Washington 5, Winnipeg 3
When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Where: Verizon Center, Washington, District Of Columbia
Referees:
Marc Joannette, Francois St.Laurent
Linesmen:
Scott Driscoll, Steve Miller
Attendance:
18506
By SportsDirect Inc.
Capitals 5, Jets 3: Mathieu Perreault, Jason Chimera, Nicklas Backstrom and captain Alex Ovechkin each had a goal and an assist as host Washington clinched the Southeast Division for the fifth time in six seasons.
Matt Hendricks also scored and Braden Holtby made 24 saves for the Capitals, who moved three points ahead of Winnipeg and improved to 10-1-0 in April.
Nik Antropov scored and set up a goal and Blake Wheeler and Evander Kane also tallied for the Jets, who saw their seven-game point streak come to an end. Winnipeg, which has one game remaining, sits one point behind Ottawa and the New York Rangers for the final two spots in the Eastern Conference.
With the Jets trailing 2-0 after the first period, Kane got his team on the board with a quick wrist shot 16 seconds into the second. Wheeler tied the game at 14:11, one-timing Antropov’s pass around Holtby from the slot. Backstrom restored Washington’s lead 37 seconds later when Ovechkin’s centering feed caromed in off his skate and past Ondrej Pavelec (36 saves). Perreault added the eventual winner later in the period.
Antropov pulled the Jets within one with a snap shot from the high slot midway through the third period, but Holtby turned aside 10 of 11 shots in the final 20 minutes to preserve the advantage. Ovechkin added an empty-net goal - his league-leading 31st tally - with 29 seconds remaining in the contest.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Winnipeg D Zach Bogosian missed his second game in a row with a concussion after being hit by Kyle Okposo in Saturday’s 5-4 shootout loss to the New York Islanders. ... Antropov recorded the 100th multi-point game of his career. ... Ovechkin set the NHL record for goals in April with his 13th this month, overtaking the mark of 12 set by Pittsburgh's Mario Lemieux (1993) and matched by Winnipeg's Alex Zhamnov (1995).
Top Game Performances
| Winnipeg |
|
Washington |
|
Nik Antropov 2 |
Points |
Nicklas Backstrom 2 |
|
Nik Antropov 1 |
Goals |
Nicklas Backstrom 1 |
|
Nik Antropov 1 |
Assists |
Nicklas Backstrom 1 |
|
Evander Kane 1 |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Ondrej Pavelec .900 |
Save Percentage |
Braden Holtby .889 |
|
Ondrej Pavelec 36 |
Saves |
Braden Holtby 24 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Winnipeg
|
27 |
3 |
1-3 |
1-1 |
12 |
31 |
| Washington
|
41 |
5 |
0-1 |
2-3 |
16 |
39 |
Upcoming Games
-
Washington will play their next game at home against Ottawa. The Capitals have a W/L % of .600 after a win and .550 after a loss.
-
Winnipeg will play their next game at home against Montreal. The Jets have a W/L % of .542 after a win and .500 after a loss.