Ovechkin Postgame WASHINGTON — It was a relatively quiet afternoon to kick things off between the Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets. Then, Charlie Lindgren and Alex Ovechkin kicked things into higher gear to put D.C. back in a playoff spot. Ovechkin struck twice and Lindgren dazzled scored en route to a huge 3-0 win for the Capitals over the Jets, helping D.C. steal back the second Wild Card spot for the tim being. Here are all the takeaways from the win. JOHN CARLSON & POWER PLAY STAY HOT TO IGNITE OFFENSE, OVECHKIN STRIKES TWICE With things relatively quiet, the Capitals had the chance to change the tempo on a power play to open the third period, and the man advantage delivered once again. After a bit of a scramble in front, Max Pacioretty found John Carlson wide open at the point, and No.74 made no mistake, firing a rocket past Connor Hellebuyck to make it a 1-0 game. Carlson now has points in five straight outings as he closes in on his 1,000th NHL game. Washington's power play now has goals in four straight contests, with seven goals in that span, and has converted in 13 of the last 15 games. Minutes later, Alex Ovechkin fired home a shot off the face-off to make it a 2-0 game. It marked his fifth straight game with a goal, and it is also marked his 18th 25-goal campaign, the second-most 25-goal seasons in NHL history. He wasn't done there, though, as later in the frame, he drove to the crease and snuck a backhander past Hellebuyck to put his team up 3-0. He now has seven goals in his last four games, 26 on the season and 848 in his career, and he needs just 47 more goals to pass Wayne Gretzky for the most in NHL history. CHARLIE LINDGREN, DEFENSE HOLD DOWN FORT Despite the low-event game and even score, Winnipeg tilted the ice in the second period, dominating 11-3 in shots on goal and getting two power-play opportunities. Fortunately for D.C., Charlie Lindgren and the defense were able to hold down the fort and shut down the likes of Kyle Connor, Tyler Toffoli, Mark Scheifele and more. Lindgren made some impressive stops over the course of the game, flashing the leather and staying posied to handle odd-man breaks and in-tight chances. He finished the night with 27 saves for his fifth shutout of the season. He also had some help in front of him, as D.C. combined to block 15 shots, and the penalty kill went 2-for-2. T.J. OSHIE HONORED FOR 1,000 GAMES AS HE MAKES RETURN FROM INJURY Washington also took the time during the game to pay tribute to T.J. Oshie for 1,000 NHL games. The Capitals winger, who returned to game action after missing the last two otuings with an upper-body injury saw his teammates wear his No. 77 in warmups, and he was honored in a pregame ceremony where he received gifts from the league, his organization and his teammates. Patrick Kane, David Backes, Kevin Shattenkrik and more players sent videos in support of Oshie that played over the course of the game. In his first game back from injury, Oshei picked up two assists. CAPITALS LOSE SONNY MILANO TO INJURY Washington was playing shorthanded on the right side to close out Sunday's game, as Sonny Milano suffered an upper-body injury in the first period and left the gmae. It is unclear exactly what happened to Milano, but he played just four shifts and 2:37 minutes total before leaving the game. On his last shift, he took a bump along the boards from Brenden Dillon, but didn't appear to be in discomfort. Losing Milano is tough for the Capitals, who are already short on the right side with Tom Wilson suspended for six games. TOP SHELF TAKES - Connor McMichael picked up an assist and has points in three striaght and six of his last seven overall. - Dylan Strome extended his point streak to four games with an assist. - Aliaksei Protas was impressive in his return from a lower-body injury and had four shots. - Martin Fehervary led D.C. with nine hits.
