Toronto: Alex Ovechkin had a hat-trick to help the Washington Capitals beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 on Saturday night. Ovechkin scored two of his three goals in the opening period for the Capitals. Jakub Vrana also scored, and Braden Holtby made 27 saves for his 13th victory of the season.
Jake Gardiner and Nikita Zaitsev scored in the third period for Toronto. Ovechkin opened the scoring when he skated with the puck through the neutral zone before taking a wrist shot from just outside the left face-off circle and beating McElhinney at 12:03. It was Ovechkin’s 574th goal, which moved him past Mike Bossy for 21st on the career list. In Pittsburgh, Sidney Crosby and Phil Kessel each scored twice and Pittsburgh beat Tampa Bay 5-2 to end a season-high three-game losing streak.
