Paul Carey got Washington to overtime with his first NHL goal then T.J. Oshie and Alex Ovechkin took over in the shootout as the NHL-leading Capitals rallied past the pesky New Jersey Devils 3-2 on Saturday.
Carey made the biggest play for the Capitals, deflecting a Matt Niskanen pass past Cory Schneider with 5:53 left in regulation, a day after being recalled from the minor leagues.
The Caps never trailed in the shootout.
Oshie beat Schneider between the pads on Washington’s first shootout attempt. Reid Boucher beat Washington goaltender Braden Holtby on the Devils’ third chance. Ovechkin then won it with a backhander.
Also, the Detroit Red Wings routed the New York Islanders 5-1 for their first home win of 2016, a game delayed 36 minutes by a malfunctioning Zamboni that chopped up a section of the ice, and the New York Rangers beat the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 in a shootout to win consecutive games for just the second time since mid-November.
In Detroit, where the Red Wings hadn’t won since Dec. 20, Dylan Larkin and Tomas Tatar each had a goal and an assist.
The Rangers lost captain Ryan McDonagh midway through the first period when he was knocked out by Wayne Simmonds’ punch.
But they improved to 3-2 in tiebreakers this season while Philadelphia dropped to 2-5.
The Flyers had won three straight, and led 1-0 and 2-1 but couldn’t hold on.
NHL-leading Capitals roll on with shootout win over Devils
