Capitals’ Ovechkin joins elite vs. Flyers
Matt Niskanen scored a goal that wowed the Washington Capitals’ bench, and Alex Ovechkin scored an atypical goal that put him in elite company in hockey history.
Behind a highlight-reel goal from Niskanen and Ovechkin’s 30th of the season, the Capitals beat the visiting Philadelphia Flyers, 3-2, in their traditional Super Bowl Sunday matchup.
Ovechkin joined Wayne Gretzky and Mike Gartner as the only players in NHL history to score 30 or more goals in his first 11 seasons.
“It’s not surprising, and he’s going to probably do it another time or two before he’s done,” coach Barry Trotz said. “Consistency, that’s a part of greatness.”
Ovechkin deflected Karl Alzner’s point shot with his stick in front of Flyers goaltender Steve Mason for his 30th in his 49th game of the season.
“You just have to do what you have to do,” Ovechkin said. “It was not pretty goal, but it was a really important goal for us. I’ll take it.”
The NHL-leading Capitals will take whatever offense they can get as they’re mired in a season-worst 0-for-17 power-play drought.
Goaltender Braden Holtby was a big part of that as he made eight of his 33 saves on the penalty-kill.
“They have a very strong power play, so we knew coming in that success on our PK was going to have to be good, and it was,” Holtby said.
Five minutes into the third, Niskanen went end to end, carving through Flyers defenders Michael Del Zotto and Shayne Gostisbehere before beating Mason short side.
“It’s like back to the [1970s], you know?” Ovechkin said with a big grin. “Bobby Orr, all those guys. It’s your puck. Do his job and score goal.”
Niskanen shrugged off the comparison to Orr, saying: “I don’t have many moves, so that was an accident.”
Other games
Canadiens 2, Hurricanes
1: Sven Andrighetto was the only player to score in a fiveround shootout, leading host Montreal past Carolina. Goalie Ben Scrivens stopped all five Carolina shooters.
Islanders 8, Oilers 1: Kyle Okposo scored a hat trick after the Islanders opened a commanding early lead with three first-period goals as host New York routed lastplace Edmonton.