Dylan Strome reached a milestone on Saturday, notching his 20th goal of the campaign in Washington’s 3-0 victory over the Boston Bruins. He became the first Capital of the season to hit the 20-goal threshold and has now done so in three consecutive seasons.
The tally came 3:24 into the third period, giving the the Capitals a two-goal lead for the first time since January 18. TJ Oshie muscled Bruins forward Charlie Coyle off the puck before Strome and Alex Ovechkin capitalized on the subsequent two-on-one.
After scoring a career-high 23 goals in 2022-23, Strome seems likely to beat his record once again. He is on pace to break the 30-goal mark for the first time in his career, particularly impressive given the team’s overall offensive struggles.
That strong performance comes on the first year of a five-year deal he signed last February. Besides leading the team in goals, his 34 total points rank second on the team behind only Ovechkin.
Speaking with the media after Saturday’s win, Strome highlighted the work of his linemates on the play.
“Ovi made a great pass,” he said. “Osh did a great job battling on the wall and then Ovi put it right on my tape. [I] just had to put it upstairs to do the rest. It was a great play by both my linemates. Fortunate to play with those guys.”
Strome and Ovechkin have found chemistry when playing together, with Ovechkin taking on more of a playmaking role in the duo. Including Saturday’s marker, 11 of Strome’s 20 goals in 2023-24 have come off an Ovechkin assist.
“He makes some great plays,” Strome said of Ovechkin earlier in the season. “I think a lot of people are expecting him to shoot. [I] just try to get to the right areas. He’s been around for a long enough time and been on the ice for a lot of goals. He knows how to set up plays and knows how to score goals. So just try to get open, and he’s a very good passer as well.”
Strome’s father Chris saw the milestone game in person as part of the Capitals’ annual Mentor’s Trip. Even before his son scored, he was thrilled to see Dylan play up close.
“It’s incredible to see it live,” he told ESPN’s Emily Kaplan during the first period. “We’re so proud of him.”
