Angry Capitals beat Oilers 4-2 to snap 2-game skid
WASHINGTON — Angry and determined to find some consistency, the defending Stanley Cup champion Capitals got contributions from unlikely sources to snap their two-game skid.
The new-look fourth line scored twice in the first six minutes, backup goaltender Pheonix Copley made 31 saves and Washington beat the Edmonton Oilers 4-2 on Monday night. Alex Ovechkin scored on the power play to continue his climb up the career list, T.J. Oshie had the winner, but the Capitals essentially won the game on quick goals by Jakub Vrana and Devante Smith-Pelly that the Oilers couldn’t recover from.
“We needed that win and we knew they have a pretty good team,” Ovechkin said. “I think tonight the (fourth) line set the tone. Two shifts, two goals, it’s pretty big.”
Vrana scored 2:44 into his first shift after coach Todd Reirden demoted him to the fourth line following a turnover in a mistake-filled overtime loss to Dallas on Saturday. Travis Boyd assisted on each of the first two goals in his season debut as the Capitals came out flying and jumped all over Cam Talbot and the Oilers.