Ovechkin ties Esposito, Capitals shut out Sabres for fifth straight win

BUFFALO -- Alex Ovechkin scored his 717th goal to tie Phil Esposito for sixth in NHL history, and the Washington Capitals won their fifth straight game, 6-0 against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center on Monday.

Ovechkin scored from the slot at 16:21 of the third period to make it 6-0.
"I grew up in Massachusetts watching Phil, so to be able to grow up and watch him and the player he was ... he was an unbelievable player, unbelievable goal scorer," Capitals coach Peter Laviolette said. "Now to get a chance to work with Ovi and have these two guys sitting here at the same number is pretty, pretty incredible. So I am really happy for 'O.' He works hard, and really he takes pride in his game and takes pride in doing the best he can to put that puck on net. It was great to watch him score that goal there."
Ovechkin has scored a goal in three straight games and in four of the past five.
"Obviously, it's nice to be in this company," the 35-year-old left wing said. "I just do what I have to do. I try to use my chances and move on."

Vitek Vanecek made 23 saves for his first NHL shutout for Washington (18-6-4).
"He's played really well for us. I've said it before, he's given us a chance to win on a nightly basis," Laviolette said of the 25-year-old rookie, who is 12-5-3 with a 2.74 goals-against average and .908 save percentage. "He's done a really good job. It's nice for him to get his first shutout, and I thought the guys were really good for two periods, and then he had to work for it a little bit in the third and was able to get it done, and our guys were really happy for him."
Carter Hutton made 24 saves for Buffalo (6-17-4), which was shut out for the second straight game ( and has lost 11 in a row (0-9-2).
"It's not easy right now," Sabres forward Kyle Okposo said. "It's not easy, this is not an easy situation. Guys care; it's just not happening right now. I don't know how else to put it. It's just, it's tough. We're in a really tough spot here. Guys are trying, and it's just not working. I don't know what else to say."

Evgeny Kuznetsov scored from the right half-wall three seconds after a power play expired to give the Capitals a 1-0 lead at 18:46 of the first period.
The Sabres had 12 shot attempts in the first period but only two were on goal. They were outshot 13-2 in the period.
"'Hutts' keeps us in it in the first," Buffalo forward Sam Reinhart said. "They get a tough one [after] the power play. After he's making some five or six Grade A scoring opportunities against, he's keeping us in that game."
Nicklas Backstrom swept in the rebound of a T.J. Oshie shot at the side of the net to make it 2-0 at 2:41 of the second period.
Richard Panik made it 3-0 at 5:59 with a one-timer from the top of the left face-off circle.

Daniel Sprong extended it to 4-0 when he scored on a breakaway at 15:07.
"Obviously, a solid shot," Ovechkin said of Sprong, who has scored a goal in three of the past four games. "I always tell him, 'Just shoot the puck and you never know what's going to happen.' I think right now he's on a hot streak and he looks good, and it's good for us."
Garnet Hathaway tipped in defenseman Justin Schultz's shot from the point to make it 5-0 at 6:46 of the third period.
"I think that's been a big problem for us, is burying our offensive opportunities," Okposo said. "I've never seen it through 27 games like the way it's gone with essentially everybody. It's just unfortunate. It's tough, it's tough right now."
NOTES: Ovechkin is 14 goals behind Marcel Dionne for fifth in NHL history (731). … Schultz, forward Conor Sheary and defenseman Nick Jensen each had two assists for the Capitals. … Kuznetsov's goal was his 400th NHL point. … Backstrom played his 984th NHL game, passing Calle Johansson for second in Washington history behind Ovechkin's 1,176. … The Sabres, who lost 3-0 to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday, have been shut out in consecutive games twice in their past 10 after also losing 3-0 to the Philadelphia Flyers in back-to-back games Feb. 27 and 28. … Buffalo has not won since Feb. 23 (4-1 at the New Jersey Devils) and has been outscored 46-17 in the 11 consecutive losses.