Ovechkin, Capitals defeat Rangers
Star scores twice, Washington wins seventh straight
Alex Ovechkin scored twice in the final seven minutes to continue his goal streak and rally the Washington Capitals to a 2-1 victory against the New York Rangers on Friday night for their seventh win in a row.
Ovechkin tied it on a rebound with 6:42 left and put the Capitals ahead on a nearly identical play with 3:33 remaining. He has scored in five consecutive games and has seven goals in the past seven.
Washington’s longtime captain now leads the team with 14 goals. After moving into sole possession of sixth place on the NHL career goals list earlier in the week, Ovechkin’s goals against the Rangers were Nos. 719 and 720, moving him closer to Marcel Dionne in fifth.
Ovechkin’s late-game heroics kept the Capitals winning streak alive after a lackluster first 50 minutes. They had only 12 shots on net before the play that led to his tying goal, and New York was cruising toward a second consecutive shutout victory.
Instead, Vitek Vanecek could celebrate his 13th victory of the season after stopping 32 shots. New York’s only goal came on the power play when Artemi Panarin scored his eighth of the season.
Flames 4, Maple Leafs 3: Mark Giordano broke a tie midway through the second period, Jacob Markstrom made 24 saves and Calgary beat slumping Toronto.
Canucks 3, Canadiens 2 (OT): J.T. Miller scored at 2:01 of overtime to give Vancouver their fourth straight victory.
Notes: The Pittsburgh Penguins say center Evgeni Malkin is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury . ... The New York Islanders have agreed to terms with forward Anatolii Golyshev on a one-year, two-way deal for the 2020-21 season . ... The New Jersey Devils have signed defenseman Michael Vukojevic to a three-year, entry-level contract starting next season.