Hendrix Lapierre drives five-on-five dominance as Capitals tame Kraken

The 23 year old did not record a point, but he tilted the rink. With Lapierre on the ice at five on five, Washington led shot attempts 20 to 5 and scoring chances 10 to 0, a thunderclap of territorial control.

Those numbers came without shelter. He started 10 of 13 shifts outside the offensive zone, yet still posted a 95.36 percent expected goals share and logged three individual attempts, including a high danger look.

Lapierre lined up on the left of Connor McMichael with Tom Wilson on the right, and the trio found pace. They hunted the dot lane, supported low, and forced Seattle into flips instead of carries.

The coach saw what we did. Spencer Carbery praised the group for having the puck more and building confidence as the game settled, a nod to process over box score noise after a measured 10:47 time on ice.

The wrinkle was the third period. After an early penalty and a Kraken push, Carbery shortened the bench, leaving Lapierre with two shifts in the frame despite his sparkling five on five card.

As a fan, this resonates because it rewards the boring habits that were missing last year, clean exits, inside routes, and first touch support that turns clears into minutes.

The game context helps. Washington controlled the night 4 1, with Nic Dowd jumpstarting things and Logan Thompson steady, which let the staff lean into matchups and trust the second line's territorial wins.

Tactically, Lapierre's best work arrived on entries and retrievals. He delayed just enough to hit late help, then cut back to protect pucks, which created low to high looks and extended cycles against Seattle's second pair.

Carbery's quote also hints at runway. If Pierre Luc Dubois returns Friday, the staff must decide whether to keep this trio intact or reshuffle, and Lapierre's five on five domination argues for another audition.

The takeaway is simple. You can chase points, or you can stack correct plays until points arrive, and Tuesday looked like a blueprint for Lapierre to stick when the roster gets healthy.