WASHINGTON (AP) — Coaching Alex Ovechkin for three seasons has normalized his hot pursuit of Wayne Gretzky's NHL career goals record for Peter Laviolette ... “It’s incredible,” teammate Connor McMichael said. “Ever since I was a kid, I ...

WASHINGTON — Coaching Alex Ovechkin for three seasons has normalized his hot pursuit of Wayne Gretzky's NHL career goals record for Peter Laviolette. “Not a crazy thing at all,” Laviolette ...

Alex Ovechkin scored the fifth goal in a 7-4 win to get No. 872 and move 23 back of breaking Gretzky’s record of 894 that long seemed unapproachable.

Coaching Alex Ovechkin for three seasons has normalized his hot pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s NHL career goals record for Peter Laviolette. “Not a crazy thing at all,” Laviolette said before his New York Rangers faced Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals on Saturday.

The Rangers had come into Washington having stopped a four-game losing streak Thursday in Madison Square Garden against Boston. But they couldn’t build on it, and with the loss, the Rangers (17-20-1) have now failed to win consecutive games since they won three straight from Nov. 14-19.

For most of the last five weeks, the Caps have been engaged in low-scoring, tight-checking contests. But on Saturday afternoon against the New York Rangers at Capital One Arena, the Caps turned the clock back to their high-scoring ways of October and November,

The mounting losses have eroded nearly every part of the Rangers’ game, even the one that was once a foundational piece of their success.

The defense — team and individual — was leaky, which isn’t new. And the Rangers’ reliable penalty kill gave up two key goals, continuing a downward trend in what was really the last bastion of quality the team has had this season.

The Rangers' need for more center depth led to their decision to call up Bo Groulx from the Hartford Wolf Pack.

Connor Hellebuyck will surely start getting some additional rest later in the season, so the race at the top right now is between Nikita Kucherov and Nathan MacKinnon. This one comes down to games ...

Ryan Lindgren - Posts assist Thursday Lindgren registered a shorthanded assist in Thursday's 5-3 win over Utah. Impact Lindgren has four helpers over his last six games. The 26-year-old helped out ...

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