Ovechkin scores 3 times in Capitals’ 5-2 win over Devils
WASHINGTON (AP) — Alex Ovechkin took a stick to the face and put three pucks in the net for a hat trick to lead the Washington Capitals past the New Jersey Devils 5-2 on Thursday night.
Ovechkin reached 31 goals this season with his 25th career hat trick. He has scored five in his past two games to reach 689 total, one back of Mario Lemieux for 10th on the NHL’s all-time list as he approaches 700. Mike Gartner is the only other player to reach the 30-goal mark in each of his first 15 seasons.
Carl Hagelin and Jakub Vrana also scored for Washington, which has won two in a row since a 5-1 drubbing at the hands of the Devils five days earlier. Washington rookie Ilya Samsonov stopped 32 of the 34 shots he faced to win his ninth consecutive start.
Ovechkin took an errant high stick from New Jersey’s Miles Wood that made him bleed from the mouth early in the game. Fired up, Ovechkin scored twice on Louis Domingue before the Devils starter exited after the first period with a lower-body injury. The Capitals put up three more on Cory Schneider, who was making his second relief appearance in as many games.
UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) — Chris Kreider scored a power-play goal with 25 seconds left to give the Rangers the victory.
With the Islanders‘ Derick Brassard off for cross-checking earlier in the final minute, Kreider was at the right side of the net and knocked in the rebound of Mika Zibanejad’s shot to give the Rangers their fourth win in five games.
Zibanejad and Tony DeAngelo also scored as the Rangers beat the Islanders for the fourth time in the last five meetings — and second time in four days — after losing 12 of the previous 13 matchups. Alexandar Georgiev stopped 38 shots to improve to 4-1-0 against the Islanders, who faced the Rangers at Nassau Coliseum for the first time in nearly five years.
Josh Bailey and Anthony Beauvillier scored for the Islanders.
BRUINS 4, PENGUINS 1
BOSTON (AP) — Patrice Bergeron scored his 20th goal, Karson Kuhlman and David Pastrnak both had two assists, and the Bruins topped the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Sean Kuraly and Par Lindholm also scored for the Bruins and Brad Marchand added an empty-net goal in the final minute.
Sidney Crosby scored for the Penguins just 24 seconds into the game, but Jaroslav Halak shut out Pittsburgh the rest of the way. Halak made 29 saves as Boston improved to 2-0 against the Penguins and ended Pittsburgh’s four-game winning streak. Crosby was playing for the second time since returning Tuesday after missing 28 games following abdominal surgery.
CANADIENS 4, FLYERS 1
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Ilya Kovalchuk scored twice and Carey Price recorded 40 saves as the Montreal Canadiens avoided a season series sweep.
Tomas Tatar scored his 17th goal of the season and Artturi Lehkonen added his 11th for the Canadiens, who find themselves six points behind Philadelphia for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Joel Farabee broke a 17-game scoreless drought with his fourth goal of the season to give the Flyers a brief lead in the first period. Alex Lyon recorded 36 saves in his first NHL action since starting goaltender Carter Hart was injured earlier in the week.
BLUE JACKETS 3, HURRICANES 2
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Nick Foligno scored the tiebreaking goal with 1:41 left in the game, Elvis Merzlikins had 32 saves and the Blue Jackets edged the Carolina Hurricanes.
Foligno grabbed the loose puck in the slot and fired it past Petr Mrazek’s glove for his first goal in 23 games.
Emil Bemstrom and Cam Atkinson also scored for Columbus, which won its third straight despite failing to generate many offensive chances. They are 5-0-1 in the last six.
Martin Necas and Jordan Staal scored, and Mrazek had 15 saves for the Hurricanes, who lost their second straight.
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Brian Boyle scored the eventual winning goal and Florida held off a late surge to beat Los Angeles.
Mike Matheson, Frank Vatrano and Evgenii Dadonov also scored for the Panthers. Jonathan Huberdeau, who set the franchise points record in last Monday’s 8-4 win over Toronto, recorded an assist on Dadonov’s goal.
Sam Montembeault made 23 saves for the Panthers after entering the game with 9:55 left in the first. Chris Driedger started in goal for the Panthers and made four saves before he injured his right leg.
Anze Kopitar, Adrian Kempe and Alex Iafallo scored goals for the Kings, who have lost six of their last seven games.
FLAMES 2, MAPLE LEAFS 1, SO
TORONTO (AP) — Matthew Tkachuk scored the only goal of the shootout, leading Calgary to the win.
Derek Ryan scored in regulation for the Flames, who got 35 saves from David Rittich through 65 minutes. Rittich stopped Jason Spezza, Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner in the shootout.
William Nylander tied it in the third period for Toronto. Frederik Andersen, who had given up 14 goals over his last four starts, stopped 31 shots. But, Tkachuk beat Andersen between the pads on Calgary’s second attempt of the shootout to win it.
—-
More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
