Capitals 5, Hurricanes 3
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Alex Ovechkin and Mike Green each scored twice and the Washington Capitals overcame a two-goal deficit and a hat trick from Jiri Tlusty to defeat the slumping Carolina Hurricanes 5-3 on Tuesday night at PNC Arena.
Washington's Nicklas Backstrom assisted on four goals as the Capitals passed the Hurricanes to move into second place in the Southeast Division. Goalie Braden Holtby made 31 saves for the Capitals.
Ovechkin, who also registered an assist, has a team-high 20 goals this season.
Joel Ward's short-handed goal with 44 seconds left in the second period pushed the Washington edge to 5-3. The Capitals scored on five of their 11 shots through two periods.
The Hurricanes, who've lost nine of their last 10 games, hasn't scored more than three goals in the last 10 games.
Carolina's home losing streak increased to five games.
It marked the first time the Carolina franchise lost with one of its players notching a hat trick since 1997 when the team was still called the Hartford Whalers.
Tlusty's second and third goals came on power plays. The Hurricanes scored more than one power-play goal in the same game for the first time since Feb. 12 against New Jersey.
Tlusty's third goal came 1:52 into the second period. It gave him a team-leading 17 goals this season and marked the 100th point in his six-year NHL career.
The Capitals tied the game at 2-2 by scoring twice in a two-minute stretching spanning the first and second periods.
Ovechkin's first goal came with 39 seconds remaining in the first period. Mike Green's power-play goal was delivered 42 seconds into the second period.
Ovechkin's penalty led to another Carolina power play, with Tlusty converting off a pass from Eric Staal just 1:52 into the second period.
But Green struck again less than three minutes later, taking a pass from Nicklas Backstrom and gliding toward the slot before unleashing a shot past goalie Dan Ellis. That marked the end of the action for Ellis, who was replaced by Justin Peters.
Tlusty's second goal came on a power play and it was set up by Marc-Andre Bergeron, who was acquired earlier in the day in a trade from Tampa Bay.
It was only the second power-play goal in five games for the NHL's worst team on the power play.
Washington also overcame a 2-0 hole to win in the same building March 14.
Carolina defenseman Joni Pitkanen was taken off the ice on a stretcher with 1:57 to play in the second period after he suffered an apparent lower leg or ankle injury as he slammed into the boards chasing the puck in an icing situation.
Ellis, playing for the first time since March 21 because he missed time with a cut on his leg, stopped 4 of 7 shots.
NOTES: Bergeron made his Carolina debut after he was acquired earlier in the day in a trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Hurricanes sent Adam Hall, who had been picked up off waivers from Tampa Bay a few weeks earlier, back to the Lightning along with a seventh-round pick in June's draft. ... Hall will have a chance to play against the Hurricanes when the teams meet Thursday night in Raleigh. ... Defenseman Bobby Sanguinetti was back in the Carolina lineup after missing four games with an upper-body injury. He was activated from injured reserve earlier in the day. ... Defenseman Jamie McBain was a Carolina scratch, sitting out for the first time since late February. ... Washington's scratches were left wing Wojtek Wolski and defenseman Jeff Schultz. They've both played in only two of the team's last seven games. ... Carolina right wing Tuomo Ruutu missed his second game in a row with a groin injury after appearing in four consecutive games following offseason hip surgery. ... The Capitals completed a three-game road swing. They have only four road games remaining across their final 12 games.
