NEWARK, N.J. — T.J. Oshie and Alex Ovechkin scored 33 seconds apart in the second period Saturday to power the Washington Capitals to a 6-2 victory, and a split of a home-and-home series with the New Jersey Devils.
The Devils stunned the Capitals with a 2-1 shootout victory on Thursday in Washington.
This one was all Capitals, with six different players all hitting the net. Brett Connolly, Jay Beagle, Justin Williams and Marcus Johansson also scored as Washington snapped a two-game losing streak.
Backup goalie Philipp Grubauer made 21 saves, improving his record to 6-1-1. Grubauer saw action for the first time in six games as Braden Holtby rested.
Kyle Palmieri and Beau Bennett scored for the Devils, who have only two wins in their last 12 games (2-9-1). Keith Kinkaid stopped 20 and New Jersey wasted nine power plays.
Connolly and Beagle scored on deflections early and late in the first period, putting Washington up 2-0. Connolly, wide open in the slot, took a backhand pass from Andre Burakovsky and tipped the puck past Kinkaid at 2:36. Beagle struck with 58.9 seconds remaining, directing home Brooks Orpik‘s point shot.
Washington was efficient in the opening period, getting the goals on only seven shots. And they gave the Devils plenty of opportunities, getting whistled for four minor penalties.
Even with that advantage, New Jersey mustered only five shots. The Devils also went down a defenceman when John Moore was removed from the ice on a stretcher after being checked into the boards behind the New Jersey net by Washington forward Tom Wilson early in the period.
Palmieri cut the Caps lead to 2-1 with a 3-on-3 goal at 6:53 of the penalty-filled second period. Washington scored the next three to close out the period, and put away the game.
Oshie netted a juicy rebound with Kinkaid sprawled on the ice at 11:05. Then a shot by Matt Niskanen bounced off the end boards and right on to Ovechkin’s stick. The sniper banked the puck off Kinkaid’s leg for an easy tally. Williams upped the Washington lead to 5-1 at 16:34.
In the third, Bennett scored at 14:52 to cut the Washington lead to 5-2 only to see Johansson answer back for the Capitals 35 seconds later.
NOTES: Washington last played New Jersey on New Year’s Eve in 1983, winning 3-2 with Mike Gartner notching the game winner with 46 seconds remaining. … LW Taylor Hall, the Devils second-leading scorer, missed a second straight game with a lower-body injury. The team says he is day to day. The other New Jersey scratches were D Yohann Auvitu and F Pavel Zacha. … The Washington scratches were D Taylor Chorney and LW Jakub Vrana.
UP NEXT
Capitals: Play Ottawa Sunday night to start a three-game homestand.
Devils: Remain at home to host Boston Monday night.
