Caps take anger out on Oilers
WASHINGTON Angry and determined to find some consistency, the defending Stanley Cup champion Capitals got contributions from unlikely sources to snap their two-game skid.
The new-look fourth line scored twice in the first six minutes, backup goaltender Pheonix Copley made 31 saves and Washington beat the Edmonton Oilers 4-2 on Monday night. Alex Ovechkin scored on the power play to continue his climb up the career list, T.J. Oshie had the winner, but the Capitals essentially won the game on quick goals by Jakub Vrana and Devante Smith-Pelly that the Oilers couldn’t recover from.
“We needed that win and we knew they have a pretty good team,” Ovechkin said. “I think tonight the (fourth) line set the tone. Two shifts, two goals, it’s pretty big.”
Vrana scored 2:44 into his first shift after coach Todd Reirden demoted him to the fourth line following a turnover in a mistakefilled overtime loss to Dallas on Saturday. Travis Boyd assisted on each of the first two goals in his season debut as the Capitals came out flying and jumped all over Cam Talbot and the Oilers.
“They got two quick goals on a couple turnovers,” said Talbot, who allowed four goals on 23 shots in his first start since Oct. 30. “That’s just kind of the way that team can go. They don’t need a lot of chances or a lot of shots, but when they get them, they’ve got some good shooters on that team that can put them in.”
Oilers captain Connor McDavid extended his point streak to eight games with his 10th goal of the season. Leon Draisaitl scored for Edmonton, which lost for just the second time in seven games.
DEVILS 5, PENGUINS 1
PITTSBURGH — Brian Boyle scored three times for his first career hat trick, and the New Jersey Devils beat the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Boyle got his natural hat trick on “Hockey Fights Cancer” night in Pittsburgh. It included two power-play goals and two redirections in front of the net. The 33-year-old Boyle was diagnosed with a form of bone marrow cancer at the beginning of training camp last season. He underwent treatment, returned to the lineup last November and won the NHL’s Masterton Trophy, best exemplifying qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.
BRUINS 2, STARS 1, OT
BOSTON — Brad Marchand scored a powerplay goal 4:29 into overtime, lifting the Bruins to the victory.
David Pastrnak also scored on the power play for Boston, which had lost two of three.
Radek Faksa had a shorthanded goal for the Stars.
CANADIENS 4, ISLANDERS 3, SO
NEW YORK — Joel Armia scored in the fifth round of the shootout to send Montreal to the road win. The Canadiens rallied from two goals down to win for the fifth time in the last six meetings with the Islanders. Max Domi and Jonathan Drouin each had a goal and an assist, Artturi Lehkonen also scored.
Antti Niemi made 21 saves before stopping all five of New York’s attempts in the shootout.
Casey Cizikas scored twice and Valtteri Filppula also had a goal for the Islanders. Thomas Greiss stopped 32 shots and the first four skaters in the tiebreaker.
FLYERS 5, COYOTES 2
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Claude Giroux had two goals and an assist, Calvin Pickard stopped 35 shots and Philadelphia ended Arizona’s fivegame winning streak.