Read the match reports from Monday, March 18 in the NHL.
Ovechkin scores two goals and the Capitals beat the Flames 5-2
Alexander Ovechkin became the third player in NHL history to score at least 20 goals in 19 consecutive seasons on Monday.
The Washington Capitals forward scored twice on the power play in the second period to lead his team to a 5-2 win against the Flames in Calgary.
Gordie Howe (22) and Brendan Shanahan (19) are the other two players with at least 19 consecutive seasons of 20 or more goals.
Dylan Strome, Hendrix Lapierre and Tom Wilson, in an empty net, also hit the target for the Capitals, who won a third game in a row.
The Capitals took the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. This is the first time the team has been in a playoff position since January 2.
Kevin Rooney and MacKenzie Weegar scored for the Flames.
Goaltender Charlie Lindgren stopped 34 pucks for the Capitals. Lindgren, who has won five of his last six outings, is 18-11-5.
Dustin Wolf, in front of the Flames net for a third straight game, conceded four goals on 32 shots.
Ovechkin scored his 20e goal of the season at 5:58 of the second period, making the score 2-0.
Just over three minutes later, the Capitals’ power play found the back of the net again. Defenseman John Carlson passed the puck to Ovechkin, installed in his well-known position on the power play, at the top of the face-off circles. The Capitals captain fired a slap shot that beat Wolf.
Ovechkin has scored 12 times in 20 games since the All-Star weekend break. The winger had only scored nine goals in 44 games before this break.
Midway through the second period, Rooney scored his second goal of the season and first in 17 games to cut the lead to 3-1.
Weeger scored his 16e goal of the campaign at 7:12 of the third period, but Wilson completed the scoring for the Capitals late in the game.
Darren Haynes, The Canadian Press