Ovechkin scores twice, Caps win
Alex Ovechkin and Connor McMichael each scored twice, and the host Washington Capitals beat the New Jersey Devils 6-2, boosting their slim playoff chances and dealing their division rivals a tough blow in their pursuit.
Ovechkin's goals give him 838 in his NHL career. He has 16 this season, with eight of them coming over the past eight games to reignite talk of him breaking Wayne Gretzky's record of 894.
Washington's offensive outburst came at a bad time for the Devils, who remain four points back of the second and final wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Capitals are two points back of New Jersey.
PANTHERS 3, SENATORS 2 (OT) >> Anton Lundell scored 1:36 into overtime and host Florida beat Ottawa to jump over the idle Boston Bruins and into the top spot in the Eastern Conference with 78 points to Boston's 77. The Panthers have won six straight games.
Thomas Chabot and Tim Stutzle scored for the Senators.
The Capitals' Alex Ovechkin, left, celebrates one of his two third-period goals in Tuesday's victory over the Devils.
host Colorado beat NHL-leading Vancouver. J.T. Miller had a goal for a Canucks team that's dropped three in a row for the first time this season.
ISLANDERS 5, PENGUINS 4 (OT) >> Adam Pelech beat Alex Nedeljkovic 57 seconds into overtime to lift visiting New York past skidding Pittsburgh, which is 1-4-1 in its past six games. The Penguins' Erik Karlsson had an assist to become the 19th defenseman in NHL history to reach 800 career points.
PREDATORS 5, GOLDEN KNIGHTS 3 >> Luke Evangelista, Cody Glass, Tommy Novak and Cole Smith scored for visiting Nashville for a 4-1 lead after two periods. Michael Amadio's goal at 17:01 of the third brought Vegas within a goal, but Nashville got an emptynetter by Gustav Nyquist at 18:11.
RED WINGS SIGN RASMUSSSEN TO EXTENSION >> The Detroit Red Wings have signed forward Michael Rasmussen to a four-year, $12.8 million contract extension.