Holtby guides Capitals past Flames
CALGARY, Alberta -- Right winger Brett Connolly and left winger Marcus Johansson scored first-period goals and goalie Braden Holtby stopped 21 of 22 shots he faced as the Washington Capitals downed the Calgary Flames 3-1 on Sunday.
Johansson's power-play marker stood up as his second straight game-winning goal for the Capitals (5-2-1), whose 5-2 road win over the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday snapped a two-game losing streak.
Johansson then added an empty-net goal in the third period to finish with his second-straight two-goal game.
For Connolly, who signed a one-year contract with Washington in the off-season, it was his first goal for the Capitals in his fourth game.
Mikael Backlund scored in the first period for the Flames (4-5-1), whose winning streak ended at three straight games.
Making his fourth straight start in net for the Flames, Brian Elliott finished with 26 saves.
It did not take long for the Capitals to open the scoring as Connolly one-timed a pass from center Jay Beagle past Elliott just 2:01 after the puck dropped to start the game. Left winger Zachary Sanford also drew an assist for his first NHL point.
Johansson then finished off a nice three-way passing play to put the Caps up 2-0 at 7:14. Left winger Alex Ovechkin shoveled a pass from center Nicklas Backstrom toward the net and Johansson neatly redirected the puck past Elliott.
Backlund pulled the Flames within a goal at 13:44 of the opening frame when he snapped a shot to the stick side past Holtby.
Early in the second, Holtby made a nice pad save to stop a wrist shot from the slot off the stick of right winger Micheal Ferland.
During a power play for the Capitals, Elliott stood his ground to turn aside a point-blank shot by Ovechkin before also making a nice glove save to stop a blistering slap shot from the point by defenseman John Carlson.
NOTES: The Flames went with the same lineup they did at home on Friday when they beat the Ottawa Senators 5-2, meaning that D Niklas Grossmann, D Brett Kulak and C Freddie Hamilton were scratched. ... The Capitals also didn't make any changes from the lineup they iced in Vancouver on Saturday during their 5-2 win over the Canucks. D Taylor Chorney and LW Daniel Winnik sat out as healthy scratches again against the Flames. ... Capitals LW Alex Ovechkin, who had his four-game goal-scoring streak snapped in Vancouver, had nine goals and added 10 assists in 12 career games against Calgary before Sunday. ... Of their 16 games in November, the Flames will play 11 of them on the road, including a four-game road trip that starts on Tuesday in Chicago against the Blackhawks. ... The Capitals will wrap up their four-game swing through western Canada on Tuesday in Winnipeg when they face the Jets.