Washington Capitals: Top 3 studs against Devils

#1 Alex Ovechkin

After Backstrom’s goal, Washington’s lead was short lived as the Devils tied it 48 seconds later. At 13:37, Alex Ovechkin would save the day by finally scoring a goal. It was his first goal in four games. Ovechkin finished the afternoon with six shots on goal.

It was Ovechkin’s seventh goal of the season. He is now five goals shy of passing Phil Esposito (717) for the sixth most goals in NHL history. It was Ovechkin’s 362nd on the road. That is tied with Steve Yzerman for the second most road goals in NHL history. Wayne Gretzky has the record with 402.

It was also Ovechkin’s 246th career regular season game winning goal. He trails only Brett Hull (264) and Jaromir Jagr (262) for the most in NHL history.

Peter Laviolette spoke highly of Ovechkin’s efforts. Via Samantha Pell of The Washington Post (subscription required):

"“I thought he was on his game right away. He was hard-charging. He was skating. He was looking to find lanes. He was looking to bring pucks to the net, and when that happens, good things will happen. So I thought he was strong from start to finish.”"

Those are our top 3 studs from Sunday’s win. The Caps have two games against the Boston Bruins this week beginning on Wednesday night.