WASHINGTON — John Carlson added three assists to his historic start, T.J. Oshie scored two power-play goals and the Washington Capitals beat the New York Rangers 5-2 Friday night for their second consecutive home victory.
Carlson assisted on each of Oshie’s goals and one by Michal Kempny in the Czech defenseman’s return from a hamstring injury. With 17 points, Carlson tied Edmonton captain Connor McDavid for most in the NHL, and he leads the league with 14 assists.
Carlson was already the seventh defenseman in NHL history with 14-plus points in his first eight games of the season and the first to do so in 30 years. He has six multipoint games in nine opportunities and set the franchise record for most points by a defenseman in October.
Oshie got credit for his first power-play goal when Rangers defenseman Marc Staal knocked the puck into his own net. He deflected Carlson’s point shot past New York goaltender Henrik Lundqvist for his second.
Kempny drove to the net and scored in the first period of his first game since tearing his left hamstring in March and undergoing surgery in April. The Capitals planned to ease the defenseman back into the lineup with limited minutes after being out so long.
Lundqvist stopped Jakub Vrana on a penalty shot and made 29 saves to help keep New York in the game in the second half of a back-to-back set. Pavel Buchnevich had a power-play goal, and top offseason addition Artemi Panarin scored his third of the season for the Rangers, who have only played five games this season to Washington’s nine.
PENGUINS 4, STARS 2: Kris Letang scored twice, including the go-ahead goal in the third period, and undermanned Pittsburgh rallied to win its fifth straight.
Letang dangled his way past a sliding Tyler Seguin to skate in and beat Anton Khudobin from in close 6:34 into the third, giving Pittsburgh its first lead. Patric Hornqvist doubled the advantage with 9:40 to go when he stood in the slot and deflected a point shot by Dominik Simon for his third goal of the season.
Jared McCann also picked up his third goal for the Penguins, who have won five straight despite playing without a handful of forwards, including star center Evgeni Malkin. Letang added an empty-netter in the final seconds.
AVALANCHE 5, PANTHERS 4: Nathan MacKinnon scored 3:30 into overtime to give visiting Colorado its sixth victory in seven games.
Playing after sustaining a leg injury Wednesday night in an overtime loss to Pittsburgh, MacKinnon beat Sergei Bobrovsky to the glove side.
Andre Burakovsky scored twice, Joonas Donskoi had a goal and two assists, Matt Nieto also scored and Philipp Grubauer stopped 40 shots for Colorado. Jonathan Huberdeau scored twice for Florida, Brett Connolly and Frank Vatrano added goals and Sergei Bobrovsky made 36 saves.
NOTES
DEVILS: The New Jersey Devils signed center Nico Hischier to a $50.75 million, seven-year contract extension.
Hischier’s new contract that kicks in next season counts $7.25 million against the salary cap. The 2017 first overall pick was set to be a restricted free agent this summer.
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