Alex Ovechkin scores 2 goals as Capitals blank Hurricanes 2-0

Alex Ovechkin scored two first-period goals and Ilya Samsonov stopped 23 shots for his first career shutout as the Washington Capitals beat the Carolina Hurricanes 2-0 on Monday night.

The win broke the Capitals' two-game skid and the Hurricanes' three-game winning streak.

Samsonov improved to 13-2-1. He's won eight straight games and hasn't lost since Nov. 15.

The first goal was the 685th for Ovechkin, moving him past Teemu Selanne for 11th place on the NHL's career list. It came at 11:58 of the first period.

Ovechkin's second goal at 17:01 was his 28th of the season and gave him seven multi-goal games in 2019-20. He needs four goals to tie Mario Lemieux for 10th place with 690.