UNDATED (AP) — Alex Ovechkin scored his 767th goal to pass Jaromir Jagr for third on the NHL career list in the Washington Capitals’ 4-3 shootout victory against the New York Islanders.
Ovechkin’s goal with 4:58 left in the third period gave the Capitals the lead and made him the top European goal-scorer in league history. The longtime Russian captain was surrounded by teammates and given a standing ovation by the crowd in the U.S capital that has cheered Ovechkin for almost two decades.
Fans left happy after Anthony Mantha scored the shootout winner to extend the Capitals’ winning streak to two and make them 5-0-1 in their past six games.
Elsewhere in NHL action:
— Erik Kallgren made 35 saves to earn a shutout in his first NHL start as the Toronto Maple Leafs blanked the Dallas Stars 4-0. John Tavares had a goal and an assist for Toronto. Rasmus Sandin and Ondrej Kase also scored, while Mitch Marner and Morgan Rielly had two assists apiece. Ilya Mikheyev added an empty-net goal. Jake Oettinger stopped 36 shots for Dallas. Toronto was minus NHL goals leader Auston Matthews after he was suspended two games for a cross-check to the neck of Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin in Sunday’s 5-2 loss to Buffalo at the outdoor Heritage Classic.
— Matt Grzelcyk scored at 1:40 of overtime and the surging Boston Bruins beat the Chicago Blackhawks 2-1. After taking a cross-ice feed from Taylor Hall, Grzelcyk whipped a shot past goalie Marc-Andre Fleury to end it on Boston’s 48th shot of the game. Hall had two assists as Boston won its third straight to start a four-game trip and improved to 10-1-1 in its last 12 overall. Fleury sparkled in net, making 46 saves to keep the Blackhawks in it as the Bruins dominated play.
— The Arizona Coyotes ended a five-game East Coast swing with an emphatic 6-3 win over the Montreal Canadiens. Barrett Hayton, Anton Stralman, Nick Ritchie, Lawson Crouse, Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz scored for Arizona. Karel Vejmelka gave up three goals on 39 shots. The Coyotes ended their travels with four wins in five games. Cole Caufield made things interesting with two goals in the span of eight seconds for Montreal. Samuel Montembeault was pulled after allowing four goals on seven shots in the first period.
— Adam Fox scored 55 seconds into overtime and the New York Rangers beat the Anaheim Ducks 4-3. Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad and Jonny Brodzinski also scored for the Rangers, who have won five of seven. Artemi Panarin had three assists and Fox added two to help New York improve to 12-2-1 in its last 15 home games. Alexandar Georgiev made 20 saves.
— Juuse Saros made 35 saves to lead the Nashville Predators to a 4-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Mattias Ekholm, Tanner Jeannot, Eeli Tolvanen and Yakov Trenin scored for the Predators, who have won five of six. Roman Josi and Colton Sissons each had two assists. Jake Guentzel had the lone goal and Casey DeSmith stopped 21 shots for Pittsburgh, which won its previous two games.
— Darcy Kuemper made 23 saves for his second straight shutout, Valeri Nichushkin and J.T. Compher scored on the power play, and the Colorado Avalanche defeated the Los Angeles Kings 3-0. Mikko Rantanen had a goal and an assist, and the Avalanche continued their push for a second straight Presidents’ Trophy by becoming the first team this season to pass the 90-point mark.
— Evander Kane had a pair of goals and the Edmonton Oilers ended up with a 7-5 victory over the Detroit Red Wings after having an early 3-0 advantage. Devin Shore, Connor McDavid, Zach Hyman, Kailer Yamamoto and Warren Foegele also scored for the Oilers, who have won three straight as they try to solidify their playoff position. Marc Staal had a pair of goals and Sam Gagner, Filip Zadina and Lucas Raymond also scored for the Red Wings, who’ve lost six straight.
— Kyle Connor extended his goal-scoring streak to five games, and the Winnipeg Jets downed the Vegas Golden Knights 7-3. Connor added a pair of assists to go with his 38th goal of the season. Blake Wheeler, Mark Scheifele, Logan Stanley and Josh Morrissey each had a goal and an assist, and Nikolaj Ehlers and Adam Lowry also scored for the Jets. Connor Hellebuyck made 35 saves for Winnipeg, which is 6-2-1 in its last nine games.
— Frank Vatrano tied the game early in the third period and scored the winner 1:11 into overtime to lead the Florida Panthers past the San Jose Sharks 3-2 for their sixth victory in seven games. Vatrano beat goalie James Reimer with a slapshot from the high slot to give the Panthers their seventh win this season when trailing after two periods.
— Bo Horvat had two goals and an assist to lead the Vancouver Canucks past the New Jersey Devils 6-3. Tanner Pearson added a goal and an assist for the Canucks. Brad Hunt, Nils Hoglander and Juho Lahmmikko also scored, and J.T. Miller had three assists to extend his point streak to 13 games. Jack Hughes had a goal and an assist for the Devils. Thatcher Demko made 32 saves for Vancouver. Nico Daws stopped 17 of 21 shots for the Devils before being pulled midway through the second period. John Gillies made eight saves in relief.
