NEWARK, NJ — Alex Ovechkin scored during a four-goal second period for the Washington Capitals, who defeated the New Jersey Devils 6-3 at Prudential Center on Monday.
Nick Jensen, Garnet Hathaway and Aliaksei Protas each had a goal and an assist, and Charlie Lindgren made 38 saves in his first win for the Capitals (4-3-0).
Ovechkin gave Washington a 4-1 lead on the power play and passed Gordie Howe for second on the NHL game-winning goals list with 122. Jaromir Jagr is first with 135.
“It’s pretty cool, obviously, to be in that company and pass those legends. … It’s a pretty cool moment,” Ovechkin said.
Washington coach Peter Laviolette said of Ovechkin, “Somebody hands you a piece of paper on every milestone that he passes each night. It’s unbelievable. He’s been able to just constantly contribute offensively, and score goals. I guess if you do it well enough and long enough, you’re going to bring down some milestones, so we give it a quick shout at the end of the game when things like that happen, but that’s a pretty impressive milestone.”
Video: WSH@NJD: Ovechkin rips home PPG to extend lead
With the Capitals leading 5-3, Lindgren made a sprawling right-pad save against Yegor Sharangovich at the left post at 13:44 of the third period.
“I’ve just loved being here,” said Lindgren, who signed a three-year, $3.3 million contract ($1.1 million average annual value) as a free agent July 13. “I think it’s a heck of a group and to get my first win feels awesome. Our guys deserved it.”
John Marino had two assists for the Devils (3-3-0), who had their three-game winning streak end. Mackenzie Blackwood allowed five goals on 18 shots before being replaced by Vitek Vanecek (three saves) to start the third period.
“If you don’t play 60 minutes, it’s hard to win games in this league,” New Jersey captain Nico Hischier said. “We had a hard time finding our legs, and they made us pay.”
Nathan Bastian gave the Devils a 1-0 lead at 4:49 of the first period when he controlled his own rebound off the right post and scored his first goal of the season.
Nic Dowd tied it 1-1 at 10:46 on a snap shot at the right post.
Hathaway scored from the left circle for a 2-1 lead at 9:16 of the second after a giveaway along the left-wing half boards. Conor Sheary pushed it to 3-1 with a short-handed goal 47 seconds later at 10:03 after stealing the puck at the Devils blue line.
“They had four guys back and I just saw [Jesper Bratt] kind of looking up ice to make a stretch pass, and I just kind of read it,” Sheary said. “I had a breakaway from there, so I just took advantage of a mistake on their end.”
Video: WSH@NJD: Sheary picks off pass and snaps home SHG
Ovechkin extended the lead with a one-timer from the left circle at 17:14, and Jensen scored 33 seconds later for a 5-1 lead at 17:47.
“When there’s no one coming out to block it, it’s him vs. the goalie,” Sheary said. “He’s done it so many times. It’s always been a scary shot for him. It’s good to see it go in for him and hopefully that gets him rolling.”
Ovechkin has 783 goals and is four shy of passing Howe (786) for the most with one franchise in NHL history.
“They got a power-play goal and we coughed up a short-handed one that cost us dearly,” New Jersey coach Lindy Ruff said. “That was the difference in the game. I think we lost momentum where we could have gained more in the second period. We lost it.”
Tomas Tatar scored on a rebound at the right post to pull the Devils within 5-2 at 4:08 of the third.
Bratt cut it to 5-3 at 9:06 and extended his season-opening point streak to six games (nine points; one goal, eight assists).
Protas scored at 16:11 for the 6-3 final.
“I would say our start to the season wasn’t good, going [0-2-0], but right now we’ve kind of battled through some injuries,” said Ovechkin, the Washington captain. “Different guys are stepping up in the lineup. We’ve been there before. The most important thing for us right now is collecting points, trying to play smart and simple.”
NOTES: Sheary scored his first short-handed goal in 456 NHL games. … Ovechkin scored his 397th goal on the road and is six shy of passing Wayne Gretzky (402) for the most in NHL history. … Hischier had four shots on goal and was 15-for-26 on face-offs (58 percent) in 21:22 of ice time. … Vanecek was acquired in a trade with the Capitals on July 8.
.