Washington Capitals center Pierre-Luc Dubois and goaltender Logan Thompson both intended to give dogs from Wolf Trap Animal Rescue temporary homes, not keep them forever. But plans change.

ARLINGTON, V.A. — For the first time in a long time, Pierre-Luc Dubois feels like ... Quite a bit has factored into Dubois' success, as he's playing in a top-6 role and finding chemistry alongside the likes of Tom Wilson, Aliaksei Protas and Connor ...

WASHINGTON — The Washington Capitals got off to the start they wanted against the Vancouver Canucks; it was the rest of the night didn’t go as planned. But thanks to Pierre-Luc Dubois, D.C. managed two points. Dubois struck twice and Logan Thompson stood on his head to help Washington escape with a 2-1 victory.

But the Capitals were expecting the game to be “a little bit nasty,” as Coach Spencer Carbery put it after his team won, 2-1, in overtime behind two goals from center Pierre-Luc Dubois, who was at the center of the high-emotion proceedings throughout.

TOP PERFORMERS: Adam Gaudette has scored 14 goals with five assists for the Senators. Ridly Greig has three goals and one assist over the last 10 games. Pierre-Luc Dubois has seven goals and 27 assists for the Capitals. Tom Wilson has six goals and three assists over the last 10 games.

The Capitals will look to keep trending in the right direction against Ottawa, as Jakob Chychrun makes his return for the first time since being traded.

The Capitals are shaking things up on the top-6, with Pierre-Luc Dubois replacing Dylan Strome as Alex Ovechkin's center. Connor McMichael and Tom Wilson will play between Strome, while Aliaksei Protas moves to that top line.

In goal, Logan Thompson and Hunter Shepard worked in both nets, with Charlie Lindgren not skating as he recovers from an upper-body injury he suffered in Friday's loss to the Montreal Canadiens. Lindgren remains on the IR, but Carbery said he’s progressing well and they will see if he can be activated Saturday.

It wasn't the most exciting showdown between the Washington Capitals and Ottawa Senators, but instead, a goalie duel between rising starter Logan Thompson and rookie Leevi Meriläinen. Then, Alex Ovechkin did what he does best: steal the show.

As part of his 20 Fantasy Thoughts, Michael Amato tells you why the time is now to take a chance on Pierre-Luc Dubois

Opening faceoff is at 7 p.m. ET and you can watch it on ESPN+ ( plans start at $11.99/month). Washington (29-10-5, in the Metropolitan Division) last played on Tuesday night and beat visiting Anaheim 3-0 as Logan Thompson stopped all 19 shots. The Capitals are 6-1-3 in their last 10 games.

As we pass the midway point of the 2024-25 NHL regular season, a trending topic in hockey circles is who fans and pundits would give their midseason awards to.