Lindholm hat trick lifts Flames past Capitals in OT

WASHINGTON --Elias Lindholm completed a hat trick at 2:46 of overtime to give the Calgary Flames a 4-3 win against the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena on Saturday.

Lindholm scored the winner on a centering pass from Johnny Gaudreau for his sixth goal of the season. It was his second NHL hat trick; his other was March 8, 2015 when he was with the Carolina Hurricanes.
"It's always fun to play with a playmaker like [Gaudreau]," Lindholm said, "and for me, [my job is] to find open areas, and if I'm open, I know he will find me there and it's just my job to try to put them in, and right now they seem to go in."
Gaudreau had two assists, including his 500th NHL point, and Dan Vladar made 22 saves in his first start for Calgary (2-1-1). Vladar was acquired in a trade with the Boston Bruins on July 28.
Alex Ovechkin extended his point streak to five games (five goals, five assists) with a goal and an assist for Washington (3-0-2), which trailed 3-0 in the first period.
"Obviously it was a good thing we bounced back," Ovechkin said. "We don't give up and it shows our character. I think we knew there was still lots of time to bounce back."

Vitek Vanecek allowed three goals on 13 shots and was pulled after the first period. Ilya Samsonov made 13 saves.
Andrew Mangiapane gave the Flames a 1-0 lead when he knocked in the rebound of Noah Hanifin's shot on a power play at 9:27 of the first period. Gaudreau fed Lindholm at the top of the left circle to make it 2-0 at 10:59.
"He's been great for us," Gaudreau said. "Obviously, he's got a great shot. He finds that open spot in the slot there and we try to hit him as much as we can. Just a great player and excited to be playing with him."

Lindholm made it 3-0 with a shorthanded goal at 17:18. He forced a turnover, beat John Carlson to the puck in the offensive zone, made a move to his right, and lifted the puck over Vanecek's pad.
"We weren't as sharp as we needed to be," Capitals coach Peter Laviolette said. "Second to the battle, didn't skate fast enough, didn't move our feet fast enough. We got going in the second period and kind of flipped it around, but just not the start you're looking for."

Evgeny Kuznetsov got the Capitals within 3-1 when he stole the puck from Gaudreau and slid it past Vladar for a shorthanded goal at 2:55 of the second period. It was his fourth goal in three games.
"I think he's in really good shape. His mindset is in the right direction," Ovechkin said of Kuznetsov. "It's good for us, it's good for him. It's kind of fun to play with him. It's fun to see his smile, fun to see what he can do on the ice."
Martin Fehervary scored off a drop pass from Tom Wilson to make it 3-2 at 7:48 for his first NHL goal. Ovechkin tied it 3-3 with a shot from the left circle on the rush at 18:03.
"We knew they were going to come with a push, but they got the first one kind of early and it felt like we were on our heels for the rest of the period there," Lindholm said. "But we battled back in the third and, obviously, it's nice to get the win there in OT."
NOTES:Lindholm is the second Flames player to score in the first four games of the season (Gary Roberts, five games, 1989-90). … Gaudreau has 170 goals and 330 assists in 524 NHL games and has multiple assists in three straight games. … The Capitals power play did not score on four opportunities, is 0-for-14 over the past four games and has given up two shorthanded goals in that span. Washington began the season 3-for-6. … Ovechkin is six goals from tying Brett Hull (741) for fourth in NHL history. … Wilson has six assists during a four-game assist streak.