0.10 |
| Tyler Kleven | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13:31 | 0.02 | -0.43 |
Goaltending
| Goalie | Team | SV | SA | SV% | GSAx | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Logan Thompson | Washington Capitals | 28 | 32 | 87.5% | -0.93 | L |
| Leevi Meriläinen | Ottawa Senators | 26 | 29 | 89.7% | -0.79 | W |
Analysis
The Ottawa Senators defeated the Washington Capitals 4–3 on Jan 01, 2026, a one-goal game.
Ottawa Senators generated 3.3 expected goals to Washington Capitals's 2.79 — Ottawa Senators edged the chance share as well as the scoreline.
Shane Pinto led all skaters with a Game Score of 1.72 on 2 assists, 1 shots on goal.
Leevi Meriläinen stopped 26 of 29, worth -0.79 goals saved above expected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Washington Capitals vs Ottawa Senators game?
The Ottawa Senators beat the Washington Capitals 4–3 on Jan 01, 2026.
What was the final score?
The final score was Ottawa Senators 4, Washington Capitals 3.
Who was the best player in this game?
By Game Score — a single-number summary of everything a skater did — Shane Pinto led all skaters at 1.72, on 0G, 2A and 1 shots on goal.
Which team deserved to win by expected goals?
Ottawa Senators generated 3.3 expected goals and Washington Capitals generated 2.79, so Ottawa Senators created the better chances. That matches the result.
What were the shot totals?
Washington Capitals put 29 shots on goal and Ottawa Senators put 32. High-danger chances went 10 to 16.
How did the goaltenders play?
Logan Thompson stopped 28 of 32 (-0.93 goals saved above expected); Leevi Meriläinen stopped 26 of 29 (-0.79 goals saved above expected).