The Washington Capitals have another goal-scoring Alex on the scene.
Offseason acquisition Alex Tuch wasted no time in Friday’s season opener, notching two goals against the Carolina Hurricanes in his first period wearing a Capitals sweater. He became the fifth player in franchise history with a multi-goal Capitals debut, and just the second to score twice in his first 20 minutes.
“You couldn’t probably script it,” Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery said of Tuch’s night. “Any time a player comes to a new organization, a new team, it’s important. You want them to get off to a good start, and that was exactly what Tuchy (did). And I thought he was outstanding tonight. I thought (he was) arguably the best player on the ice.”
Tuch’s first goal, which came just 6:33 into the game, may have been one of the easiest shots of his career. Canes goaltender Brandon Bussi misplayed the puck in the trapezoid after a dump-in, allowing Pierre-Luc Dubois to send a pass to Tuch in front of a wide open net. Despite defenseman Jaccob Slavin’s best attempt at playing substitute goalie, Tuch had little trouble hitting the back of the net.
Alex Tuch’s first goal as a Capital
“I don’t think I’ve scored many of those goals in my career,” Tuch said with a chuckle. “That was really nice. Great play by Dubie in the forecheck there.”
Tuch admitted he had some jitters going into his first game on a new team, but scoring a goal proved a quick fix.
“First couple shifts, you get a little nervous, keep it simple…Getting that first one, definitely a good feeling,” he said.
After Cole Hutson made it 2-0 midway through the period, Tuch continued to run up the score with 5:37 left until intermission, scoring another five-on-five goal on his line with Dubois and Tom Wilson. Wilson fired from above the left circle before Dubois caught the rebound, with Tuch giving the puck a final tap before it entered the net.
Alex Tuch’s second goal
Tuch took little credit for the play postgame. The puck was already on its way past Bussi off of Dubois’ shot; he just made absolute certain that it crossed the goal line.
“I might have been able to let that one go in, but I wasn’t taking any chances,” Tuch said. “It was a little slower than I wanted it to be, so I made sure it was in the back of the net.”
The last multi-goal Capitals debut came over a decade ago, when Mikhail Grabovski scored a hat trick against the Chicago Blackhawks on October 1, 2013. Alex Ovechkin, who notched a pair of goals in his 2005 NHL debut, is also among the small group.
Capitals players with multiple goals in their team debut
| Player | Date | Opponent | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Bellows | March 28, 1998 | Vancouver Canucks | 2 |
| Alex Ovechkin | Oct. 5, 2005 | Columbus Blue Jackets | 2 |
| Scott Walker | March 4, 2010 | Tampa Bay Lightning | 2 |
| Mikhail Grabovski | Oct. 1, 2013 | Chicago Blackhawks | 3 |
| Alex Tuch | Oct. 2, 2026 | Carolina Hurricanes | 2 |
Acquiring Tuch was the splashiest move of a busy Capitals offseason. Tuch was projected to be the highest-profile target in free agency before Washington landed him in a sign-and-trade with the Buffalo Sabres, offering an eight-year contract with a team-leading $10.5 million AAV.
After barely missing the playoffs last season, the Capitals believed that Tuch, who has reached 30 goals in three of his last four seasons, could add some much-needed offense to their forward corps. If the rest of Tuch’s season looks anything like his performance on Friday, he’ll be more than worth the hefty price tag.
“Someone said something on the bench after his first two goals, of like, ‘We got you on a discount,’” Carbery said. “And I had a pretty good chuckle on that.”
