Ovechkin scores again, but Hurricanes beat Capitals to clinch playoff spot

RALEIGH, N.C. — Alex Ovechkin scored his 892nd career goal, moving him three away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record, but rookie Jackson Blake scored twice to help the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Washington Capitals 5-1 on Wednesday night and clinch a playoff spot.

Logan Stankoven, Seth Jarvis and Sean Walker also scored for the Hurricanes, who qualified for the playoffs for a seventh consecutive season. That matches a franchise record.

Frederik Andersen stopped 20 of 21 shots to win his seventh straight start for Carolina. 

Ovechkin beat Andersen with a one-timer with Washington on a 5-on-3 power play with 34.5 seconds left in the second to cut Carolina's lead to 4-1. Ovechkin has 17 goals in the past 25 games and has 39 this season.

Washington goalie Logan Thompson gave up three goals in the first before he left the game at intermission with an upper-body injury and was replaced by Charlie Lindgren, who made 18 saves.

Takeaways

Capitals: Washington looked like a team playing the second half of a back to back with a playoff spot already secured and little, other than Ovechkin’s chase, to play for. Thompson’s health late in an impressive season is a bigger concern, over the last seven games, than winning the Presidents' Trophy.

Hurricanes: Jarvis’ power-play goal in the first was his 30th of the season. He has posted back-to-back 30-goal seasons. Blake has three goals in three games after one in his previous 25.

Key moment

Jarvis' one-timer on the power play at 13:21 in the first period gave the Hurricanes a 3-0 lead and looked like an homage to Ovechkin and his signature scoring stroke from the left faceoff circle. 

Key stat 

There were 142 penalty minutes doled out, including 122 in the third period as post-whistle antics and fights ratcheted up and the game got out of hand.

Up Next 

The Capitals host Chicago on Friday while the Hurricanes visit Detroit the same night.