RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - The Washington Capitals keep picking up victories and points. The problem: So is just about everyone else in the brutal Metropolitan Division.
Washington earned its sixth straight win by beating the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3 on Friday night after T.J. Oshie and Evgeny Kuznetsov scored in the shootout.
Four of the division’s top five teams - including Washington - entered Friday night on winning streaks of five or more games.
“I think more important than the six games, we want the point,” Oshie said. “We can see the standings - they’re posted up in the room - but we’re working on our game right now. We had a tough start, and we’re building our identity each night. I think the points are following that because we’re playing some good hockey, so we want to continue that and the points, I think, will follow.”
Oshie also scored the tying goal on a deflection with 6:04 left, Alex Ovechkin scored his team-leading 14th goal and Justin Williams also scored for the Capitals, who improved to 1-2 in shootouts this season and earned points for the seventh consecutive game.
“We seem to have won six straight just to keep pace with the division,” Williams said. “It is what it is, and it’s good competitiveness, and it’s something that, as athletes, we enjoy.”
Teuvo Teravainen had a goal and an assist, Jeff Skinner and Justin Faulk scored and rookie Sebastian Aho had two assists, but the Hurricanes had their seven-game home winning streak snapped.
“I thought both teams had a lot of good chances,” Carolina coach Bill Peters said. “It wasn’t for a lack of chances for us. … I liked the effort, I really did.”
Oshie beat Cam Ward high on Washington’s first attempt in the shootout, and after Jaccob Slavin hit the post with a backhand to start the second round, Kuznetsov put a backhand high past Ward to end it.
Ward made 23 saves for the Hurricanes, who fell to 1-4 in shootouts this season.
Philipp Grubauer stopped 27 shots for Washington, which trailed for most of the third period after Teravainen put Carolina up just 40 seconds in by redirecting in Aho’s shot.
Oshie tied it when he deflected a blast by Dmitry Orlov past Ward late in the period.
Orlov “made a great, great shot there - you tip them and hope they get a good bounce,” Oshie said. “And I got a fortunate one.”
Ovechkin pulled Washington even at 1 when he beat Ward high from the circle on a rush. The Hurricanes had killed 17 of their previous 18 penalties on home ice before that goal.
After Williams put the Capitals up 2-1, Faulk tied it 2:18 later when he took a slick pass from Aho on a 2-on-1 and beat Grubauer.
That came after Skinner got his third goal this week and fourth in four home games when he slipped a loose puck past Grubauer for a 1-0 lead 5:46 in.
NOTES: Washington D Matt Niskanen had two assists. … The Capitals have scored a power-play goal in six of their last seven games. … Kuznetsov set up Williams’ goal, giving him assists in six straight games. … Hurricanes C Jordan Staal rang the post midway through the third period. … Carolina’s home winning streak started with a 5-1 win over Washington on Nov. 12. The Capitals aren’t scheduled to return to Raleigh this season.
UP NEXT
Capitals: Washington returns home to play Atlantic Division leader Montreal on Saturday night.
Hurricanes: They play host to Buffalo on Saturday night in the third game of a four-game homestand.
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