Dmitry Orlov’s second-period slap shot sends Capitals over Jets

With a NY Rangers loss to Montreal tonight, the Caps pulled to within three standing points of the Metro Division lead.

Orlov has 39 career points in 140 career games (all with the Capitals). He has earned nine points in his last seven games (11/12-11/25: 3g, 6a).

Both of Orlov’s tie-breaking goals in the last two games were on left-handed slap-shots.

“We’re playing some good hockey, (but) there’s another level there that we need to get to and it’s not all right just to play good hockey in this league”, Ladd said.

Justin Williams, Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom also scored for Washington.

John Carlson added two assists for the Capitals for his third multi-assist game this season. It wouldn’t last very long, as Andrew Ladd and Tyler Myers would score first period goals to lead the Jets to a 2-1 first period lead.

Williams started the scoring just 1:12 into the game.

Ovechkin made it 2-2 on a power play with 1:14 left.

Nick Backstrom gave the Caps a brief lead at 10:03 of the second with his eighth of the year, tipping in a Nate Schmidt cross-crease pass after Schmidt activated with the puck deep into Winnipeg’s zone. Perreault, who once played for the Capitals, tied the score for Winnipeg at 3-3 on the power play thanks to Blake Wheeler’s screen of goalie Braden Holtby, who had 23 saves.

“We’re pushing for offense”, Winnipeg coach Paul Maurice said. “We’re not a particularly good defensive team, and we’ve been chasing a lot of games”. Washington LW Andre Burakovsky returned to the lineup after coach Barry Trotz scratched him the past two games.

Kuznetsov added a goal in the third – his eighth – for cushion, a nifty backhand on an assist by Marcus Johansson after the Swede created a turnover just outside the Winnipeg zone and fed the streaking Kuznetsov down the slot. Before his goal against the Avalanche, Orlov had gone over 18 months since his last National Hockey League goal.

Washington defenseman Dmitry Orlov doesn’t dwell on the fact that he lost last season to a broken wrist.