Alex Ovechkin scored the game-winner and Ilya Samsonov made 19 saves to lead the Washington Capitals to a 3-2 win over the host New Jersey Devils in NHL action Sunday.
The Capitals swept the two-game series in New Jersey, beating the Devils 5-2 on Saturday.
Tom Wilson had two assists, Jakub Vrana scored and had an assist and Nicklas Backstrom also scored once. Mikhail Maltsev and Yegor Sharangovich replied for the Devils, while goalie Mackenzie Blackwood made 20 saves in the Devils' losing effort.
Samsonov made his first start for the Capitals since mid-January when he tested positive for COVID-19 and entered league protocol. He returned to practice on Feb. 8 and was sent to the AHL Hershey Bears for four conditioning starts where he posted a 2-1-1 record and 3.25 goals-against average.
Samsonov looked to struggle a bit early letting a Maltsev shot whizz right past him to put the Devils up 1-0 at 6:45 of the first. Vrana got the Capitals to 1-1 tie heading into the intermission, taking a tap pass from Wilson at the red line to go 5-hole on Blackwood.
Backstrom gave the Capitals a 2-1 lead at 2:32 of the second, but Sharangovich got the Devils back into a tie just 48 seconds later. The 22-year-old rookie started the play in the Devils end, then raced up the ice to take a lead pass from Miles Wood to beat Samsonov.
The Capitals regained the lead at 13:37 when Ovechkin finished a give-and-go with Lars Eller, wiring the puck into the top corner past Blackwood.
Neither team capitalized on a third-period power play. The Devils went up a man with Wilson in the box for slashing but couldn't solve Samsonov. The Devils were tagged with a penalty for too many men at 13:12 and withstood the Capitals' man-advantage.
Both teams finished 0-for-3 on the power play.
--Field Level Media
