Ovechkin scores twice, moves into 8th on NHL’s goal list

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Alex Ovechkin scored two goals and moved into eight place on the NHL’s career goals list, leading the Washington Capitals to a 5-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Friday night.

Ovechkin’s second-period goal, his 36th of the season and the 694th of his career, tied him with Mark Messier on the goals list. He added an empty-net goal with seconds remaining and moved into the eighth spot.

TJ Oshie, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Carl Hagelin also scored for the Capitals.

Ilya Samsonov made 25 stops and won his 11th straight decision for Washington. Marcus Hogberg stopped 27 shots in a losing effort for Ottawa.

Chris Tierney, Thomas Chabot and Artem Anisimov scored for the Senators.

Oshie opened the scoring for the Capitals, collecting his 19th goal of the season four minutes into the game. Kuznetsov banged home a loose puck seven minutes later to make it 2-0.

The Senators got on the board after Tierney scored short-handed at 7:15 of the second period, cutting Washington’s lead to 2-1. Tierney’s 10th goal of the season was the Senators’ 12th short-handed goal of the season, which leads the NHL, and their fourth in the last three games.

Ovechkin ripped a shot from the right circle over the blocker of Hogberg at 10:27 of the second period to make it 3-1.

Barely a minute after Ovechkin’s first goal of the game the Senators answered, as Chabot unloaded a slap shot from just inside the blue line that pulled Ottawa within one.

After being outshot 16-5 in the first period, the Senators responded with 17 shots in the second, but they couldn’t keep up with the Capitals’ firepower.

Just three minutes into the final period, a wrist shot by Hagelin zipped past the glove of Hogberg to make it 4-2. Hagelin’s fourth of the season came short-handed.

Anisimov scored on the power play, pulling the Senators to within one just over a minute later, but the late push wasn’t enough.

NOTES: Ovechkin, who received a hearty ovation from the Ottawa crowd after his goal, is 13 goals behind Mike Gartner for seventh on the NHL’s career list. His 695 goals have come in 1,135 career games.

UP NEXT

Capitals: Host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday.

Senators: At Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday.