Ovechkin assists Protas’ first

Alex Ovechkin set up 19-year-old Ilya Protas for his first National Hockey League goal on April 11 as Washington beat Pittsburgh, 6-3. (nhl.com) The goal came in Protas’s second National Hockey League game and capped a three-point afternoon for the rookie, who also had two assists at PPG Paints Arena. (nhl.com) Washington called Protas up from Hershey on April 6 after he put up 62 points in 66 American Hockey League games, including 28 goals and 34 assists. The Capitals said the 6-foot-6 forward led American Hockey League rookies in points at the time of the recall. (nhl.com) Protas was the No. 75 pick in the 2024 National Hockey League draft, and his older brother, Aliaksei Protas, already plays for Washington. The Capitals said the brothers are the second set of siblings drafted by the franchise. (nhl.com) The same April 11 game also mattered in the standings. Washington’s team recap called it a must-win afternoon, and the league recap said the victory kept the Capitals in the Eastern Conference wild-card race. (nhl.com) Ovechkin’s role in the play landed as more than a routine assist because he is 20 seasons into his National Hockey League career and still central to Washington’s offense. The Associated Press noted that April 11 may also have been his final game in Pittsburgh, where fans gave him a standing ovation. (apnews.com) Washington’s own recap framed the day as a youth-driven win: Ryan Leonard scored twice, Cole Hutson and Justin Sourdif also figured in the rookie production, and Protas’s first goal stood out among three rookie goals and eight rookie points. (nhl.com) For Protas, the clip that spread on social carried two firsts at once: his first National Hockey League goal and his first clear connection with one of the league’s oldest stars still shaping games. Washington left Pittsburgh with two points, and Protas left with the puck. (nhl.com)