Vrana seals comeback Win, Ovechkin nets second straight Hat Trick, as Capitals continue to roll (12-14-18)

By: Ryan Fowler

Headline Graphic Credit: Darrell Owens-LMS Network

RALEIGH- Alex Ovechkin scored a hat trick to extend his point streak to 13 games, and the Washington Capitals defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 6-5 in a shootout at PNC Arena on Friday.

Nic Dowd and John Carlson each had three assists for the Capitals (19-9-3), who trailed by three but won their fourth in a row. Jakub Vrana scored in the sixth round to decide the shootout after Washington killed a penalty in overtime.

“Major credit to our guys for sticking with it and battling through and converting on the chances we got,” Washington coach Todd Reirden said. “It was a big two points for us in not a perfect way.”

It was Ovechkin’s 22nd NHL hat trick and second in two games, including against the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday. His point streak (16 goals, six assists) tied his longest in the NHL.

Ovechkin had hat tricks in the first two games of last season; three goals against the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 5, 2017 and four goals against the Montreal Canadiens two days later. 

“I just try to do my job,” Ovechkin said. “Everybody wants to score goals. In this league, it’s hard to do that. I’m lucky I play with pretty good players who set me up, and I just have to do my job.”

Sebastian Aho had two goals and two assists for the Hurricanes (13-13-5), who have lost three in a row and are 1-4-2 in their past seven games.

Ovechkin’s third goal gave the Capitals a 5-4 lead at 9:49 of the third period on a power-play one-timer, but Justin Williams scored on a Hurricanes power play after an errant clearing pass by Braden Holtby to make it 5-5 at 13:48.

TWIZZLING THE TWINE

Jordan Martinook gave the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead 47 seconds into the first period on a wraparound at the left post.

Ovechkin’s one-timer from the left face-off circle tied it 1-1 at 3:56. Jonas Seigenthaler set up Ovechkin for his first NHL point in his sixth game.

“It takes a weight off everyone else,” Nick Dowd said of Ovechkin. “If you’ve got one player who scores six goals in two games, that’s more than some of us have in a whole season. He’s just a threat from everywhere. That first goal, he shot it from pretty far out. It gets our team going.”

Aho scored on a shorthanded breakaway to put Carolina ahead 2-1 at 13:18 of the first and on a power-play one-timer from the right circle to make it 3-1 at 4:39 of the second. Teuvo Teravainen‘s power-play wrist shot put Carolina up 4-1 at 6:41.

Tom Wilson got Washington within 4-2 at 12:37 on the rebound of Evgeny Kuznetzov’sshot. Ovechkin’s short-side wrist shot made it 4-3 with 2:35 remaining, and Travis Boydredirected John Carlson’s shot with 1:41 left to tie it 4-4.

“I got left all alone in front and John gave me a puck I could tip,” Boyd said. “Luckily it worked out.”

Carolina lost 6-4 at the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.

“The guys know they threw [this] one away in the second with the turnovers,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “We let them get back in it. I like that we didn’t just cave in because that could have been really devastating.”

Holtby allowed only a fourth-round goal to Dougie Hamilton in the shootout. On the game-tying goal, Holtby’s clearing attempt from the end boards hit his net and deflected to Williams.

“It was a game where I really didn’t feel that horrible,” Holtby said. “I thought I was seeing things well, especially as the periods went on. The shootout is something we’ve worked at. I’ve felt pretty comfortable all year. I was just trying to battle as hard as I could to give us a chance to make up for my error.”

 POWER PLAY

Ovechkin also had a 13-game point streak from Dec. 30, 2006-Feb. 1, 2007. He has 88 points (39 goals, 49 assists) in 74 games against Carolina…He also became the 14th player in NHL history to score a hat trick in consecutive games on multiple occasions in his career…The Capitals have a point in 15 of the past 20 games against the Hurricanes (14-5-1)…Washington has scored at least three goals in 13 straight games. … Aho has seven points (four goals, three assists) in a four-game point streak…The Hurricanes scored three power-play goals for the first time this season.

UP NEXT

Capitals: Host the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday.

Hurricanes: Host the Arizona Coyotes on Sunday.

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