WASHINGTON – Alex Ovechkin scored his 10th goal of the season and the Washington Capitals used a four-goal first period to beat the Colorado Avalanche 7-3 on Saturday night.
Evgeny Kuznetsov had two assists before adding his seventh goal of the season in the third period to provide Washington some insurance.
Jason Chimera had three assists, Ovechkin also added a late assist in a three-goal third period, and Dmitry Orlov and Nate Schmidt got their first goals of the season for the Caps.
Colorado goaltender Reto Berra gave up four goals for the third consecutive game and was replaced after the first period by Calvin Pickard. Avalanche No. 1 goalie Semyon Varlamov missed his fifth game with a groin injury.
Nathan MacKinnon scored his ninth goal of the season for the Avalanche, who allowed seven goals for the first time this season lost their third in a row to fall to 3-3 on a seven-game road trip.
Washington’s four-goal period was its first since January, and began when Justin Williams scored just over three minutes in and moments after the Capitals’ power play expired.
After Williams took Chimera’s feed from behind the goal line and snuck a one-time shot inside the near post, Ovechkin doubled the lead off Nicklas Backstrom’s pass from a similar spot, squeezing his effort beneath Berra.
The goal was the 485th of Ovechkin’s career, coming a game after his 484th set a new all-time NHL record for Russian-born players.
John Carlson’s deflected shot from the point made it 3-0 as it skidded into a net left open after Berra slipped defending a previous shot. Schmidt made it 4-0 during a 4-on-4, reaching a loose puck in the left face-off circle and beating Berra high over his blocker.
Cody McLeod and MacKinnon scored in the second, before Kuznetzov tapped in Chimera’s feed from the right on a third-period power play to make it 5-2.
Orlov and Karl Alzner added late goals for the Caps, and Andreas Martinsen scored late for the Avs.
Avalanche slide
Colorado C Matt Duchene’s assist on Nathan MacKinnon’s goal marked the 200th of his career and ran his points streak to six games (6 goals, 6 assists). . Carlson’s goal moved him even with Rod Langway at 202 points with Washington, tied for eighth all-time among the franchise’s defensemen. . The start of third period was delayed briefly while the goal lights behind Washington G Braden Holtby’s crease continued flashing. . Washington LW Andre Burakovsky was a healthy scratch.
