Ovechkin's 30th goal helps Capitals defeat Predators

NASHVILLE -- Alex Ovechkin scored twice to help Peter Laviolette get his 700th NHL win, a 4-1 victory by the Washington Capitals against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena on Tuesday.

Laviolette became the 10th coach to reach the milestone and tied Mike Babcock for ninth on the wins list. Laviolette, coaching at Nashville for the first time since being fired as Predators coach Jan. 6, 2020, is 700-455-137 with 25 ties in 1,317 games.
The Capitals (27-15-9) had lost three of their past four games.
"The fact that it's Nashville and this is the last stop that we had … for me, the win was really good for our team," Laviolette said. "It's been a bit of a roller coaster. The Ottawa (Senators) game (a 4-1 loss Sunday), you don't feel good about it. You lose a game at home and you want to get back and win a hockey game. It ends up being Nashville. That's just the way it was kind of dealt out. It was a good win for our team."
Ovechkin scored his 30th and 31st goals of the season, and Ilya Samsonov made 33 saves for Washington.
Ovechkin scored 30 goals for the 16th time in his 17 NHL seasons, one short of the NHL record held by Mike Gartner, who reached the mark 17 times in his 19 seasons.
"If we play like that, we move the puck quick, we control the puck, it doesn't matter, me or somebody else is going to score," said Ovechkin, the Capitals captain. "I just try to do my job."

Michael McCarron scored, and Juuse Saros made 24 saves for the Predators (28-17-4), who lost their third straight game.
"I liked [our] game tonight," Nashville coach John Hynes said. "I thought we had good energy. I thought we were on our toes, the things we talked about. It's icing a game that we feel gives us the best chance to win night in and night out, and play consistently.
"I think lots of times we talked about controlling what you can control, and I thought for the most part tonight, we did that."
Ovechkin made it 3-1 on the power play at 4:33 of the third period with a one-timer from high in the left face-off circle, then extended the lead to 4-1 with an empty-net goal at 18:37.
"I think it goes without saying his release is probably the best ever in the game," Predators defenseman Mark Borowiecki said. "He's a pure shooter. You know where he's going to be on the ice, right? Top of the circle on that far side. But for whatever reason, he still finds ways to get pucks to the net. It's just a testament to him and his skill. He's a tough guy to handle out there."
Joe Snively gave Washington a 1-0 lead at 4:17 of the first period, capping a 3-on-1 rush by tapping in Conor Sheary's pass across the crease. The forward has scored six points (three goals, three assists) in eight games this season, his first in the NHL.
McCarron tied it 1-1 at 2:43 of the third, scoring when the puck deflected off his body following a Roman Josi shot that was stopped by Samsonov.
Nick Jensen gave the Capitals a 2-1 lead at 3:27, shooting into a near-open net off a touch pass by Garnet Hathaway.

Hynes, who replaced Laviolette as Predators coach, said he appreciated his predecessor's milestone win.
"It's quite an accomplishment, I think, for Peter," Hynes said. "He's obviously accomplished a lot in the game. He's a great coach, good person. To be able to get 700 wins and have the longevity that he's had, I think it speaks volumes about him, not only as a coach, but I think as a person. I have a ton of a respect for him as a person and what he's accomplished in the game."
NOTES: Capitals defenseman Justin Schultz left the game with an upper-body injury in the first period. He's day to day, Laviolette said. … Washington scored the first goal of the game for an NHL-high 34th time this season. The Capitals are 21-9-4 in those games … Laviolette was 248-143-60 in 451 games over six seasons with Nashville (2014-20), including its first trip to the Stanley Cup Final, a six-game loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2017. … The Predators announced during the game that they signed Borowiecki to a one-year, $900,000 contract. The 32-year-old could have become an unrestricted free agent after this season. He leads Nashville defensemen with 136 hits this season.