Alex Ovechkin's 2 Goals Help Capitals Beat Ducks, 5-3
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Alex Ovechkin scored twice in the first period to take over the NHL lead in goals, sending the Washington Capitals to a 5-3 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday.
Ovechkin also set up two goals by Andre Burakovsky. Marcus Johansson got the go-ahead goal at 3:27 of the second period, and Justin Peters made 30 saves in his ninth start of the season.
Braden Holtby, who leads all NHL goalies in games and minutes played, got the night off following Saturday night's 3-1 loss to the Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings.
Andrew Cogliano had two goals and Corey Perry netted his team-high 24th for the two-time defending Pacific Division champion Ducks, who lost left wing Matt Beleskey and defenseman Sami Vatanen in the first period due to undisclosed injuries.
Both of Ovechkin's goals tied the score, the first coming just 16 seconds after Cogliano opened the scoring. Nicklas Backstrom won a faceoff from Ryan Getzlaf deep in the Ducks zone and Ovechkin stopped the puck with his left skate before beating John Gibson with a 35-foot slap shot between the pads at 1:22 of the opening period.
Perry regained the lead for Anaheim at 5:53, beating Peters low to the glove side with a 30-foot wrist shot. Ovechkin responded with one-timer from the top of the left circle that beat Gibson to the glove side. It was the 36th goal for the Capitals' captain, putting him one ahead of Rick Nash of the New York Rangers.
This was the seventh time this season that Ovechkin scored the Capitals' first two goals, and the fifth time in the team's last 14 games. The three-time MVP, who has led the NHL in goals four times during his 10-year career, has 20 in his last 22 games. Ovechkin increased his overall total to 458 in the regular season -- overtaking Detroit Red Wings great Alex Delvecchio for 54th place on the career list.
Johansson gave the Capitals a 3-2 lead they would not relinquish, getting a long tape-to-tape pass on the fly from defenseman Matt Niskanen and beating Gibson low to the stick side with a 25-foot wrist shot.
Another long lead pass by Ovechkin to Burakovsky set up the left wing's eighth goal at 9:04 of the second, and Burakovsky made it 5-3 at 9:48 of the third with his second of the game and ninth of the season at the end of a 2-on-1 break with Ovechkin.
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