WASHINGTON (AP) — Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov scored on the power play, Vitek Vanecek stopped all 36 shots he faced and the Washington Capitals snapped a three-game losing streak by beating the Eastern Conference-leading Carolina Hurricanes 4-0 Thursday night.
Ovechkin scored his 33rd goal of the season and his 763rd in the NHL to move three back of Jaromir Jagr for third place on the career list. Amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine ordered by the president he has long supported, Ovechkin — the face of the hockey franchise in the U.S. capital and a Stanley Cup champion — was serenaded with familiar chants of “Ovi! Ovi!” after his latest goal.
The longtime captain’s goal and another one by countryman Dmitry Orlov late in the third period after a power play expired put an exclamation point on Washington’s first home victory since Jan. 22 and first in regulation since Dec. 29. Martin Fehervary also scored for the Capitals, who had lost six in a row at home as part of a slump that included defeats in 14 of their first 22 games in 2022.
Carolina has lost two in a row and had its point streak snapped at seven games.
The Associated Press
