Ovechkin ends long hat trick drought

WASHINGTON (AP) — Alex Ovechkin produced his first hat trick in more than two years Saturday, leading the struggling Washington Capitals to a 5-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils.

Ovechkin entered the game with five goals in 16 games this season, only good enough to be tied for third on his own team, which began the day with a 5-10-1 record and 11 standings points, the fewest in the 30-team NHL.

But the two-time NHL MVP broke out in a big way, turning in his first three-goal game since a 4-1 victory at Toronto on Jan. 22, 2011.

Ilya Kovalchuk’s goal with 37.5 seconds left in the second period tied the game for New Jersey, but Ovechkin put Washington ahead to stay 1:23 into the third.

Kings 4, Avalanche 1

LOS ANGELES — Dustin Brown and Jeff Carter scored first-period goals, Trevor Lewis added his first career short-handed goal, and Los Angeles Kings won its third straight victory.

Anze Kopitar also scored and Jonathan Quick made 23 saves for the defending Stanley Cup champions, who won for the fifth time in six games after beginning the day 11th in the Western Conference and two points out of a playoff spot. Last season, the Kings became the first team in history to win the Cup as an eighth seed.

Oilers 3, Coyotes 2, SO

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Jordan Eberle scored in regulation and in the shootout as Edmonton Oilers snapped a two-game slide.

Sam Gagner also scored in the shootout and Teemu Hartikainen had the other goal in regulation for the Oilers, who rallied from a two-goal deficit to close out their five-game homestand 2-3.

Kyle Chipchura and Mikkel Boedker scored for the Coyotes, who had a two-game winning streak snapped. Phoenix goaltender Mike Smith was excellent with 41 saves, but couldn’t stop Eberle and Gagner in the shootout.

Red Wings 4, Predators 0

DETROIT— Jimmy Howard made 33 saves for his first shutout of the season, and Drew Miller scored an early goal as Detroit snapped a season-high, fivegame losing streak by beating Nashville.

Hats are thrown onto the ice as Washington Capitals fans celebrate Alex Ovechkin’s hat trick against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday.