Alex Ovechkin scored his league-leading 28th goal of the season as Washington pounded Toronto 5-1 for an eighth straight win. Ovechkin had a super-slow start to the season but he’s proving the old adage that it’s about how you finish.
SPIN: Washington went 2-of-6 on the power play to power the win. Mike Green, Mike Ribiero and John Carlson each had a pair of assists so the Caps are getting points from all over the ice. This was a bump in the road for Toronto but no cause for concern.
Winnipeg knocked off Tampa Bay 4-3 in a shootout to keep pace with Capitals. Andrew Ladd scored twice in the win and Blake Wheeler added his 16th goal of the season for Winnipeg. Steven Stamkos picked up his 27th goal of the season in the loss.
SPIN: The Jets got their fourth win in a row as Tampa was pushed to the brink of elimination. Ben Bishop made 33 saves for the Lightning as they continue to show that whoever is in goal is going to get shelled night in and night out.
The Islanders kept pace in the playoff chase by pounding lowly Florida 5-2. Michael Grabner scored twice for the Islanders as they finished out their home schedule at 10-11-3.
SPIN: The Islanders’ road to the playoffs will be tough as they finish with their final five games away from home. Matt Moulson picked up another goal for New York in the win as the Islanders are 14-5-3 since the first of March. Marcel Goc had a goal and an assist for Florida.
Ottawa kept Carolina reeling as the Senators posted a 3-2 win. Craig Anderson made 32 saves in the win.
SPIN: Remember when Carolina was leading the Southeast Division? Seems like forever ago, huh? With a 2-8-0 run in their last 10 games they’ve completely fallen apart. Even Eric Staal, who scored his 17th goal of the season, isn’t worth trusting in the final few days of the season.
Philadelphia doubled up the Rangers 4-2 as Steve Mason made 38 saves for the Flyers who beat the Rangers for the second straight night.
SPIN: Kimmo Timmonen and Claude Giroux each had two-point nights in the win. Along with Jakub Voracek, they continue to be the only reliable Flyers you can count on.
St. Louis knocked off Vancouver 2-1 in a shootout. Jay Bouwmeester scored the lone goal for the Blues.
SPIN: The Canucks only got one point to keep their lead at four points over Minnesota.
San Jose edged Los Angeles 3-2 in the shootout behind a 41-save effort from Antti Niemi.
SPIN: Both teams are tied (in points) for the fourth spot in the West. Brent Burns scored for San Jose while Dustin Brown netted one for the Kings.
Multiple Goal Scorers
Brodziak-MIN, Grabner-NYI, Ladd-WPG
Stat of the Night-Capital Offenses
The Capitals are on fire but it comes with an asterisk. Washington has gone 14-3 against the rest of the Southeast Division but 9-14-2 against the rest of the East. Seven of those nine wins were by one goal. Tread lightly.
Three Stars of the Night
1 Niemi
2 Ladd
3 Timonen
Wednesday’s Games (all times ET)
Montreal at Pittsburgh 7pm
Buffalo at Boston 7pm
Detroit at Calgary 930pm
Columbus at Anaheim 10pm
