San Jose Sharks 1-5 Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals hit the San Jose Sharks early en route to a 5-1 win on their travels.
It took Dylan Strome seven and a half minutes to put the Caps in front. Just when it looked like the Sharks would go into the first intermission still in the running, Alexei Protas and Taylor Raddysh scored a pair in the space of a minute to make it 3-0. The visitors outshot their opponents 20-3 in the opening frame.
A goaltending change to start the second period helped as San Jose managed not to concede in those 20 minutes. In fact, they got a goal 6:19 into the third through Macklin Celebrini to cut into the deficit. Unfortunately for them, it would only get worse from there.
Trevor van Riemsdyk made it 4-1 a mere 40 seconds after Celebrini's marker. Then, Alex Ovechkin wrapped up the scoring with nine minutes left. The 'Great 8' is now eight goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky's goal-scoring record.
Washington are now up to 96 points with their 44th win of the season. That is the joint-best point tally in the NHL, along with the Winnipeg Jets. As for the Sharks, they have the fewest points in the league with 45. The defeat was their 41st in regulation time this season.
Toronto Maple Leafs 2-4 Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators scored a crucial 4-2 victory away to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
However, the Sens fell behind twice in the second period, following a scoreless open 20 minutes. William Nylander notched the Leafs in front 6:49 into the second, but Jake Sanderson tied things up a minute later. Once again, Ottawa found themselves losing as Auston Matthews made it 2-1 for the Leafs.
The dramatic second period ended with a David Perron equaliser with 7:44 left, before Claude Giroux added a power-play goal. That left Toronto chasing the game.
Throughout the final frame, the hosts tried to level the score. In the end, they were unable to do so. Mike Amadio scored an empty net goal with seven seconds to play to seal the win for the Senators.
Ottawa's fifth straight win put further distance between themselves and the rest of the teams chasing a playoff spot. They are now seventh spot in the Eastern Conference with 77 points. The Leafs, having lost their fifth from their last six, remain fourth in the conference on 81 points.