Ovechkin, Samsonov Lead Capitals Over Hurricanes 2-0
WASHINGTON (AP) — Alex Ovechkin scored two first-period goals and Ilya Samsonov stopped 23 shots for his first career shutout as the Washington Capitals beat the Carolina Hurricanes 2-0 on Monday night.
The win broke the Capitals' two-game skid and the Hurricanes' three-game winning streak. Carolina posted shutouts in its previous two games.
Samsonov improved to 13-2-1. He's won eight straight games and hasn't lost since Nov. 15.
Petr Mrazek made 28 saves for the Hurricanes.
The first goal was the 685th for Ovechkin, moving him past Teemu Selanne for 11th place on the NHL's career list. It came at 11:58 of the first period.
Ovechkin's second goal at 17:01 was his 28th of the season and gave him seven multi-goal games in 2019-20. He needs four goals to tie Mario Lemieux for 10th place with 690.
Washington led after one period for the first time in the last 14 games.
The Capitals had a chance to increase their lead when they had a two-man advantage for 45 seconds in the third period, but couldn't score.
It was the first shutout of the season for Washington.
NOTES: Carolina forward Justin Williams, signed as a free agent on Jan. 7, did not dress but participated in the morning skate. ... Hurricanes D Jacob Slavin played in his 349th consecutive game, tying Eric Staal for the second-longest streak in franchise history. ... Capitals forward Tom Wilson played in his 500th career game. He assisted on Ovechkin's first goal. ... Ovechkin has 139 multi-goal games in his career. ... Selanne sent a congratulatory video message to Ovechkin that was played on the video board.
UP NEXT
Hurricanes: Visit the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday.
Capitals: Host the New Jersey Devils on Thursday.
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