Alex Ovechkin scored a milestone goal, yet found the points for a Washington Capitals victory far more important.
Ovechkin on Thursday scored the 650th goal of his career and Braden Holtby made 40 saves as the Capitals defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2.
“[Holtby] was unstoppable,” said Ovechkin, the 14th player in NHL history to reach 650 goals. “He makes tremendous saves and keeps us in the game.”
Photo: John E. Sokolowski-USA Today
Tom Wilson had a goal and an assist, while Brett Connolly also scored for Washington, who won consecutive games for the first time in two weeks. Lars Eller added two assists.
“Every point is very important,” Ovechkin said. “Especially on the road, if you get a win or get a point it’s a very good result.”
Andreas Johnsson and John Tavares scored for Toronto. Frederik Andersen made 25 stops.
“We didn’t get the result, but we had a lot of pucks on net,” Tavares said. “We did some good things, but I think at times we didn’t sustain some of the momentum that we would like. You’re playing a pretty good hockey team, but we’ve got to find a way to get a result, find a way to get to another level.”
The Leafs, who were playing at home for the first time since Feb. 6 following a six-game trip that ended with a 3-2-1 record, entered 7-2-2 over their past 11, but had also dropped two straight.
Menwhile, the Capitals were 6-3-1 over their previous 10 after a 0-5-2 stretch that culminated with a 6-3 loss at Scotiabank Arena on Jan. 23.
Ovechkin scored at 3 minutes, 54 seconds of the second period when he beat Andersen with Toronto defenseman Morgan Rielly in the penalty box for holding.
T.J. Oshie won a faceoff back to John Carlson, who quickly fed Ovechkin for a one-timer that flew past Andersen’s glove for his 43rd goal of the season.
“His numbers, his play speak for itself,” Tavares said. “You look where he scored from tonight — that’s not that close to the net. His ability to get pucks off [with] very little room and being as accurate as he is ... there’s no bigger threat over the last 10, 20 years on the power play. Any time he’s got the puck in the offensive zone, you know it’s got a chance.”
Also on Thursday, it was:
‧ Lightning 2, Sabres 1
‧ Sharks 4, Penguins 0
‧ Hurricanes 4, Panthers 3
‧ Devils 4, Senators 0
‧ Wild 4, Rangers 1
‧ Canadiens 5, Flyers 1
‧ Predators 2, Kings 1
‧ Stars 5, Blues 2
‧ Oilers 4, Islanders 3, OT
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