Ovechkin, Backstrom, Kuznetsov driving fast start by Capitals

Forward Alex Ovechkin and centers Nicklas Backstrom and Evgeny Kuznetsov continue to power the Washington Capitals' strong start this season.

Ovechkin had a goal and an assist, Backstrom scored a goal and had three assists, and Kuznetsov had two assists in the Capitals' 5-2 win at the New Jersey Devils on Friday, giving each player 10 points through the first five games of the season for Washington (3-1-1). Ovechkin has an NHL-leading nine goals and one assist, Backstrom has two goals and eight assists, and all 10 of Kuznetsov's points have been assists. They share the NHL lead in points.

The Capitals are the 10th team in NHL history to have three or more players with least 10 points through the first five games of a season. The last team to do so was the San Jose Sharks in 2012-13, when centersPatrick Marleau (nine goals, four assists) and Joe Thornton (three goals, 10 assists) each had 13 points and center Joe Pavelskihad 10 (two goals, eight assists).

Ovechkin continues to make history of his own. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, he's the fourth player in the NHL's expansion era (since 1967-68) to score nine goals through his team's first five games of a season, joining New York Islanders forward Mike Bossy (1984-85), Pittsburgh Penguins center Mario Lemieux (1988-89) and Marleau.

Ovechkin, a six-time winner of the Maurice Richard Trophy as the NHL's top goal-scorer, had four goals through nine games last season and finished with 33, his lowest total in a full season since he had 32 in 2010-11.

Ovechkin, Pominville, Quick named our 'Three Stars of the Night'

The Neutral Zone' hockey blog has named Alex Ovechkin, Jason Pominville, and Jonathan Quick as their 'Three Stars of the Night' for all NHL games that took place on October 5, 2017.

FIRST STAR, ALEX OVECHKIN, F, WASHINGTON CAPITALS

Alex Ovechkin is the second player in Capitals history to score a hat trick in a season-opening game (Mikhail Grabovski on Oct. 1, 2013).

SECOND STAR - JASON POMINVILLE, F, BUFFALO SABRES

Jason Pominville scored twice in his return to the Sabres lineup – his first multi-goal game with the team since Mar. 2, 2013.

THIRD STAR - JONATHAN QUICK, G, LOS ANGELES KINGS

Jonathan Quick became the third Kings goalie to post a shutout in a season opener, joining Rogie Vachon (1977) and Stephane Fiset (1996, 1999).

Caps' Alex Ovechkin finished playoffs with lower-body injury

By STEPHEN WHYNO
AP Sports Writer

Russian hockey officials announced Thursday that Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin played through injury before Washington was eliminated from the NHL playoffs in the second round by the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Ovechkin finished the playoffs dealing with a lower-body injury that required pain-numbing injections, the Russian Hockey Federation said in noting that Ovechkin would not be able to play for Russia at the world championships in Europe because of it. A person with direct knowledge of the situation confirmed the injury and treatment to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team hadn't announced it.

Ovechkin never let on that he was playing hurt. He had five goals and three assists in 13 playoff games as the Capitals flamed out again, eliminated in seven games by the defending Stanley Cup-champion Penguins . Coach Barry Trotz is expected to address all team injuries at his post-season news conference Friday.

It was not immediately clear when Ovechkin was injured or how severely. He did not miss a game but briefly left late in the first period Game 5 of the first round after clutching his knee following a hit from Toronto's Nazem Kadri, returning for the start of the second.

Ovechkin said after that game April 21 he was not worried about his knee and "just needed a little break." NHL teams are not required to disclose injury details, typically referring to them only as upper- or lower-body problems, which made Ottawa captain Erik Karlsson's admission of playing with two hairline fractures in one of his feet so stunning as it came while the Senators were still playing.

An odd lineup midway through the second round against Pittsburgh could make more sense now. Trotz moved Ovechkin to the third line before Game 5, slightly reducing his ice time and calling it a chance to spread out his offense and not a demotion. After the Capitals were eliminated on Wednesday night and Ovechkin played the seventh-most of any forward at even strength, Trotz demurred on a question about his 31-year-old captain's play.

"Emotionally right now, I don't want to answer that question," Trotz said after the 2-0 loss. "We win and lose as a team. That's probably my best answer right now. Emotionally, I don't think I want to answer that question at all."

Ovechkin has played at the world championships 12 previous times, including in 2013 when he finished the playoffs with a hairline fracture in his foot.

Russia also said Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov and defenseman Dmitry Orlovwould play at the world championships, which are going on in Paris and Cologne, Germany. Kuznetsov and Orlov are restricted free agents who need NHL contracts for next season, something that often leads players to decline an invitation to play for their national team.

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More AP NHL: http://apnews.com/tag/NHLhockey

News & Notes: Alex Ovechkin gets 1,000th point in Capitals win

OVECHKIN HITS 1,000-POINT MARK IN CAPITALS' SEVENTH STRAIGHT WIN

Alex Ovechkin scored twice, including the opening goal 35 seconds into the game, to become the first player in Washington Capitals history to reach 1,000 NHL points (546-455-1,001) and help them to their seventh consecutive victory.

* Ovechkin became the 84th NHL player (sixth active) to reach the milestone, doing so in his 880th game. Elias notes that 23 players have hit the mark in fewer games, the last being Jaromir Jagr (763 GP).

* Ovechkin, a six-time winner of the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy, scored his 545th and 546th NHL goals to move past the legendary Canadiens scorer, who scored 544 goals in 978 GP, into sole possession of 29th place on the League's all-time list.

* Ovechkin (21-14-35) also became the 16th player in League history to reach 20 goals in each of his first 12 seasons. His 21 goals share third in the NHL this season behind Sidney Crosby (26) and Jeff Carter (22).

WEDNESDAY'S RESULTS
Home Team in Caps
Florida 2, NY ISLANDERS 1
Montreal 7, WINNIPEG 4
WASHINGTON 5, Pittsburgh 2
CALGARY 3, San Jose 2

CAPITALS, FLAMES GAIN KEY STANDING POINTS, CANADIENS PAD LEAD

The Capitals (27-9-5, 59 points) and Calgary Flames (23-19-2, 48 points) each earned regulation wins against divisional rivals, while the Montreal Canadiens (26-10-6, 58 points) increased their lead atop the Atlantic Division:

* Nicklas Backstrom (1-3-4) and T.J. Oshie (0-3-3) helped Washington, the reigning Presidents' Trophy winner, move within one point of the Columbus Blue Jackets (28-8-4, 60 points) for first place in the NHL. Backstrom (3-8-11) and Oshie (2-5-7) have combined for five goals and 18 points in three games against the Pittsburgh Penguins this season.

* Rookie Matthew Tkachuk scored a goal and two points, and provided the screen for the tiebreaking goal by Dougie Hamilton (1-1-2), with 2:19 left in third period to help the Flames extend their home winning streak to four games and move within four points of the San Jose Sharks (25-15-2, 52 points) for first place in the Pacific Division. Tkachuk, who had a nine-game point streak from Dec. 19 to Jan. 7 (1-9-10), ranks fourth among NHL rookies with 27 points (eight goals, 19 assists) (40 GP).

* Rookie Artturi Lehkonen (2-1-3) had his first career multi-goal and multi-point games (33 GP) to help the Canadiens to their fourth consecutive road victory and a nine-point lead atop the Atlantic Division. Phillip Danault (2-0-2) also had his first NHL multi-goal game, including his third game-winning goal of the season.

NHL REVEALS JERSEYS, FORMAT FOR 2017 HONDA NHL ALL-STAR WEEKEND
The NHL unveiled the four jerseys and announced that the 3-on-3 All-Star Tournament will return when 2017 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend takes over Staples Center in Los Angeles from Jan. 26-29.

* The Pacific Division, featuring the hometown Los Angeles Kings, will wear a black jersey, while the other three teams -- the Central (purple), Atlantic (gold) and Metropolitan (white) -- also will don uniforms that feature colors worn by Los Angeles during its 50-year history. Click here for more information on the design, which was inspired partly by the League's Centennial and the Kings' 50th anniversary.

* The 2017 Coors Light NHL All-Star Skills Competition on Saturday, Jan. 28 has added incentive this year. The winning division will have the right to select its first opponent and when its semifinal game will be played during the 3-on-3 tournament on Sunday, Jan. 29. Click here for more information.

LOOSE PUCKS

Defenseman Jason Demers established a NHL career high with his eighth goal of the season, scoring the winner in the Florida Panthers' fourth straight road victory . . . Sharks defenseman Brent Burns (1-1-2) had his fourth consecutive multi-point game (2-7-9) to move into a share of fourth in League scoring (17-27-44 in 42 GP) . . . Penguins teammates Phil Kessel (2-6-8) and Justin Schultz (1-5-6), and Winnipeg Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers (5-3-8) each extended their point streak to six games . . . Capitals coach Barry Trotz earned his 685th win to move past Pat Quinn into sole possession of seventh place in NHL history. Trotz served his 1,401st career game behind an NHL bench to also surpass Quinn into eight place on the all-time list . . . The NHL Centennial Fan Arena, a touring tribute to a century of hockey thrills, will begin its three-day stay in Dallas today at Victory Plaza outside American Airlines Center.

SNEAK PEEK AT THURSDAY'S ACTION

All Times Eastern
Vancouver @ Philadelphia, 7 p.m., CSN-PH, SNP
Pittsburgh @ Ottawa, 7:30 p.m., RDS2, TSN5, ROOT
Buffalo @ Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m., SUN, MSG-B
Boston @ Nashville, 8 p.m., SNO, TVA Sports, FS-TN, NESN
Montreal @ Minnesota, 8 p.m., NBCSN, SNE, RDS
Detroit @ Dallas, 8:30 p.m., FS-SW+, FS-D
New Jersey @ Edmonton, 9 p.m., SNW, MSG+
Anaheim @ Colorado, 9 p.m., ALT2, PRIME
St. Louis @ Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m., SN, SN360, FS-W, FS-MW

HALL RETURNS TO EDMONTON FOR FIRST TIME SINCE TRADE

Taylor Hall, the No. 1 selection by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2010 NHL Draft, returns to Edmonton for the first time since being traded to the New Jersey Devils on June 29. Hall, who scored 132 goals and 328 points in 381 games with the Oilers, shares the Devils lead with 25 points (nine goals, 16 assists) this season, but was held off the scoresheet in his first game against Edmonton on Saturday (2-1 OT L).

- National Hockey League PR

Alex Ovechkin Earns 1,000th NHL Point

ARLINGTON, Va. – Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin earned his 1,000th career point in his 880th NHL game on Wednesday against the Pittsburgh Penguins, becoming the second-fastest active player to reach 1,000 points (Jaromir Jagr: 763 games) and the 24th-fastest player to record 1,000 points in NHL history. In addition, he is the 37th player in NHL history to record 1,000 points with one franchise and his 545 career goals are the second-most through a player’s first 1,000 points (Brett Hull: 560) in NHL history. 

Ovechkin has earned 1,000 points (545 goals, 455 assists) in 880 career games with the Capitals. He ranks first in franchise history in points (1,000), goals (545), power-play goals (202), shots (4,385), game-winning goals (94), overtime goals (19), power-play points (389), multi-goal games (110) and multi-point games (287). In addition, he ranks second in assists (455) and fourth in games played (880). Ovechkin was drafted by Washington in the first round, first overall, in the 2004 NHL Draft. 

Despite making his NHL debut in 2005-06, Ovechkin leads all players in power-play points since 2003-04, goals since 2000-01, game-winning goals since 1999-00, shots since 1998-99, power-play goals since 1997-98, hat tricks since 1996-97 (16), multi-goal games since 1995-96 and overtime goals since 1993-94. In addition, he leads the League in points since 2005-06, ranks second in multi-point games and ranks fourth in hits (2,366) among forwards. 

Ovechkin holds the Capitals single-season record in goals (2007-08: 65), power-play goals (2014-15: 25), power-play points (2005-06: 52), overtime goals (2010-11, 2013-14: 3) and shots (2008-09: 528). He recorded the second-most points in franchise history in 2007-08 (112), trailing Dennis Maruk’s 136-point season in 1981-82. During the 2008-09 season, Ovechkin registered 528 shots, marking the second-most shots in a season in NHL history (Phil Esposito: 550). He has recorded three of the top-six single-season shot totals in League history. 

The 6’3”, 239-pound left wing became the fifth-fastest player in NHL history to score 500 goals (801 games played) on Jan. 10, 2016 against Ottawa, trailing Wayne Gretzky (575 games), Mario Lemieux (605), Mike Bossy (647) and Brett Hull (693) as the fastest to reach the 500-goal plateau. He has recorded 50 goals in a season six times, joining Bossy (9), Gretzky (9), Marcel Dionne (6), Guy Lafleur (6) and Lemieux (6) as the only players in NHL history to record six or more 50-goal seasons. The Moscow native is the NHL’s leader in career goals by a Russian-born player and his average of 0.619 goals per game is fifth in NHL history (minimum: 300 games played), trailing only Bossy (0.762), Cy Denneny (0.755), Lemieux (0.754) and Pavel Bure (.623). 

Ovechkin ranks tied for first in NHL history in overtime goals, tied for 10th in game-winning goals, 13th in shots, tied for 16th in power-play goals and 29th in goals. He has been selected to eight NHL All-Star Games and has won the Hart Trophy three times, the Ted Lindsay/Lester B. Pearson Award three times, the Art Ross Trophy once, the Hart Trophy once and the Calder Memorial Trophy once.

- Washington Capitals PR

Alex Ovechkin named Team Russia captain

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia -- Alex Ovechkin will be Team Russia captain at the World Cup of Hockey 2016.

Team Russia on Wednesday also named Evgeni Malkin and Pavel Datsyuk its alternate captains for the tournament, which will begin at Air Canada Centre in Toronto on Sept. 17.

Ovechkin, who will turn 31 that day, last served as Russia captain at the 2014 IIHF World Championship in Minsk, Belarus. Russia won the gold medal in that tournament.

Ovechkin was named Washington Capitals captain on Jan. 5, 2010. He was 24 at the time.

Malkin, 30, has been a Pittsburgh Penguins alternate captain since the 2008-09 season. Datsyuk, 38, was an alternate captain for the Detroit Red Wings before leaving the NHL after last season and joining SKA St. Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League.

"[Ovechkin] and Malkin and Datsyuk, all these guys, they have a lot of respect," Team Russia right wing Nikita Kucherov said Monday. "We are young guys. We're just trying to follow them and listen to them. It's nice to have them."

Datsyuk was Russia captain for the 2014 Sochi Olympics, when it failed to win a medal as host country after being eliminated by Finland in the quarterfinals. It was the third consecutive Olympics when Russia did not win a medal.

Team Russia is hoping for a better result at the World Cup.

"We'll see how it goes," Ovechkin said earlier this week. "Everybody is trying to win the tournament. Everybody is trying to win their games, so we'll see how it goes."

Team Russia opened its training camp Monday at Yubileyny Sports Palace in St. Petersburg and will play its first pretournament game there Thursday against the Team Czech Republic (12:30 p.m. ET; ESPN3, SN, TVA Sports). It will face Team Sweden in its World Cup preliminary round opener at Air Canada Centre in Toronto on Sept. 18 (3 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVA Sports).

via NHL.com.

Ovechkin, Toews suspended for (going to be) missing All-Star Game; Ovechkin replaced by Kuznetsov

"The Neutral Zone" Staff Report

Alex Ovechkin

It was announced Thursday morning that Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin would not play in the 2016 NHL All-Star Game due to a lower-body injury.

Evgeni Kuznetsov will replace Ovechkin's in the game, while John Tavares will take captaincy of the Metropolitan Division team in the game.

Also, along with Jonathan Toews, Ovechkin will be suspended for his respective team's first game after the All-Star Game for missing the game.

Jonathan Toews

But what happened to Toews?

“[Toews] was pulled from Tuesday night’s third period because of an illness and remains symptomatic today,” Blackhawks team physician Michael Terry said in a release. “At this time, rest over the break is most important for him to properly recover and be fully healthy heading into the rest of the regular season.”

James Neal of the Nashville Predators will replace Toews in the game.

SoundBite: Ovechkin's 500th NHL goal

Here's a SoundBite of Alex Ovechkin's 500th goal, brought to you by Joey Gucciardo.

Ovechkin 'will play' against Rangers on Sunday

"The Neutral Zone" Roster Report

Alex Ovechkin

Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin will be in the team's lineup Sunday against the New York Rangers.

Ovechkin left practice early Saturday for precautionary reasons.

"He got a little bit of a tweak," Capitals coach Barry Trotz said on Saturday. "So we got him off. I'll say he'll definitely be playing tomorrow."

So far through 30 games this season, Ovechkin has 16 goals and 29 assists.