MONTREAL — Alexr Ovechkin tied Canadiens great Maurice “Rocket” Richard with his 544th career goal and had two assists, leading the Washington Capitals to a 4-1 victory over Montreal on Monday night for their sixth straight win.
Ovechkin, who has won the Maurice Richard Trophy as the league’s goal-scoring leader six times, tied Richard for 29th place on the NHL’s all-time scoring list. His three points moved him with one of 1,000.
Evgeny Kuznetsov, Brett Connolly and Nicklas Backstrom also scored for Washington, and Braden Holtby finished with 22 saves. Holtby’s career-best shutout streak ended at 169 minutes 12 seconds when Tomas Plekanec scored at 7:18 of the third period.
Capitals coach Barry Trotz worked his 1,400th regular season game, tying Pat Quinn for eighth place all time and picked up his 684th win, tying Quinn for sixth. Trotz can catch Ron Wilson for seventh place with 1,401 games when Washington hosts Pittsburgh on Wednesday night.
The Capitals were the sharper team in the first period and took the lead with just under 9 minutes remaining when Ovechkin faked a slap shot from the point and moved in for a wrist shot that produced an easy rebound for Backstrom to tuck in for his 10th of the season.
Former Canadien Lars Eller was serving an interference call when Plekanec tied it with 1 second left in the power play as he first hit the post with a backhand, then scored during the resulting scramble in front of Holtby in the third. The Capitals called for a review for goaltender interference, but video showed it was Holtby’s teammate Brooks Orpik who knocked him over.
Only 54 seconds later, Kuznetsov turned Jeff Petry inside out and beat Carey Price on a rush.
Kuznetsov stole the puck from Price at the side of the net and fed Connelly for a goal from the right circle with 9 minutes to go.
The Capitals were on a power play when Ovechkin picked the corner with a shot from the top of the left circle with 3:24 remaining.
The Canadiens looked flat for the first two periods of their first game at home after a stretch of seven road games in which they went 4-1-2.
The Capitals host Pittsburgh on Wednesday night to open a three-game homestand.
NOTES: Canadiens C Paul Byron returned after missing a game with an upper body injury, leaving six regulars still out with injuries — C Alex Galchenyuk, RW Brendan Gallagher, C David Desharnais, F Andrew Shaw and D Andrei Markov and D Greg Pateryn. … The Capitals’ T.J. Oshie sat out with an upper body injury. … Washington outshot Montreal 38-23.
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