While Alex Ovechkin celebrated what could be his final game in Pittsburgh, Tom Wilson quietly reached a milestone of his own.
Wilson scored his 30th goal of the season in Washington’s 6-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday, reaching the mark for the second time in his Capitals career.
The goal came midway through the second period off a strong play by rookie Ilya Protas, who scored his first NHL goal later in the game. After Protas received the puck at the top of the right faceoff circle, he launched a shot on Penguins goaltender Arturs Silovs, allowing Wilson to tap in the loose puck at the netfront.
With the goal, Wilson extended his point streak to six games, scoring nine points (5g, 4a) over that span.
Tom Wilson’s 30th goal of 2025-26 season
“It’s really tough to score,” Wilson said of the milestone. “You can never take for granted pulling on a sweater. You never take for granted scoring a goal. You never take for granted scoring 30.”
Ovechkin later tried to get Wilson a second tally on the night, sending him a pass with Pittsburgh’s net empty, but Wilson insisted on giving the puck back to Ovechkin so he could score in his potential farewell game in Pittsburgh.
“I don’t know how many times we passed it back and forth, but it felt like three or four,” Wilson said. “We say it’s respect first. So he’s the legend, and it’s always fun to assist on an Ovi goal.”
Wilson became just the third player in Capitals history with multiple 30-goal seasons at age 30 or older, joining Peter Bondra (four seasons) and Ovechkin (10 seasons). He also became the first non-Ovechkin Capitals player to record back-to-back 30-goal campaigns since Alex Semin did so in 2008-09 and 2009-10.
Once known largely for his physicality, Wilson has proven himself as a dangerous scoring threat in recent years. He first hit the 30-goal mark in his 12th season scoring 33 goals in 2024-25, and has continued to be one of Washington’s top offensive talents this season even as the team around him has struggled. Despite missing 10 games this season, he ranks behind only Ovechkin for the Capitals lead in both goals and total points (61). That success has garnered attention outside of DC, helping him land a spot on Canada’s Olympic roster at the 2026 Games.
Wilson, as he did after reaching 30 goals last season, downplayed his role in the achievement, instead crediting his teammates for their support. He reflected back what former teammate TJ Oshie used to say in similar moments.
“It’s obviously a special feeling, and I truly believe it’s just from playing with a lot of good players,” Wilson said. “I mean, Osh always had a joke, and I use it now, of ‘A lot of empty nets.’ You know, guys find you in good spots, and you just tap it in. So it’s a good feeling with all the talent that’s come through this organization and helped me get there.”
Head coach Spencer Carbery shared Wilson’s view that group success helped foster individual achievements, but credited Wilson for the outsized impact he’s had on the team.
“When you’re playing well as a team, usually those things happen,” Carbery said. “And then next thing you know, guys are hitting single-season highs and all that stuff. The individual accolades come along when you play a good team game, and I thought we did a pretty good job of that tonight. So Willy, again, he’s been a driver for us all year, so happy for him to get that number.”
Wilson now sits three goals back of his career high (33) with two games remaining in the Capitals’ regular-season schedule.
