WASHINGTON – Alex Ovechkin and Matt Hendricks scored in the third period and goalie Braden Holtby made 40 saves in the Washington Capitals' 2-1 comeback victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night.
The Capitals ran their winning streak to seven with their fifth straight win over Carolina this season.
Ovechkin scored his 28th goal of the season to extend his points streak to seven games.
Carolina's Tuomo Ruutu scored late in the second period to briefly give his team the lead. The Hurricanes are two points behind the New York Ranges for eighth place in the Eastern Conference.
Holtby won two days after his first career shutout in a 5-0 win against Edmonton.
Cam Ward made 24 saves for Carolina.
After the five-goal game against Edmonton on Wednesday night the Capitals' offense got off to a slow start against Carolina. Both teams had good scoring chances early, but neither team got on the scoreboard until Ruutu's shot from the left circle got past Holtby with 36 seconds lefty in the second period.
Ovechkin quickly answered, scoring 47 seconds into the third period. Marcus Johansson brought the puck past the blue line and made a touch pass behind him to the trailing Ovechkin, who fired the puck past Ward.
Washington's winner came after killing off Jason Arnott's hooking penalty when Arnott ended up with a breakaway chance after coming out of the penalty box. Ward went to the ice to save Arnott's shot, but the puck bounced off and Hendricks skated in to score.
NOTES: Washington C Nicklas Backstrom sat out his second straight game because of a left hand injury, the first games he has missed in his four-year career. Backstrom played in his first 313 games, the third-longest streak in Capitals history. ... Carolina is 21-1-0 this season when leading after two periods.
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