Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin, right, battles for the puck against Ducks center Leo Carlsson, left, and defenseman Drew Helleson, center, during the first period on Tuesday night in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin shoots the puck during the first period of their game against the Ducks on Tuesday night in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Ducks defenseman Pavel Mintyukov skates with the puck during the first period of their game against the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson, right, celebrates his goal with left wing Alex Ovechkin during the first period of their game against the Ducks on Tuesday night in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Capitals right wing Brandon Duhaime, center, battles for the puck against Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas, left, and left wing Cutter Gauthier during the first period on Tuesday night in Washington. The Ducks lost, 3-0. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Ducks defenseman Jackson LaCombe, right, shoots the puck against Washington Capitals defenseman Matt Roy during the second period on Tuesday night in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson stops the puck during the second period of their game against the Ducks on Tuesday night in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Ducks center Leo Carlsson skates with the puck against Washington Capitals defenseman Rasmus Sandin (38) and center Nic Dowd (26) during the second period on Tuesday night in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson watches the puck during the second period of their game against the Ducks on Tuesday night in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Ducks center Robby Fabbri, right, and Washington Capitals defenseman Jakob Chychrun battle for the puck during the second period on Tuesday night in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Capitals center Ethen Frank (53) celebrates his goal as he skates past the bench during the second period of their game against the Ducks on Tuesday night in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin skates with the puck during the third period of their game against the Ducks on Tuesday night in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Capitals right wing Brandon Duhaime, right, battles for the puck against Ducks defenseman Drew Helleson (43) and left wing Cutter Gauthier (61) during the third period on Tuesday night in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas skates with the puck during the third period of their game against the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin, right, and Ducks center Jansen Harkins battle for position during the third period on Tuesday night in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin, top, skates with the puck against Ducks defenseman Drew Helleson during the third period on Tuesday night in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Ducks center Jansen Harkins skates with the puck during the third period of their game against the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Ducks center Mason McTavish, right, skates with the puck against Washington Capitals right wing Brandon Duhaime during the third period on Tuesday night in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Capitals center Ethen Frank skates with the puck during the third period of their game against the Ducks on Tuesday night in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Ducks goaltender John Gibson stops the puck on a shot by Washington Capitals center Connor McMichael, right, during the third period on Tuesday night in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Ducks center Isac Lundestrom skates with the puck during the third period of their game against the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson catches the puck during the third period of their game against the Ducks on Tuesday night in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Capitals center Dylan Strome chases the puck during the third period of their game against the Ducks on Tuesday night in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson, left, and defenseman Jakob Chychrun celebrate after their 3-0 victory over the Ducks on Tuesday night in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson, left, and left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) celebrate after their 3-0 victory over the Ducks on Tuesday night in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
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Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin, right, battles for the puck against Ducks center Leo Carlsson, left, and defenseman Drew Helleson, center, during the first period on Tuesday night in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
WASHINGTON — Hoping to build on the momentum of their overtime victory in Carolina over the weekend, the Ducks instead were shut out for the second time in three games.
Ducks leading scorer Troy Terry returned after missing the past three games for the birth of his second child, but Logan Thompson stopped all 18 shots he faced and the Washington Capitals beat the Ducks, 3-0, on Tuesday night.
Making a second consecutive start and playing in his third in a row since Charlie Lindgren was injured, Thompson made a handful of saves on quality scoring chances and many timely ones to get his first shutout of the season (fifth of his career). He stretched his point streak to eight games (7-0-1) and improved to 19-2-3 since joining the Capitals.
Brandon Duhaime had a goal and an assist and John Carlson and Ethen Frank also scored for the Capitals, who have won two games in a row after alternating wins and losses in their previous nine dating to Dec. 23. The Capitals extended their point streak to eight games (5-0-3).
John Gibson made 22 saves for the Ducks (18-21-5), who lost for the fifth time in seven games. The Ducks avoided being shut out in their first 41 games before coming up goal-less twice on this trip.
“We’re not shooting a ton of pucks,” Ducks forward Alex Killorn told NHL.com. “Our goalies keep us in every single game and we’ve got to find ways to score. We score two goals a game, so it’s got to come from within us winning battles, being better in the O-zone, creating more chances.”
After a dominant start in which the Capitals possessed the puck in the offensive zone for long stretches, Duhaime scored at 7:34 of the first period when the puck banked in off the back of his right skate. Jakob Chychrun carried the puck into the left circle and took a shot from the dot that was saved by Gibson. Chychrun’s follow-up on the rebound glanced off the leg of Duhaime and into the net.
Washington doubled its lead about seven minutes later. Ducks defenseman Brian Dumoulin tried to pass the puck out of his zone, but it was intercepted by Carlson in the neutral zone. He gave the puck up and then quickly got it back before skating to the inside edge of the right circle and scoring with a wrist shot.
Frank scored for the second straight game when he finished off a two-on-one rush with Pierre-Luc Dubois, scoring with a wrist shot from the right circle to extend the lead to 3-0 with 59 seconds left in the second period. Duhaime picked up a secondary assist on the play.
“Tonight, we gave up a couple 2-on-1s and partial breakaways,” Ducks coach Greg Cronin told NHL.com. “Their third goal, which was a backbreaker, we pinched down the wall and we didn’t have somebody to replace for the pincher and it ended up being a 2-on-1 goal.”
Frank has two goals and an assist in his first three NHL games, becoming the first Washington player to record at least a point in each of his first three games since Andre Burakovsky in 2014-15. Alex Ovechkin had at least a point in his first eight games in 2005-06.
Terry played 18:49 and was minus-1.
UP NEXT
The Ducks make the fifth stop on their six-game road trip on Thursday at 4 p.m. PT at Tampa Bay.
