WASHINGTON, DC — Logan Thompson isn’t used to getting the hook.
Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery has rarely pulled the goaltender during his tenure in DC, opting to let the starter hold the net even during lackluster performances. Tuesday night, however, Carbery broke from that pattern, ending Thompson’s night early as Washington fell 6-5 to the Dallas Stars.
Thompson allowed one goal on seven first-period shots, but it was Jason Robertson who put the final nail in the coffin, scoring a natural hat trick in the second period before Carbery made his call.
Robertson’s first goal came on the power play, the tail end of Tom Wilson’s first-period roughing minor. After a feed from Wyatt Johnston near the blue line, Robertson shot from the left circle, threading the needle between Thompson’s right pad and his catching glove.
Shortly after, a play that began in the Capitals’ offensive zone doubled their deficit. Tyler Myers sent the puck down the ice for Arttu Hyry to carry past the opposite blue line before Robertson regained the puck. Robertson fired from just inside the right faceoff circle, this time sending his shot over Thompson’s shoulder before he could bring up his blocker.
For such a speedy hat trick, it’s only fitting that Robertson’s final goal came just six seconds after a faceoff, this time with the furthest shot yet. Roope Hintz beat Pierre-Luc Dubois at the dot and passed to Thomas Harley, who dished it to Robertson at the blue line. Shooting from 60 feet away, Robertson hit the post, but the puck ricocheted into the back of the net.
All three goals came in a span of just 5:20, the fastest hat trick of Robertson’s career and his third natural hat trick.
“It’s one of those things where it just happens so quick, you don’t have time to digest it,” Robertson said postgame. “You just keep moving on. Still got to focus on the game.”
At that point, Carbery had seen enough.
“It just felt like at four, it was time to make the change and go to Chucky,” Carbery said postgame.
Washington’s comeback effort meant that Thompson won’t be credited with a loss on his record (Hintz scored the eventual game-winning goal on Lindgren) but his numbers were far from pretty. He ended the night with a .636 save percentage and stopped just one of four shots in the second period, allowing a total of 2.68 goals above expected.. Per NHL Stats, Tuesday marked the first time Thompson has allowed a natural hat trick in the NHL and the first time he’s allowed a hat trick of any kind since joining the Capitals in 2024-25.
The game, which came after a frustrated Thompson gave up five goals to the Minnesota Wild on Sunday, also marked just the second time he’s been given the hook in Washington. He got pulled for the first time under Carbery on November 22, 2025 against the Tampa Bay Lightning and hadn’t been yanked since until Tuesday.
Rather than watching from the bench, Thompson spent the remainder of the second period in the Capitals locker room before returning in the third period.
Now on a two-game losing streak, the Capitals and Thompson will look to stop the bleeding when they face one of the NHL’s best teams in the Florida Panthers on Saturday.
