WASHINGTON (AP) - Shane Doan scored twice, and the Arizona Coyotes salvaged at least something from their road trip, snapping a three-game skid with a come-from-behind 6-5 win over the mistake-prone Washington Capitals on Sunday night.
The Coyotes trailed 3-1 after the first period, but power-play goals by Michael Stone and Doan tied it in the second before Sam Gagner and Doan capitalized on sloppy turnovers early in the third. Doan’s second goal came after Washington’s Alex Ovechkin - who earlier broke a six-game goal drought - completely whiffed trying to control the puck near the side boards in the Capitals’ end.
Antoine Vermette tallied in the first period, and Tobias Rieder added his first NHL goal late in the third for the Coyotes, who had been outscored 12-4 in the first three games of their trip.
Mikkel Boedker assisted on both third-period goals, ending his streak of seven games without a point, and Devan Dubnyk made 32 saves.
Ovechkin, Tom Wilson, John Carlson, Joel Ward and Troy Brouwer scored for the Capitals, and Nicklas Backstrom had three assists, but defense was again a letdown as Washington dropped its fourth straight - while allowing at least four goals in each of the losses.
The Capitals managed to put together their own rally late after pulling Justin Peters for an extra skater. Ward scored on a power play with 1:53 remaining, and Brower cut the deficit to one with 27 seconds remaining, but it wasn’t enough.
Peters, getting his third start of the season ahead of Braden Holtby, stopped just 24 of 30 shots for the Capitals.
Ovechkin ended his drought with a classic Ovechkin goal - a one-timer from the left circle during a power play late in the first period. His six games without a goal had been his longest such streak since November 2011.
But the three-time NHL MVP also was whistled for a pair of penalties in the second period - a charging call that looked more like an incidental bump, and a high-sticking call that didn’t appear to be a clear-cut infraction. The second penalty led to the tying power-play goal by Doan with 5 seconds remaining in the period.
NOTES: The Coyotes won for the first time in six road games this season. … Backstrom passed Dale Hunter (375) for fourth place on Washington’s career assists list.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.