William Eklund scored 39 seconds into overtime, Mackenzie Blackwood made 27 saves and the San Jose Sharks ended the Washington Capitals’ winning streak at four by beating them 2-1 on Tuesday night.
The Capitals fell to 4-2-1 since captain and leading goal-scorer Alex Ovechkin was sidelined by a broken left fibula. They fell behind early and failed to make it five comeback victories in a row, despite Logan Thompson making 29 saves and Nic Dowd scoring his seventh goal of the season.
Blackwood was dominant at the other end, turning aside quality chances and keeping Washington off the scoreboard on three power plays. Tyler Toffoli scored with one minute left in the first period, and the Sharks won their third in a row.
Rookie Macklin Celebrini picked up the secondary assist on Eklund’s OT winner to extend his point streak to five games. The top pick in the draft has four goals and four assists during this stretch.
Sharks: They were far more prepared from the drop of the puck, and that paid off with Toffoli’s goal. Coach Ryan Warsofsky’s young, rebuilding team built some good habits that should benefit them in the long run.
Capitals: On a positive note, they did not allow four or more goals, as they have in the past three games. But they also lost their recent scoring touch, failing to adjust to the shots Blackwood was stopping with some ease.
With 2:17 left, Celebrini drew a 4-minute double-minor penalty for high-sticking on Tom Wilson to put the Sharks on the power play. That carried over into overtime, and Eklund scored on the 4-on-3 advantage.
The Sharks have won eight of their past 11 games in Washington.
The Sharks continue their road trip Thursday at Tampa Bay, while the Capitals visit Toronto on Friday.
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