Caps Roll Past Wings 6-3
Andreas Athanasiou
WASHINGTON (AP) - T.J. Oshie scored twice and set up John Carlson's go-ahead goal in the third period for the NHL-leading Washington Capitals, who collected their 11th consecutive home victory by beating the Detroit Red Wings 6-3 Thursday night.
Detroit's Henrik Zetterberg made it 3-all less than 1 1/2 minutes into the final period. But Oshie stole the puck deep in the offensive end, skated out front and slid the puck over to Carlson, whose slap shot sailed past goalie Petr Mrazek at the 4:15 mark.
Oshie's 21st goal had put Washington ahead 3-2 just 76 seconds into the second period, and his 22nd added insurance on a power play with a little more than 5 1/2 minutes remaining in the game.
He has 23 points in the last 19 games, and Washington is 20-0-1 when the right wing earns a point this season.
Marcus Johansson, Brett Connolly and Nicklas Backstrom also scored for the Capitals, who have produced at least five goals in each of their past 10 home games. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, they are only the second NHL team to do that, joining the 1970-71 Boston Bruins, who did that in 11 consecutive games at home.
Andreas Athanasiou had two goals in the first period for the Red Wings.
Detroit, which entered tied for the fewest points in the Eastern Conference, managed only 17 shots against goalie Braden Holtby. Washington had 31 shots.
The Capitals have outscored opponents 55-15 during their home winning streak, which began on New Year's Day.
The opening period ended with the score 2-all, thanks in part to Athanasiou's 12th and 13th goals. On the first, he swept all the way around from a corner to the slot before shooting, fending off Alex Ovechkin the whole time. The second came on a power play, putting the Red Wings up 2-1 at about the 16 1/2-minute mark.
That rare lead for a visiting team in the nation's capital didn't last long. Connolly evened things with 1½ minutes left in the period, hopping up after being down on the ice near the boards and flicking a shot past Mrazek.
NOTES: Capitals F Andre Burakovsky was struck by a puck in the first period and headed toward the locker room; the Capitals announced early in the second period that he would not return because of an upper-body injury. ... Detroit D Jonathan Ericsson also left the game with an upper-body injury. He was slammed into the boards in the first period by Backstrom, who was sent to the penalty box. ... Carlson's 59th NHL goal moved him one ahead of Al Iafrate for eighth-most by a Capitals defenseman. ... Connolly's three-game goal streak matches his career high. ... A hockey-playing woman from the United Arab Emirates, 26-year-old Fatima Al Ali, handled the ceremonial puck drop before the game, then snapped a selfie with the two team captains, Ovechkin and Zetterberg.
UP NEXT
Red Wings: Go from the Eastern Conference's No. 1 team to its No. 2 team, playing at Columbus on Saturday.
Capitals: Host Anaheim on Saturday before heading to their bye week.
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