Alex Ovechkin scored his 778th career goal and the Washington Capitals never trailed in defeating the Avalanche 3-2 on Monday night and snapping Colorado’s nine-game winning streak.
Ovechkin, who trails only Wayne Gretzky (894) and Gordie Howe (801) in all-time NHL goal-scoring, broke a 1-1 tie with a power-play goal in the second period. After Colorado tied it 2-2 early in the third, Washington winger Marcus Johansson struck for the winner just 2:33 later.
It was the first loss of a four-game homestand for Colorado (55-14-6), which remains at 116 points — two shy of the club record set by the Stanley Cup-winning team of 2000-01.