Ovechkin scores 783rd goal as Capitals beat Devils

NEWARK, N.J. — Alex Ovechkin scored his 783rd career goal in a big second period and the Washington Capitals beat New Jersey 6-3 Monday night, ending the Devils’ three-game winning streak.

Garnet Hathaway, Conor Sheary and Nick Jensen also scored in the four-goal period for Washington. Backup goalie Charlie Lindgren made 37 saves in winning for the first time since signing with the Capitals as a free agent.

Nic Dowd also scored for Washington, which scored five times on 18 shots in driving Mackenzie Blackwood from the net after 40 minutes. Aliaksei Protas added an insurance goal late after the Devils pulled to 5-3.

Nathan Bastian, Tomas Tatar and Jesper Bratt each scored their first goal of the season for New Jersey, which was looking for its first four-game winning streak since October 2018.

Washington has won six straight at the Prudential Center and is 13-2-1 in the last 16 games here. Overall, the Caps are 26-3-3 in the last 32 games against the Devils.

After Bastian and Dowd traded goals in the opening period, the Capitals blew the game open with two, two-goal spurts in the middle stanza.

Hathaway gave Washington the lead after stealing a puck from defenseman Damon Severson along the side boards and beating Blackwood with a quick 25-foot shot at 9:16.

Sheary scored short-handed 47 seconds later as he stole a pass by Bratt in the Devils’ zone and beat Blackwood from between the circles.

Ovechkin stretched the margin to 4-1 with a power-play goal from his office in the left circle at 17:14. He needs four more goals to pass Gordie Howe (786) for the most goals in NHL history with one franchise.

Jensen scored on a shot from the point 33 seconds later.

Tatar and Bratt got the Devils within two goals early in the third period and Lindgren had a made a spectacular pad save on Yegor Sharangovich with about six minutes to go.

NOTES: F Beck Malenstyn, who was playing in his first game of the season with Connor Brown hurt, got his first NHL assist in 16 games on Dowd’s goal. … Former Capital goaltender Vitek Vanecek played the third period for New Jersey and made three saves. This was Washington’s first win on the road in three games. New Jersey was 0 for 4 on the power play.

UP NEXT

Capitals: at Dallas on Thursday in the second stop on a four-game road trip.

Devils: at Detroit on Tuesday night.