Ovechkin scores 750th career goal, Capitals beat Columbus
Alex Ovechkin scored his 20th goal of the season and the 750th of his NHL career to help the Washington Capitals beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-1 and snap a two-game skid.
![Vasilevskiy, Cirelli help Lightning end Capitals' streak](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/YMF7vds1KemmlX9TDrAtzYO3reM=/800x533/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/76GVHHCCLBD5BOR5EF3L7W7SGI.jpg)
Vasilevskiy, Cirelli help Lightning end Capitals' streak
Andrei Vasilevskiy made 31 saves, Anthony Cirelli had a goal and two assists, and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat Washington 3-2 to end the Capitalsโ eight-game season-opening point streak.
![Capitals beat Flyers in overtime, Penguins win East Division](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/7zr4_Y_ndiQHHbu1_Q1J-cJGgv8=/800x533/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/6ZSAKUQC6VHIHDSI7OMCVJFDOY.jpg)
Capitals beat Flyers in overtime, Penguins win East Division
Conor Sheary scored the overtime winner and the short-handed Washington Capitals beat the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 to guarantee theyโll open the playoffs at home.
![The Latest: NBA's Wizards, NHL's Caps to have fans in April](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/7O66cjuf4no-VmTsLentt8IqUgE=/1600x1065/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/GJ6YPTZVWJDJRICF2USTMV3TQM.jpg)
The Latest: NBA's Wizards, NHL's Caps to have fans in April
The NBAโs Washington Wizards and NHLโs Washington Capitals have announced the dates this month when they will start to allow fans at home games at 10% of their capacity.
![Ovechkin scores twice, red-hot Capitals shut out Devils 4-0](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/AQ7LOXu2_mAnp7CHSC2x0n_sa-8=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/AQZCSVFXCZGTDHLHTXY3PQWF6I.jpg)
Ovechkin scores twice, red-hot Capitals shut out Devils 4-0
Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) celebrates his goal with the bench during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the New Jersey Devils, Friday, March 26, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)WASHINGTON โ Alex Ovechkin scored twice, Ilya Samsonov made 24 saves and the Washington Capitals rode their best players to a 4-0 victory Friday night and two-game sweep of the New Jersey Devils. Ovechkin has scored 10 times in his past 10 games and has a team-best 17 goals this season. Nicklas Backstrom scored his 13th goal of the season, while Evgeny Kuznetsov and Tom Wilson each had two assists. With Ovechkin rolling, the Capitals have won nine of their past 10 games and are back atop the East Division.
![Ovechkin matches Esposito with 717th goal; Caps rout Sabres](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/ol89nP0OcvqMq3wCURVSqzdUhP0=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/UU7PPH7XUVCF3EXXVUCAMOBWMY.jpg)
Ovechkin matches Esposito with 717th goal; Caps rout Sabres
Ovechkin matched Phil Esposito for sixth on the NHL list with his 717th goal and the Washington Capitals beat the Buffalo Sabres 6-0 on Monday night. Vitek Vanecek stopped 23 shots for his first NHL shutout and improved to 4-0-1 against the Sabres. Backstromโs 11th goal of the season came in his 984th game with the Capitals, passing Calle Johansson for second-most games in franchise history. Hutton made 24 saves for Buffalo, which is 0-9-2 in its past 11 games, the third-longest skid in team history. AdThe Sabres recalled center Rasmus Asplund from the taxi squad and sent defenseman Brandon Davidson to the taxi squad.
![Washington Capitals take 3-0 lead, beat NJ Devils 5-2](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/aXdxDx55N4KbmHFe2wX2iVrLwOo=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/LYEMOQTB35E4RLED5NXV5YCIGU.jpg)
Washington Capitals take 3-0 lead, beat NJ Devils 5-2
Washington Capitals right wing Garnet Hathaway (21) scores a goal past New Jersey Devils goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood (29) during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)NEWARK, N.J. โ Based on recent results, the Washington Capitals are getting used to coach Peter Laviolette's new system. Lars Eller, who added the third goal in a big opening period, thinks Washington is hitting its stride in a 5-1-1 run that followed a four-game losing streak. AdNico Hischier and Pavel Zacha each scored for the second consecutive game for New Jersey, which has lost four of five. AdโI believe it hit the shield and pushed the shield into his face so that that actually is a good thing,โ Ruff said. So we still have a lot to learn, a lot to clean up and a lot we can improve on.
![Bruins erase 3-goal deficit against Capitals, win 5-3](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/igEaVczELL23nTY6Qxyss0HB76U=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/DZM7W7TNAJFCLHRP5DRKW7H3OU.jpg)
Bruins erase 3-goal deficit against Capitals, win 5-3
Boston Bruins right wing David Pastrnak (88) celebrates his goal with the bench during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals, Monday, Feb. 1, 2021, in Washington. Buoyed by their top scorer's first two goals of the season and a big rookie's fight against one of the toughest players in hockey, the Bruins erased a three-goal deficit to beat the Washington Capitals 5-3 on Monday night. โIn the box, I was like a little kid in there just jumping around when we scored,โ Frederic said. The Capitals had front-row seats for Pastrnak's breakout performance in his second game after undergoing offseason hip surgery. Former Bruins captain Zdeno Chara scored in his second game against his old team.