Ovechkin, Winnik guide Caps to victory
WASHINGTON: Alex Ovechkin recorded his 30th goal of the season and Daniel Winnik scored two goals, including the game-winner late in the third period, as the Washington Capitals overcame listless stretches to beat the lowly Arizona Coyotes 4-1 on Saturday night.
Ovechkin became the third player in league history to score 30-plus goals in each of his first 12 seasons, joining Mike Gartner (15) and Wayne Gretzky (13).
Winnik scored with 4:39 minutes remaining, Justin Williams added another goal not long after and Winnik sealed the Capitals’ fourth consecutive victory with an empty-netter.
Braden Holtby made 28 saves for Washington, who have won five of six to reach an NHL-leading 106 points and keep pace atop the competitive Metropolitan Division. The Capitals are three points up on the Columbus Blue Jackets and Pittsburgh Penguins.
Mike Smith stopped 29 of the 32 shots he faced and Peter Holland scored the lone goal for Arizona.
In Edmonton, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Drake Caggiula each had a goal and an assist and the Edmonton Oilers moved into a three-way tie atop the Pacific Division with a 4-1 victory over the Colorado Avalanche.
Benoit Pouliot and Leon Draisaitl also scored for the Oilers, who have won six of their last seven games and are now tied with San Jose and Anaheim at 91 points.
In New York, Riley Nash scored twice and back-up goalie Anton Khudobin made 18 saves as the Boston Bruins beat the New York Islanders 2-1, snapping a four-game losing streak.
Andrei Markov scored two goals and set up another as the Montreal Canadiens beat the Ottawa Senators 3-1 at home to retain first place in the Atlantic Division.
Shea Weber also scored for Montreal, who lead Ottawa by three points, although the Senators have a game in hand.
In Sunrise, Jonathan Marchessault scored his first career hat-trick while James Reimer stopped 25 shots for his first shutout of the season to help the Florida Panthers rout the Chicago Blackhawks 7-0.
Jack Eichel scored twice and set up another goal in front of the home crowd in the Buffalo Sabres’ 3-2 win that slowed the youth-laden Toronto Maple Leafs’ late-season surge to clinch a playoff berth.
In Columbus, Sergei Bobrovsky made 36 saves in his seventh shut-out of the season, helping the Columbus Blue Jackets edge the visiting Philadelphia Flyers 1-0.
Bobrovsky was terrific in his NHL-leading 40th win, and Alexander Wennberg tipped in the game’s only goal in the second period.