National Hockey League
Washington 5, San Jose 1
When: 10:30 PM ET, Thursday, February 14, 2019
Where: SAP Center at San Jose, San Jose, California
Referees: Francis Charron, Frederic L'Ecuyer
Linesmen: Shandor Alphonso, Travis Gawryletz
Attendance: 17562

T.J. Oshie scored two goals and added an assist as the visiting Washington Capitals defeated the San Jose Sharks 5-1 on Thursday night.

The result ended a six-game winning streak for San Jose and gave the Capitals their second consecutive victory in the city. Before last year's win in their only visit to San Jose, the Capitals had not won there since 1993.

Oshie reached the 500-point milestone with his three points. He scored one goal each in the first and second periods, the latter giving him the 500th NHL point.

Alex Ovechkin, Jakub Vrana and Tom Wilson each finished with one goal and one assist for the Capitals.

Washington turned in a much stronger defensive performance in front of goalie Braden Holtby and slowed the high-octane San Jose attack.

San Jose scored a 7-6 overtime victory over the Capitals in Washington in late January, but the Sharks couldn't do nearly as much this time. Holtby finished with 25 saves and earned his 20th victory this season.

Kevin Labanc gave San Jose an early lead with his goal 2:06 into the game, but it was all Washington after that. The Capitals tied it when Oshie scored on the power play just 92 seconds later.

Vrana gave the Capitals a 2-1 lead by scoring his 18th goal of the season from in front with 8:17 left in the first period. Oshie and Nicklas Backstrom earned assists.

Washington then added two more goals in the second period. Ovechkin scored the first, blasting a one-timer past goalie Martin Jones from the left circle after a quick cross-ice pass from Evgeny Kuznetsov at 4:14.

Oshie then took advantage of a San Jose mistake for the Capitals' fourth goal late in the period. The Sharks turned the puck over in their end, and Oshie scooped up the puck and came in alone on Jones and scored with 1:58 left.

With just under five minutes left in the game, San Jose pulled Jones, who finished with 24 saves. After a blocked shot, Wilson came in alone for an empty-net score. He has scored 15 goals, a career high.

San Jose defenseman Erik Karlsson missed his ninth straight game with a lower-body injury -- the San Jose Mercury News calls it a groin problem -- but the team feels he's getting closer to returning.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Washington   San Jose
T.J. Oshie 3 Points Kevin Labanc 1
T.J. Oshie 2 Goals Kevin Labanc 1
Nicklas Backstrom 2 Assists Tim Heed 1
T.J. Oshie 1 Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Braden Holtby .962 Save Percentage Martin Jones .857
Braden Holtby 25 Saves Martin Jones 24
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Washington 29 5 1-4 1-1 2 20
San Jose 26 1 0-1 3-4 8 25
Upcoming Games
  • San Jose will play their next game at home against Vancouver. The Sharks have a W/L % of .618 after a win and .542 after a loss.
  • Washington will play their next game on the road against Anaheim. The Capitals have a W/L % of .562 after a win and .538 after a loss.