Alexander Ovechkin netted his 749th career goal, extending his streak with at least one point to five games, and the Washington Capitals beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 on Sunday in Raleigh.
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“Ovi” opened the scoring in this duel by accepting a pass from Dmitry Orlov when he was placed alone at the mouth of the net. It was his 19th goal of the campaign. The captain of the formation of the American capital is particularly formidable for five games, having totaled seven goals and 11 points during this streak.
His teammate John Carlsson also had a strong game with one goal and two assists.
Aliaksei Protas scored his first career goal in the duel when one of his passes deflected defenseman Tony DeAngelo’s skate in the second period. He became the sixth player for the Capitals to score his first goal in the National League this season, after Hendrix Lapierre, Martin Fehervary, Brett Leason, Connor McMichael and Garrett Pilon.
In front of the visitors’ cage, Ilya Samsonov rejected 30 pucks, being foiled only by another former Habs in Jesperi Kotkaniemi and by Nino Niederreiter. He still hasn’t lost in regulation this season, showing a 9-0-1 record.
Having contracted COVID-19 in California, former Montreal Canadiens forward Lars Eller was back in the Capitals lineup. He was shutout in 15:48.