NEW YORK — Alex Ovechkin scored twice and Jason Chimera added two goals in the third period to rally the Washington Capitals to a 5-2 victory over the New York Rangers on Sunday.
Ovechkin had a goal in each of the first two periods, and Chimera broke a 2-2 tie 4:41 into the third with his first goal in 21 games. He made it 4-2 with 12:20 remaining, and Marcus Johansson added an empty-netter with 2:23 left.
Braden Holtby made 23 saves for Washington, which has won four of six and rebounded from Saturday’s home loss to Nashville to beat the Rangers for the first time in three games this season. The teams will finish the season against each other on April 11.
Kevin Hayes and Derick Brassard scored first-period goals for the Rangers, who lost for the second consecutive day and have dropped three of their last four games. Cam Talbot was back in goal, one day after Henrik Lundqvist returned from a neck injury at Boston, and stopped 26 shots.
The Rangers allowed at least four goals in each of their past three losses after going 10 consecutive games without giving up more than two goals in a game.
Chimera, who has seven goals but hadn’t netted any since Feb. 6, jammed a puck under Talbot. He added his second of the game from in-close.
Ovechkin had gotten the Capitals even at 2-2 with 8:43 left in the second at the tail end of a power play. Ovechkin wound up for a slap shot from above the left circle that got through traffic and beat Talbot for his NHL-leading 49th, leaving him one goal shy of reaching 50 for the sixth time in his career.
After being frustrated by Holtby throughout the first, the Rangers grabbed a 2-1 lead with goals by Hayes and Brassard 1:01 apart in the final two minutes of the period.
Hayes was the beneficiary of a turnover by Capitals defenseman John Carlson, who flubbed the puck in the high slot. Hayes took it and drove in alone on Holtby, shifting from forehand to backhand and sliding the puck in with 1:50 remaining.
The Rangers weren’t done as Brassard and Mats Zuccarello completed a give-and-go during a 4-on-3 rush, with Zuccarello making a quick, short pass inside the left circle to Brassard, who ripped a drive past Holtby with 49 seconds left.
Ovechkin had given the Capitals a 1-0 lead 4:32 in when he went around Jesper Fast at the left-wing boards, cut into the middle past defenseman Dan Girardi, and fired a slap shot by Talbot.
Holtby had kept the Rangers at bay with several stellar saves, including a lunging stop with his stick against Hayes.
Talbot shook off the early goal by Ovechkin and was solid the rest of the period. He was bailed out by defenseman Dan Boyle, who dived into the crease at the left post to deny a stuff attempt by Ovechkin with his arm.
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