Jose Theodore On Alex Ovechkin It wasn't the most exciting showdown between the Washington Capitals and Ottawa Senators, but instead, a goalie duel between rising starter Logan Thompson and rookie Leevi Meriläinen. Then, Alex Ovechkin did what he does best: steal the show. With both teams held scoreless through 60, the Capitals went to overtime for the fifth time in eight games, where Ovechkin scored to secure a 1-0 victory late in the 3-on-3 frame. Here are all the takeaways. ALEX OVECHKIN WINS IT IN OT, MOVES CLOSER TO WAYNE GRETZKY & MAKES MORE HISTORY The Capitals have been waiting for Alex Ovechkin to get back in the full rhythm of things since returning from a lengthy absence due to a broken leg. With all his attempts coming up fruitless, Ovechkin only got hungrier as the game went on, and ultimately, it fueled him to pot the game-winner. Ovechkin went on an odd-man break with Sandin in OT, and after collecting a nice pass off the entry, called his own number for his 874th career goal. He has 21 goals in 29 total games this season. The 39-year-old is now 21 goals away from passing Wayne Gretzky and added to his record number of OT winners with his 27th. Not only that, but he is now one goal away from passing Jaromir Jagr from the most game-winning goals in NHL history (135), and he has now scored on 179 different NHL goalies, a new record. CAPITALS START SLOW, THOMPSON & STRONG DEFENSE KEEP D.C. IN IT Washington didn't get off to the best start on the road, again struggling to get much going at 5-on-5. In the second period, Ottawa would turn up the heat, and Logan Thompson stepped up once again to shut the door. Thompson, making his third straight start with Charlie Lindgren on the injured reserve, stepped up between the pipes. He was sharp all night long, making impressive stops from in-tight and on set plays. The 27-year-old has more than shown his capability as a full-time No.1, impressing with 25 saves for his second consecutive shutout. All the while, The Capitals did a solid job of shutting down the Senators' top-scoring brass, going 3-for-3 on the penalty kill in an undisciplined second and blocking shots to keep Ottawa off the board. CAPITALS TURN UP HEAT IN THE THIRD, BUT SHOTS CONTINUE TO BE ISSUE As has been the trend, Washington started to find its game in the final frame of action, as D.C. took some momentum back and started generating more scoring opportunities. Still, it was a tight-checking game, and the Capitals again struggled to get pucks on net, an issue that's plagued them through this recent stretch. While Ovechkin would win it, there's still a lot to work out on offense. CAPITALS TOP-6 SHAKEN UP AGAIN With Washington failing to get much going at 5-on-5 until the final 20 minutes, coach Spencer Carbery tweaked the top-6 again. Alex Ovechkin was reunited with Dylan Strome on the top trio with Aliaksei Protas, while Pierre-Luc Dubois went to work with Connor McMichael and Tom Wilson.
