Ovechkin helps Caps blank Leafs
WASHINGTON: Alex Ovechkin scored his 40th and 41st goals of the season and added an assist, and Braden Holtby made 32 saves as the Washington Capitals ended a threegame losing streak with a 4-0 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday.
Ovechkin struck just 33 seconds into the game and added a second-period score as he surpassed the 40-goal mark for the seventh time.
Marcus Johansson and Joel Ward (empty net) added third-period goals for Washington, and Holtby picked up his seventh shutout and 30th win of the season.
Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin scored twice and added an assist as the Penguins revived power play dominated the Columbus Blue Jackets in a 5-3 win.
David Perron, Steve Downie and Derrick Pouliot also scored for the Penguins, who have won four straight. Sidney Crosby picked up two assists and Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 22 shots as Pittsburgh sent the Blue Jackets to their sixth straight defeat.
Curtis McElhinney made 36 saves for the Blue Jackets. James Wisniewski, Ryan Johansen and Nick Foligno scored for the Blue Jackets.
In Sunrise, Florida, Jaromir Jagr had a goal and an assist as the Panthers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3.
The Winnipeg Jets downed the Sacramento Kings 5-2 to boost their play-off hopes after Andrew Ladd scored twice.
In other games, Clayton Stoner scored the go-ahead goal in the third period with his first of the season as the Anaheim Ducks beat the Dallas Stars 3-1, and Nick Bonino, Radim Vrbata and Chris Higgins scored in the shootout as the Vancouver Canucks recovered from blowing a three-goal lead for a 6-5 win over the St Louis Blues.