Tuch Scores Twice in Capitals’ 5-2 Debut Win

Alex Tuch scored twice in the first period of his Capitals debut as Washington beat Carolina 5-2 on Oct. 2, 2026, at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, N.C. Dubois stripped Bussi behind the net and fed Tuch for a wrist shot at 6:33, with Ovechkin assisting. Hutson scored on a snap shot at 11:33. Tuch added a backhander at 14:23 after a Wilson shot squeezed through Bussi. Chychrun scored on the power play at 1:36 of the second to make it 4-0. Aho got Carolina’s first goal of the season on a power play with 3:10 left in the second, and Leonard restored the four-goal lead eight seconds later off a Strome feed. Stankoven scored midway through the third. Thompson made 31 saves; Bussi made 22. Carolina had lost 1-0 in overtime to Florida on Tuesday. No facts are contested. Rated coverage came from one left outlet and none on the right, a sourcing gap rather than a split. Heavy foregrounded Tuch matching Ovechkin history with multiple goals in his Capitals debut, a feat also achieved by Bellows and Grabovski.