WASHINGTON — A truism in the NHL for the past 20 years or so held true on the Washington Capitals’ home rink again Friday night:
You can contain Alex Ovechkin but only for so long. The greatest goal scorer in the history of this league will eventually find a way.
Held without a goal in the season’s first four games, Ovechkin moved one step closer to becoming the NHL’s first 900-goal scorer during the Minnesota Wild’s only regular-season visit to the District of Columbia. Ovechkin set up a first-period goal, and scored No. 898 of his career in the third period of Washington’s 5-1 win.
Marcus Johansson got a second-period goal for the Wild on a night where offense, and even shots on goal, were in short supply. Filip Gustavsson had 40 saves as Minnesota fell to 2-3-0 on the season and 0-2 in the first 40% of their current five-game road trip.
Trailing by a goal and making a push to tie early in the third, the Wild were instead victimized by the quick release of Ovechkin that has been fooling goalies since he was a rookie in 2005. Dylan Strome, who had scored in the opening period off a setup from Ovechkin, won a faceoff to the left of Gustavsson, and Ovechkin’s shot hit the back of the net before the goalie could react, putting Washington up by a pair of goals.
The goal and assist gave Ovechkin 40 points in 26 career games versus Minnesota. Strome added a second goal late in the third and Tom Wilson added a garbage time, power-play goal as the Capitals pulled away.
Defensively sound for the first 15 minutes, the Wild inexplicably got loose late in the first, and ended up in a deficit when Strome capped off a 2-on-1 rush with a tap-in after a cross-ice pass from Ovechkin. Minnesota’s NHL-best power play had the only man-advantage chance in the opening 20 minutes, only to see the Capitals do an exemplary job of getting in the way of the Wild’s shot attempts, and limiting the visitors to just one shot during the two minutes.
The penalty killers got a notable workload early in the middle frame when Jake Middleton was whistled for a four-minute high sticking penalty. Washington controlled the play and tested Gustavsson, but the Wild penalty killers were able to ice the puck at key moments and emerged unscathed.
But, in a refrain that is becoming standard early this season, the special teams success did not lead to five-on-five momentum. The Wild went more than 17 minutes without a shot on goal, testing Capitals goalie Logan Thompson just four times in the game’s first 36 minutes.
Minnesota finally solved Thompson — and scored five-on-five for the first time since the season opener — when Johansson plucked the puck out of the air with his glove, set it down, and ripped a rising shot through a crowd in front of the Washington net.
It was the first goal of the season from Johansson, who started the game at left wing on the Wild’s second line, with Joel Eriksson Ek at center and Vladimir Tarasenko on the other wing.
But the home crowd wasn’t quiet for long, as Washington took the lead back on the next shift, just 31 seconds later. Wild defender Jonas Brodin sprawled out to take away the cross-ice pass in front of Gustavsson. Instead, the puck fired by Aliaksei Protas deflected off Brodin’s leg, and off the inside of Gustavsson’s left skate, ending up in the net.
Thompson finished with 14 saves for Washington, which improved to 4-1-0 this season. The Capitals make their lone visit to Minnesota this season on Dec. 16.
The Wild’s road trip continues with a 6 p.m. CT game in Philadelphia on Saturday night.
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