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 Ovechkin, the NHL's leading goal-scorer, scored three times in the
second period of the Washington Capitals' 4-3 win over the Minnesota
Wild on Thursday.
Goaltender Braden Holtby made 33 saves and left winger Jason Chimera
scored an empty-net goal in the final minute for Washington, which
won its fifth consecutive game and became the first 40-game winner
in the NHL this season, improving to 40-9-4.
"It's how fast he gets it off and he can place it," Capitals coach
Barry Trotz said in praise of Ovechkin, who now has 34 goals. "A lot
of times in those close areas, you've got to elevate the puck, and
he's got the ability to elevate it in real tight areas. It's hard
for goaltenders to read it off the stick. He's really good."
The hard-luck Wild got goals from centers Charlie Coyle and Mikael
Granlund and defenseman Ryan Suter, but they could not find a way
out of the slump that has plagued them for a month. Goalie Devan
Dubnyk had 29 saves for Minnesota (23-21-10).
Washington led 3-1 in the third period when Suter's shot from the
blue line found its way through a crowd and hit the upper right
corner of the net, giving Minnesota some hope.
Chimera's empty-netter made it 4-2 before Granlund scored with 3.6
seconds left for the final margin. The latest loss puts the Wild at
1-10-2 in their last 13 games, leading to speculation that coach
Mike Yeo could be fired in the coming days.
"There will never be a time where I start feeling sorry for myself
or for our group," said Yeo, looking dejected but forcefully
claiming optimism. "I'll never stop trying to find a solution. And
maybe the solution is to stop trying to find a solution. Maybe it's
to leave it alone and just kind of put it in their hands, and let's
just go work it out."
Washington outshot the Wild 10-8 in the scoreless first period. Each
team had chances on the power play, and Minnesota had a two-man
advantage briefly, but the goalies held fast.
The deadlock was broken early in the second when a fortunate bounce
led to Ovechkin's first goal. A shot from the point by right winger
T.J. Oshie deflected off the stick of Wild left winger Zach Parise
and landed right on the stick of Ovechkin, who was all alone in the
right circle. Ovechkin's low shot caught a scrambling Dubnyk between
the pads and slid over the line to put the Capitals up 1-0.
"Sometimes you have a 100 percent chance and you didn't score and
you think like, 'Oh, maybe it's not your night,'" Ovechkin said.
"The first one was kind of a lucky goal, it hit my shaft and goes
right between his legs. I was kind of surprised, but a goal's a
goal, so I'll take it. Second one was finally score on the (power
play), off the boards and put it in."
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Ovechkin doubled the lead barely three minutes later. This time, a
long-range shot by defenseman John Carlson sailed just wide left of
the net but bounced hard off the end boards to Ovechkin, who was
parked at the left of the crease. His quick flip of the puck went
behind Dubnyk.
"The puck finds him. When it does, he obviously doesn't make any
mistakes," Dubnyk said. "The puck just went to him on all three
goals. If he's ripping them by me, then I'll figure something else
out. But every single puck ends up on his tape and he doesn't make a
mistake. That puck off the wall, I don't think anybody else on the
ice is putting that one in the net."
Minnesota got a puck past Holtby later in the second to make it 2-1,
after the goalie stopped a blast by Wild captain Mikko Koivu from
the top of the right circle. The rebound was loose at the top of the
crease, and Coyle was able to battle past the goalie and backhand a
shot into the net. It was Coyle's fifth goal in the past eight
games.
Ovechkin completed the hat trick -- the 14th of his career and first
since 2013 -- in the waning minutes of the second, popping off a
shot that hit the right post, deflected off Dubnyk's back and landed
over the goal line.
Minnesota challenged the play, claiming the Capitals were offside,
and replays showed Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom corralling the
puck at -- and possibly over -- the blue line, but the video was not
completely clear, so the goal stood.
NOTES: The Capitals hoped to have D Brooks Orpik back in the lineup
for the first time in three months, but he was not ready. Orpik is
recovering from a broken bone he sustained while blocking a shot in
a 1-0 loss at Detroit on Nov. 10. ... Minnesota D Jared Spurgeon
missed his second consecutive game while recovering from a bone
bruise. He practiced with the team on Thursday morning but was given
another game to rest. ... Washington will conclude a three-game
Central Division road trip on Saturday in Dallas against the Stars.
The Wild's three-game homestand wraps up Saturday afternoon when the
Boston Bruins make their only trip to Minnesota this season.
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