Alex Ovechkin recorded a goal and three assists to reach 1,100 career points as the Washington Capitals ended a two-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night in Saint Paul, Minn.

Ovechkin scored his 34th goal of the season and 592nd of his career. He leads the NHL in goals this season, and the one he scored Thursday let him pass his total from last season.

Ovechkin also continued on a recent roll, as he has four goals and eight assists over the past seven games.

Washington's Tom Wilson had two goals and one assist, while Andre Burakovsky and Nicklas Backstrom each had a goal and an assist.

Burakovsky helped on the Ovechkin goal, and his goal in the third period produced a 3-0 lead to help the first-place Caps stay three points ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Metropolitan Division.

Washington also did something few teams have done lately -- beat the Wild at home in regulation. Minnesota now is 10-1-3 in its past 14 home games. The Wild had scored points in a franchise-record 13 straight home games.

Philipp Grubauer started in goal for Washington, giving Braden Holtby a night off, and he picked up the win with 32 saves.

Minnesota had won two in a row but came up with just third-period goals from Nino Niederreiter and Eric Staal.

Also for the Wild, Mikko Koivu played in his 900th NHL game and earned an assist on the Niederreiter goal. Mikael Granlund assisted on the second goal, giving him 14 points in 15 games.

Neither team scored in the first period, but Washington jumped on top with two goals early in the second. Wilson gave the Capitals a 1-0 lead with a long wrister from the left side after an Ovechkin pass just 59 seconds in.

Ovechkin struck at 5:51 of the period. He took a quick pass from Burakovsky after a Wild turnover and beat goalie Devan Dubnyk from the high slot for a 2-0 Washington lead.

Burakovsky made it 3-0 with a slick end-to-end rush at 2:29 of the third before the Wild finally scored.

Dubnyk finished with 22 saves.

--Field Level Media