Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin celebrates with Nicklas Backstrom after scoring a goal against the Ottawa Senators in the first period at Capital One Arena in Washington, on Nov. 22, 2017.Geoff Burke
Alex Ovechkin scored his first goal in seven games, Jakub Vrana had two goals for the first time in his career and the Washington Capitals defeated the Ottawa Senators 5-2 on Wednesday night.
Ovechkin's 14th goal came in his first game this season as linemates with Nicklas Backstrom, who led the team in assists last season. Backstrom assisted on the play.
Evgeny Kuznetsov added a goal and two assists, and Alex Chiasson had a goal and an assist for the Capitals, who have earned at least a point against the Senators in nine consecutive meetings.
Braden Holtby made 29 saves to help Washington avoid its first set of back-to-back home losses this season.
Ryan Dzingle scored on a second-period power play for Ottawa before the Senators failed to capitalize later in the period on a 5-on-3 advantage that lasted 76 seconds.
Mike Hoffman added a second consolation goal with 7:14 left in the game. Chiasson's late empty-netter sealed Ottawa's fourth straight defeat since sweeping a two-game series against Colorado in Sweden from Nov. 10-11. The Senators have been outscored 14-5 during that stretch.
Capitals coach Barry Trotz had resisted pairing Ovechkin and Backstrom this season, even though the two had played together frequently in each of their 10 previous campaigns in Washington.
But with both mired in long goal droughts, Trotz changed course on Wednesday.
It paid off in the final moments of the first period, when Backstrom found Chiasson on the right with a long pass from his own zone. Chiasson played it on to a streaking Ovechkin, who finished his breakaway with a wrister past goalie Craig Anderson with five seconds left.
Backstrom remains without a goal in his last 16 games.
Ovechkin's tally made it 2-0 after Vrana had poked home the rebound of Kuznetsov's shot less than five minutes earlier.
Kuznetsov scored on Washington's first power play early in the second period, and Vrana added his second goal two minutes later on Kuznetsov's second assist.
NOTES: Ottawa claimed C Gabriel Dumont off waivers from Tampa Bay. ... Senators D Thomas Chabot, who is 20, played in his first game since Oct. 14 after being recalled from AHL Binghamton on Monday. ... D John Carlson got his 16th assist of the season and 11th point in November, tying him with Kuznetsov for the most by a Capitals player this month. ... The Senators and Capitals conclude their three-game season series on Feb. 27 in Washington.
UP NEXT
Senators: Friday night at Columbus.
Capitals: Friday at home against Tampa Bay.