WASHINGTON — Alex Ovechkin and Washington’s best players came just in time to put together the best part of the season and avoid the Capitals’ worst four-game start in nearly a decade.
Ovechkin scored twice, and the Capitals beat former coach Bruce Boudreau and the Vancouver Canucks 6-4 on Monday night to extend their second straight win. They trailed by two going into the third period before turning the game around.
“Going into the third period, I realized I was overturning the puck too much, which prevented me from playing fast and finishing it,” said coach Peter LaViolette. “And in the third period, I thought we straightened up and played a really good third period….we kept attacking and pushing all the way.”
Ovechkin’s first two goals of the season, 56 seconds into regulation with 2:58 remaining in regulation, gave the Capitals the lead and fought back. Dylan Strom kicked off his comeback with a power play goal early in the third and continued a strong start with his new team before John Carlson equalized and Conor Sheary put the Capitals ahead. I was.
“It’s been a great response from everyone,” Ovechkin said. “We know that if we play the right way, no matter what the score, we can always bounce back and win the game.”
Newcomer like Strom, winger Conor Brown was sent off with an apparent right foot injury after he awkwardly entered the board early in the third round. The team said Brown suffered a lower body injury, and LaViolette added that an evaluation is ongoing.
Having beaten the skaters, the Capitals (2-2-0) were able to get back into the game with goals from Carlson with 11:17 remaining in regulation and Shelley with 7:16 remaining in regulation.
They ruined Boudreau’s latest chance to reach 600 career regular season NHL wins. Despite Elias Pettersson’s goal and his two assists, the Canucks trailed him by two goals in his third straight game and suffered all defeats.
Vancouver became the first team to lose all of their first three after enjoying a multi-goal lead in each game. Boudreau said it was fair to call the Canucks “mentally weak” at this stage.
“When things are going well, we expect good things to happen,” says Boudreau. “When you’re in a state like this, you’re waiting for something bad to happen.”
Washington’s Darcy Kemper rebounded well after whiffing the puck on a bad bounce to give Petterson a gift goal with 7.3 seconds left in the first. He finished with 26 saves.
Ovechkin joked about Roughbound: “Welcome to Capital One Ice,” sarcastically adding, “Board and Ice are probably top in the league.
Lars Eller also took advantage of a big bounce off the end board at eight seconds to score for Washington. Evgeny Kuznetsov recorded 3 of his assists after missing the morning skate and being considered a game time decision.
Vancouver’s Thatcher Demko allowed six goals on 30 shots. The Canucks held a players-only meeting after the loss, which Boudreau admitted was “usually” not a good sign.
game notes
Ovechkin’s goal was the 11th of his career in the first minute of regulation. Sidney Crosby and Mark Messier have 13, and Dave Taylor, Phil Esposito and Gordy Howe have only 12. … Canucks defenseman Tucker Poolman has been sidelined with an undisclosed injury.
next
Canucks: Tuesday night we’ll make our fourth visit in a five-game road trip with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Capital: Travel to Canada’s capital to face off against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night.
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Follow AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SWhyno.
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