SUNRISE, Fla. -- Alex Ovechkin deflected praise just as well as he deflected a game-winning shot Thursday night.

The greatness of Ovechkin -- he has 527 career goals and 90 game-winners -- is something no one can reasonably deny and it was on display again, even if it wasn't one of his more spectacular plays.

Indeed, Ovechkin scored a tiebreaking goal on his deflection with 12:27 left in the third period to lead the Washington Capitals to a 4-2 victory over the Florida Panthers at the BB&T Center.

Ovechkin got his stick on a soft shot from beyond the left circle by Matt Niskanen, who had two assists in nearly identical fashion.

"It was a good play by (Niskanen)," said Ovechkin, praising his teammate. "I think we (as a team) have the skill to redirect pucks.

"Obviously, it was a very big goal. We'll take it and go home."

After Ovechkin scored, Washington's Marcus Johansson added a goal with 1:20 left to provide the final margin.

Washington (3-0-1) also got first-period goals from Justin Williams and Evgeny Kuznetsov, beating Florida goaltender Roberto Luongo (25 saves).

Capitals goalie Braden Holtby, the reigning Vezina Trophy winner, earned the win, making 26 saves.

The Capitals shut down the Panthers in the third period, holding Florida to six shots on goal.

"We're pretty confident in our third periods," Holtby said. "We don't get too flustered."

Florida had tremendous variety among its goal scorers -- 44-year-old Jaromir Jagr recorded career goal No. 750 and rookie defenseman Michael Matheson registered his second. Matheson is half Jagr's age.

The Panthers (2-1-1) also got two assists from Aleksander Barkov, Florida's first-line center. Barkov is off to a hot start this season with two goals and three assists in four games.

Washington opened the scoring, getting Williams' goal with 11:35 left in the first period. The score was set up by defenseman Nate Schmidt, who skated wide left before centering the puck out in front, where two Capitals forwards -- Williams and Lars Eller -- awaited. Luongo stopped the initial try, but Williams rebounded his own shot and beat the goalie glove-side.

Two minutes later, the Capitals made it 2-0, and they did it by once again getting to the front of the net. Niskanen fluttered a soft shot toward goal. Kuznetsov turned an apparent non-threat into a goal by getting his stick on the shot, deflecting the puck down and past Luongo.

"They came really hard with their skill and speed," Matheson said. "They had a good start. I thought we got caught a little off guard at the beginning, but we adjusted pretty well."

Indeed, the Panthers turned things around, getting on the board with 6:13 left in the first period.

Defenseman Keith Yandle's shot from beyond the right circle was deflected over the net. The puck caromed beyond the left circle to Matheson, who beat Holtby after a deflection off the stick of Washington Johansson.

It was the first point for Yandle as a member of the Panthers after signing a seven-year, $44-million free agent contract in the offseason.

Perhaps encouraged by the Matheson goal, the Panthers dominated the second period, getting 13 shots on net compared to just four for Washington. Florida's aggressive play drew three Washington penalties in the period, and the Panthers finally converted on the third man-advantage with the goal by Jagr.

That goal, which tied the score 2-2, snapped a 0-for-11 power-play drought for the Panthers to start this season. Jagr, in typical fashion for him, scored from the slot, taking a centering pass from Barkov and immediately beating Holtby glove-side.

"We expect nothing less from Jagr," Panthers defenseman Jason Demers said. "Our power play is starting to click."

NOTES: Florida killed off its only penalty of the night and are 8-for-8 on their penalty kill this season. ... The Panthers also had a second-period near goal disallowed as the referee blew the whistle before the puck went in. ... Despite winning the Atlantic Division last season, the Panthers brought in nine new players. ... The Capitals' second line is comprised of three Swedish-born players: LW Andre Burakovsky, C Nicklas Backstrom and RW Marcus Johansson. ... The Panthers scratched LW Shawn Thornton and D Steven Kampfer. ... The Capitals scratched D Taylor Chorney and LW Zachary Sanford. ... Up next, the Panthers play host to the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday. ... The Capitals return home to face the New York Rangers on Saturday.