The Colorado Avalanche moved to 46-13 with 10 overtime losses and 3 points, while the Washington Capitals shifted to 35-27 with 9 overtime losses and 2 points after a 3-2 result at Capital One Arena.

Mar 22, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Capitals right wing Ethen Frank (53) skates off the ice after sliding into the net against the Colorado Avalanche during the first period at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images

First period

The Colorado Avalanche opened with 24 shots in the game and 15 hits, while the Washington Capitals finished with 22 shots and 18 hits.

The Capitals supplied the early scoring with 1 first-period goal as Alex Ovechkin earned a star selection for his night.

The Avs logged 5 minor penalties for 10 penalty minutes across the game, while the Caps took 2 minor penalties for 4 penalty minutes.

Second period

The Avalanche came out of the second period with 0 goals despite 2 power play opportunities, while the Capitals went 1-for-5 on the power play with 5 shots.

The Burgundy and Blue leaned on a 60 faceoff win percent with 28 faceoffs won, while the Caps posted 40 faceoff win percent with 19 faceoffs won.

Colorado’s game sheet showed 7 takeaways and 13 giveaways, while Washington recorded 2 takeaways and 12 giveaways.

Mar 22, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) looks on from the ice after scoring his 1,000th career goal in regular season and playoffs combined against the Colorado Avalanche at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Third period

The Avalanche produced 2 third-period goals at even strength as part of 3 even-strength goals on 23 even-strength shots.

Washington answered with 1 third-period goal at even strength, finishing with 1 even-strength goal on 15 even-strength shots.

In this Colorado Avalanche vs Washington Capitals match summary, Brock Nelson scored 1 goal on 2 shots and finished plus-1.

Martin Necas paced Colorado playmaking with 2 assists and 2 points on 2 shots.

Devon Toews added 1 assist and finished plus-2 to help Colorado end the night plus-8 as a team.

Overtime

Colorado settled it with an overtime goal after taking 3 overtime shots, while Washington recorded 0 overtime shots.

Mackenzie Blackwood earned the win with 20 saves on 22 shots against, and Washington’s goaltender closed with 21 saves on 24 shots against.

The Avs blocked 5 shots and registered 16 blocked attempts, while the Capitals finished with 13 blocked shots and 7 blocked attempts in a Colorado Avalanche vs Washington Capitals review.

Colorado’s even-strength finishing and overtime strike stood as game-changing plays Colorado Avalanche vs Washington Capitals, with the Caps also producing 1 power-play goal on 5 opportunities in the post game analysis.

Mar 22, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) and Capitals right wing Anthony Beauvillier (72) battle for the puck with Colorado Avalanche center Parker Kelly (17) and Avalanche center Jack Drury (18) during the third period at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images

The Colorado Avalanche next game will be broadcast from PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh at 7:00 PM EDT on 2026-03-24, with viewing on ESPN+, SportsNet PT, and ALT.

Catch the broadcast, then share this article with other Avs fans and talk through the key shifts.

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