Alex Ovechkin scores 2 goals to help Capitals edge Wild 3-2

Minnesota Wild’s Jared Spurgeon,right, keeps Washington Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin of Russia occupied near the net in the first period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, March 19, 2015, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Jim Mone) (The Associated Press)

Minnesota Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk, right, dives to stop a shot by Washington Capitals’ Jason Chimera, left, in the first period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, March 19, 2015, in St. Paul, Minn. Also defending is Wild's Matt Dumba (55). (AP Photo/Jim Mone) (The Associated Press)

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Alex Ovechkin scored two goals, helping lift the Washington Capitals past the Minnesota Wild 3-2 on Thursday night.

Evgeny Kuznetsov also had a goal, and Braden Holtby stopped 28 of 30 shots as the Capitals won their third straight.

Ovechkin's 13th multigoal game this season improved his NHL-leading goal total to 47.

Minnesota got goals from Christian Folin and Jared Spurgeon, while Devan Dubnyk made 24 saves.

Late in the second period, the Capitals scored twice during a 4-on-4 stretch to jump ahead. Minnesota's Zach Parise and Washington's Tom Wilson went to the penalty box on coincidental minors, and the Capitals went to work.

First, Ovechkin scored his 46th goal of the season with 4:35 to play in the second to put Washington on top 1-0. Ovechkin blasted a shot from the top of the left circle that Dubnyk kicked out. But Ovechkin gathered the rebound in the high slot and fired it past the Minnesota goalie, who was starting his 30th straight game.

Just 39 seconds later, Evgeny Kuznetsov pounced on a turnover in front of the Minnesota net and doubled the Capitals' lead. Minnesota defenseman Jonas Brodin tried to play the puck between his skates, but lost control of it. Kuznetsov picked up the puck, put a move on Dubnyk to get him off-balance, then tucked it home for his ninth of the season.

The Wild got one back before the end of the period, as Parise fed the puck cross-ice to Folin on a late rush into the Capitals zone. Folin beat Holtby on his glove side with just 8.2 seconds remaining in the period.

Early in the third, Ovechkin put Washington on top 3-1, rifling a low shot past Dubnyk after Nicklas Backstrom won a faceoff in the Minnesota end.

Spurgeon scored a power-play goal with 5:56 to play to cut Washington's lead to 3-2. Camped by the left post, he batted the puck out of midair behind Holtby for his ninth goal of the season.

NOTES: The Capitals were 0-7-0 at Excel Energy Center before the win. ... Minnesota D Matt Dumba entered with a negative plus/minus rating in just one of his previous 15 games. ... Capitals D Brooks Orpik returned to the lineup after missing four games with a lower-body injury.