Blues ride scoring surge past Caps

[January 04, 2019]  Alex Pietrangelo finished with one goal and one assist as the St. Louis Blues defeated the visiting Washington Capitals 5-2 on Thursday night.

The Blues snapped a brief two-game losing streak with a strong offensive performance. St. Louis entered the game ranked 28th in the NHL in goals scored (102), but the Blues outshot the Capitals 42-25 and scored the contest's final four goals.

The loss ended a five-game road Washington winning streak.

Alex Ovechkin ended a six-game stretch without a goal by scoring in the first period. It was his 30th goal this season, and he became the second NHL player to ever reach that mark in each of his first 14 seasons.

Former Washington Capital Mike Gartner is the only other player to accomplish the feat.

The Blues took a 1-0 lead at the four-minute mark when Robert Thomas redirected a Robert Bortuzzo shot past Washington goalie Braden Holtby.

The Capitals tied it on Ovechkin's bullet from the right circle with 4:26 left in the period. He took a quick cross-ice pass from Michal Kempny and beat goalie Jake Allen.

Washington took the lead three minutes into the second period when Brett Connolly scored. He stuffed home a rebound from in front for the 2-1 lead, but Allen blanked the Capitals after that and finished with 23 saves.

The Blues really put the pressure on Washington in that second period. They outshot the Capitals 19-10 and scored the last two goals for a 3-2 lead.

Blues center Tyler Bozak (21) handles the puck on a break away during the third period against the Washington Capitals at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Colton Parayko tied the game on a power-play goal with 7:37 left in the second, taking a quick cross-crease pass from Ryan O'Reilly and burying it past Holtby, who had 37 saves in the loss.

Oskar Sundqvist gave St. Louis a 3-2 lead with a great individual effort. The puck was going to Holtby's right, and Sundqvist dove and knocked in a backhander with 3:27 to go in the period.

Pietrangelo added some insurance early in the third period on a long slap shot at 5:44, and Tyler Bozak scored later on a breakaway for a 5-2 lead. Overall, the Blues outshot the Capitals 33-12 in the final two periods. Washington got just two shots in the third period.

--Field Level Media

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