WASHINGTON — Alex Ovechkin scored for the primary time this season, Dylan Strome added two targets and the Washington Capitals beat the Minnesota Wild 5-1 on Friday night time for his or her fourth straight victory.

Ovechkin’s third-period shot pinged off the left put up and in, and the gang roared its approval when the counter above one nook of the ice was flipped to 898, his new profession complete. The NHL’s profession chief in targets additionally had an help as a part of a dominant exhibiting at residence for Washington.

Logan Thompson allowed solely ex-Capital Marcus Johansson’s tally within the second. That tied it at 1, however Aliaksei Protas answered 31 seconds later.

Minnesota entered the sport with the league’s prime energy play, having scored on 10 of 21 alternatives. However the Capitals took solely two penalties and killed each. Washington completed with a 45-14 edge in pictures.

Ovechkin handed up an excellent capturing alternative from the best facet, as a substitute discovering Strome for a simple tap-in to open the scoring within the first. Washington failed to attain on a double-minor penalty on Minnesota’s Jake Middleton within the second. Then, Johansson beat Thompson with a wrist shot with 3:13 to play in that interval.

That snapped a streak wherein the earlier 9 Minnesota targets had come on the facility play, and it was simply the third five-on-five rating allowed by Washington this season.

The Capitals answered shortly with Protas’ fourth aim this season. The 6-foot-6 ahead was left open to the left of the aim. With teammate Connor McMichael on the alternative facet of the crease, Protas despatched the puck towards the web, and it slipped previous goalie Filip Gustavsson.

Ovechkin’s aim within the third got here instantly after Strome received a faceoff to him within the offensive zone. Then, Strome knocked in a rebound to make it 4-1. Tom Wilson added a power-play aim with 1:57 remaining.