NHL scores: Ovechkin goal lifts Capitals over Hurricanes in OT

Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin (8), of Russia, is congratulated by Evgeny Kuznetsov (92), of Russia; Nicklas Backstrom (19), of Sweden; T.J. Oshie (77); and Christian Djoos (29) following Ovechkin's overtime goal in an NHL hockey game against the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2018. Washington won 5-4. (AP /Gerry Broome)

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Alex Ovechkin scored his NHL-leading 26th goal 1:57 into overtime and the Washington Capitals beat the Carolina Hurricanes 5-4 on Tuesday night for their third straight win.

Ovechkin also tied it with 7:15 left in regulation, with Nicklas Backstrom assisting on both goals. Alex Chiasson, Devante Smith-Pelly and Dmitry Orlov each scored for the Capitals, who went to overtime for the sixth time in eight games.

Teuvo Teravainen and Elias Lindholm scored in the third period, and Victor Rask had two goals for the Hurricanes, who trailed by two midway through the second. They rallied to take a short-lived lead midway through the third before Ovechkin struck twice to end their six-game home winning streak.

After Sebastian Aho hit the post in OT for Carolina, Ovechkin headed the other way and fired a shot from the right circle that beat Cam Ward to end it.

Braden Holtby stopped 34 shots for the Capitals.

GOLDEN KNIGHTS 3, PREDATORS 0

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 29 shots in his second shutout of the season, leading Vegas past Nashville for its eighth straight victory.

Reilly Smith, Shea Theodore and Jonathan Marchessault scored for the Western Conference leaders. Fleury improved to 8-1-1 with his 46th career shutout.

Vegas has won eight in a row and earned at least one point in 13 consecutive games, both NHL records for a first-year team. The expansion Golden Knights are 17-2-1 at home and 27-9-2 overall.

Pekka Rinne made 28 saves for the Predators, last year's Western Conference champions.

PENGUINS 5, FLYERS 1

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Phil Kessel and Conor Sheary scored in a four-goal second period to lead Pittsburgh past scuffling Philadelphia.

Ryan Reaves and Tom Kuhnhackl also scored in the second to help the Penguins beat their in-state rivals again. Both teams started the night outside the Eastern Conference playoff standings.

Flyers goalie Brian Elliott, making his 14th straight start, allowed the four goals on just eight shots in the second period and was yanked for Michal Neuvirth in the third.

Pittsburgh lost goalie Tristan Jarry to an injury in the second. Jarry appeared to take a stiff shot off his blocker hand and was checked by the team trainer. Matt Murray kept the Flyers scoreless the rest of the way.

The Penguins' scoring burst came in just four minutes and they needed only 40 seconds during that span to score twice and take a 3-1 lead.

Jamie Oleksiak added a power-play goal in the third to seal Pittsburgh's fourth win in 11 games.

Jordan Weal scored for the Flyers.

BRUINS 5, ISLANDERS 1

NEW YORK (AP) -- Patrice Bergeron had the go-ahead goal in the second period and the surging Boston Bruins scored three times in the third to pull away from New York.

Danton Heinen, Brad Marchand, Tim Schaller and Noel Acciari also scored for the Bruins, who are 7-0-2 in their last nine games. Tuukka Rask stopped 25 shots.

Jordan Eberle had New York's goal and Jaroslav Halak finished with 33 saves as the Islanders lost their third straight. Josh Bailey was held without a point, ending his career-high streak at 11 games.

The Bruins improved to 12-1-2 in their last 15 games against Eastern Conference opponents.

BLUES 3, DEVILS 2, SO

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Carter Hutton stopped 24 shots through overtime and both New Jersey attempts in the shootout to lift St. Louis.

Brayden Schenn and Vladimir Tarasenko scored in the tiebreaker for the Blues. Tarasenko and Vladimir Sobotka scored in regulation as St. Louis earned its ninth straight win against New Jersey, dating back to a 7-1 loss to the Devils on Jan. 21, 2014. The Blues have a 30-11 scoring edge during the streak.

Hutton improved to 7-3-0 on the season. He made an eye-popping pad save on Marcus Johansson with 2:09 left in overtime, then stopped Taylor Hall and Kyle Palmieri in the shootout.

Nico Hischier and Hall scored for New Jersey. Keith Kinkaid made 27 stops through overtime, but failed on both shots in the shootout. The Devils have lost three straight.

BLUE JACKETS 2, STARS 1

DALLAS (AP) -- Oliver Bjorkstrand scored twice 78 seconds apart early in the third period and Columbus stopped a three-game losing streak with a win over Dallas.

Bjorkstrand's seventh and eighth goals of the season came after Devin Shore tipped in a shot from John Klingberg to break a scoreless tie for Dallas in the first minute of the third.

The Stars' four-game home winning streak ended in a matchup of teams with identical records going into the halfway point of the season, the 41st game.

Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 21 shots for his 200th career victory.

On the tying goal, Bjorkstrand won a puck battle and skated in on Ben Bishop, beating the Dallas goalie and ending his five-period scoreless streak. Bishop had 24 saves.

SHARKS 4, CANADIENS 1

MONTREAL (AP) -- Timo Meier scored twice and San Jose rebounded from its worst loss of the season with a victory over slumping Montreal.

Joe Thornton and Marc-Edouard Vlasic also scored for the Sharks (21-12-4), who were coming off a 6-0 setback Sunday in Dallas. San Jose has won four of five.

Andrew Shaw scored for Montreal (16-20-4), which has lost five straight games and scored just four goals during that span.

Aaron Dell made 30 saves and has won six consecutive starts.

WILD 5, PANTHERS 1

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- Matt Cullen and Eric Staal each scored twice as Minnesota stopped Florida's five-game winning streak.

Devan Dubnyk made 25 saves for Minnesota, which has won three of four. Charlie Coyle added an empty-net goal and Jared Spurgeon had three assists. Zach Parise made his season debut for the Wild after missing the first 39 games while recovering from back surgery.

Jonathan Huberdeau scored his 14th goal for Florida. James Reimer stopped 23 of the 26 shots he faced before leaving in the second period with an injury.

AVALANCHE 3, JETS 2, OT

DENVER (AP) -- Erik Johnson scored on a breakaway with 9.9 seconds remaining on the clock in overtime to lift Colorado over Winnipeg.

Jonathan Bernier stopped 22 shots after taking over for an injured Semyon Varlamov in the second period. Mikko Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon also scored to help the Avalanche win their third straight.

Johnson scored the winner when Rantanen poked the puck ahead to him and he put it past Connor Hellebuyck.

Blake Wheeler scored twice for the Jets, including the tying goal with 32.2 seconds remaining in regulation and Hellebuyck on the bench for an extra skater.

KINGS 5, OILERS 0

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) -- Jonathan Quick made 32 saves for his third shutout of the season, Dustin Brown scored twice and Los Angeles blanked Edmonton.

Andy Andreoff, Marian Gaborik and Adrian Kempe also scored for the Kings, who are 4-1-2 in their last seven games.

Cam Talbot stopped 28 shots as the Oilers lost their fourth straight. They've been outscored 18-6 during that stretch.

Los Angeles scored three goals on a five-minute power play after Patrick Maroon was given a major penalty for a hit to the head on Kings defenceman Drew Doughty.

DUCKS 5, CANUCKS 0

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) -- Ryan Miller made 31 saves in his return to Vancouver, earning his second shutout this season with Anaheim and the 41st of his career.

Ryan Getzlaf had a goal and two assists, Rickard Rakell added a goal and an assist, and Antoine Vermette, Adam Henrique and Derek Grant also scored for Anaheim. Josh Manson had three assists and Hampus Lindholm added two to help the Ducks win for the fifth time in six games.

Anders Nilsson allowed four goals on 19 shots for the slumping Canucks, who have lost 10 of 12. He was pulled early in the third period.