Ovechkin nets brace in Capitals’ win

Washington Capitals defenseman Zdeno Chara celebrates with left wing Alex Ovechkin (right) after the game against the New Jersey Devils at Capital One Arena. (USA TODAY Sports)

Alex Ovechkin scored two more goals to continue his surge and the red-hot Washington Capitals cruised to a 4-0 victory over the visiting New Jersey Devils on Friday. Ovechkin scored his 722nd goal early in the first period and his 723rd career goal late in the third to move within eight of Marcel Dionne for fifth on the all-time list. His two-goal night gave him 10 goals in his past 10 games as the Capitals improved to 9-1-0 over their past 10 contests and beat the Devils for the sixth time in as many meetings this season. Nicklas Backstrom scored in the first period for the Capitals, who are on a 14-2-1 tear since a 4-1 home loss to the New York Rangers on Feb. 20. Connor Sheary added a goal and an assist while Tom Wilson and Evgeny Kuznetsov collected two assists apiece in Washington’s second shutout of the season. Washington goaltender Ilya Samsonov made 24 saves and notched his second career shutout. The Devils dropped their second straight after winning four of their previous five games. New Jersey was blanked for the first time this season. New Jersey goaltender Scott Wedgewood allowed four goals on 31 shots. Ovechkin scored his first goal 5:58 into the contest, about three minutes after Jakub Vrana hit the post on a breakaway. He opened the scoring with a wrist shot from the right circle off a cross-ice feed from Kuznetsov, who got the puck after Ovechkin left a drop pass for him. Washington doubled the lead after the Devils were unable to clear the puck from the defensive zone when Backstrom lifted Wilson’s cross-ice feed over Wedgewood’s right pad at 11:50 of the first. The Capitals opened a three-goal lead 7:13 into the third period following a turnover by New Jersey’s Mikhail Maltsev at his own blue line.  Maltsev made an errant pass that was intercepted by Wilson, and the puck quickly moved to Sheary, who skated in and scored on a wrist shot from the left circle. Ovechkin finished it with 3:32 remaining by firing a one-timer from the left circle past Wedgewood. Ducks end skid, upend Blues 4-1 John Gibson made 33 saves and the visiting Anaheim Ducks defeated the St. Louis Blues 4-1 Friday night for their first regulation victory since Feb. 11. Sam Steel, Max Jones, Derek Grant and Rickard Rakell scored as the Ducks beat the Blues for the first time in five tries this season. This was just Anaheim’s second victory in their last nine games overall and it snapped a three-game losing streak. Gibson earned the victory in his first game since March 12. He had been sidelined with a lower-body issue. Ryan O’Reilly scored for the Blues, who have lost their last three games by the combined score of 11-2. Jordan Binnington played goal on back-to-back nights for the first time this season. He made 20 saves against the Ducks after suffering a 2-0 loss to the Minnesota Wild in St. Paul on Thursday night. During the scoreless first period, the Ducks lost defenseman Jamie Drysdale to injury. Drysdale, the sixth overall pick in the 2020 draft, fell back awkwardly into the boards as Blues forward Jacob de la Rose landed a body check. The Ducks struck at the 2:23 mark of the second period as the Blues allowed the game’s first goal for the eighth time in a row. Jakob Silfverberg fired the puck into the crease from the right corner and the puck caromed off Steel’s skate into the net. Blues winger Vladimir Tarasenko nearly tied the game later in the period, but Gibson threw his legs into the air and made an improbable skate save. Jones put the Ducks up 2-0 by capitalising on a turnover by Blues defenseman Torey Krug in the right corner. He deked Binnington, then reached the puck around him with 53 seconds left in the period. With the Blues playing 6-on-5 during a delayed penalty call on the Ducks, O’Reilly scored from the low slot to cut the lead to 2-1 with 9:10 left to play. But Gibson made two spectacular saves on Blues defenseman Robert Bortuzzo to protect the lead. Grant and Rakell scored empty-net goals to seal the victory.