Capitals 7, Oilers 4
EDMONTON -- The Washington Capitals extended their winning streak to five games Friday at the expense of the Edmonton Oilers.
The Capitals scored three straight goals in the second period at Rexall Place to pull in front for good in a 7-4 victory that improved their record to 6-1.
Center Evgeny Kuznetsov led the way for Washington with three goals and two assists.
The Oilers, hoping to even their own record at 4-4, saw their three-game win streak come to an end and fell to 3-5.
It was a shootout from the word go.
Washington opened the scoring with an easy goal when Kuznetsov got behind the defense at 3:05 of the first period.
Edmonton tied it on a goal from left winger Benoit Pouliot at 10:59.
The Capitals jumped back in front when center Nicklas Backstrom scored 35 seconds into a power play at 12:07. Again, the Oilers fought back to tie it with left winger Rob Klinkhammer's first goal of the season at 15:00.
The Capitals made it 3-2 on left winger Marcus Johansson's goal at 19:39 of the first period.
The Oilers answered yet again on a power-play goal by rookie Connor McDavid just 36 seconds into the second period. It was the center's eighth point in eight games.
The Capitals pulled away with three goals in five minutes to take a 6-3 lead. Kuznetsov scored on a breakaway, left winger Andre Burakovsky made it 5-3 and right winger Justin Williams found the net at 11:49.
That spelled the end for Oilers goalie Anders Nilsson, who gave up six goals on 17 shots. But three were breakaways, two were back-door tap-ins and the other was deflection from the slot.
Oilers center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins made it 6-4 at 14:42 of the second period.
NOTES: The Oilers sent RW Andrew Miller back to AHL Bakersfield after a one-game audition and recalled RW Iiro Pakarinen. ... With D Griffin Reinhart injured, former captain, D Andrew Ference, played his second straight game after spending five of the first six in the press box. ... Oilers RW Nail Yakupov, after going a league-worst minus-68 over the last two seasons, went plus-one in his first seven games this season. ... Five goals in his first five games was the longest goal streak to start a season in RW Alex Ovechkin's career. His game-winner Thursday in Vancouver was his 81st, putting him fourth among active players. ... The Capitals rank first in the NHL in shots against per game (24.3). ... With Washington playing the second of back-to-back games on the road, G Philipp Grubauer made his first start of the season.