Tom Wilson has played some of the best hockey of his career this season, and he wasted no time getting back to it after the 4 Nations Face-Off break. Hitting the ice for the Capitals' first game in nearly two weeks, Wilson, 30, set a new career high when he potted his 25th goal of the season against the Pittsburgh Penguins Saturday afternoon.
Wilson's previous career record came in 2021-22, when he scored 24 goals in 78 games -- he's now beat that mark with 26 games to go and is on pace for 37 goals on the season.
The milestone goal capped off a dominant second period that saw Washington strike five times against its biggest rival. After the Penguins pulled goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic in favor of Joel Blomqvist, Wilson struck first against the new netminder with just over two minutes to go before intermission, tipping a shot from Martin Fehervary.
With 25 goals, Wilson ranks just one goal behind Alex Ovechkin for the Capitals' lead, and has tied Nikita Kucherov, Rickard Rakell, Adrian Kempe, and Alex DeBrincat for 14th place in the NHL.
Wilson's milestone earned a shoutout at the end of Spencer Carbery's postgame locker room speech as he handed over the goal puck.
"And one more thing, career high in goals, Mr. Tom Wilson," Carbery said to a chorus of cheers, before Wilson's teammates demanded he give a speech of his own.
"Thanks boys," Wilson said. "Let's keep it going."
Per Capitals' PR, Wilson now has a five-game goal streak in games played at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, and his 13 career goals against the Penguins tie the Buffalo Sabres for the most he has scored against a single team.
Wilson's afternoon turned sour later in the game, when a cross check from Penguins defenseman Ryan Graves sent him down the tunnel halfway through the third period. He did not return for the remainder of the night.