WASHINGTON (AP) — T.J. Oshie had a hat trick against his old team, Dylan Strome added a goal and an assist, and the Washington Capitals won their second consecutive game by beating the St. Louis Blues 5-2 on Thursday night.
Oshie, who played his first seven NHL seasons with the Blues before being traded to Washington in 2015, has been on a roll since returning from injury Jan. 11. After scoring twice on the power play and adding an empty-netter with 19.5 seconds left, he has five goals in his past four games after scoring just two in his first 21 this season.
It was Oshie’s sixth career hat trick and first since Oct. 25, 2021. Fittingly, his goal song, “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” played early and often on the Capitals’ country music night.
Strome’s goal was his team-leading 16th of the season, and Max Pacioretty assisted on Oshie’s first two goals to give him his first multipoint game since making his Capitals debut Jan. 3. Nicolas Aube-Kubel also scored, banking the puck in off St. Louis defenseman Justin Faulk and past helpless goaltender Jordan Binnington.
At the other end of the ice, Charlie Lindgren made 18 saves against one of his former teams to improve to 9-4-3 this season. He has stopped 71 of the last 77 shots he’s faced over three starts since returning from a two-week injury absence.
Washington got captain Alex Ovechkin back after he missed the past three games with a lower-body injury. Ovechkin assisted on Strome’s goal 34 seconds into the third period.
Former Capitals forward Nathan Walker scored and assisted on Faulk’s goal, screening Lindgren on the play. Binnington stopped 21 of the 25 shots he faced in defeat.
The Blues have lost three in a row and four of five since making a run under interim coach Drew Bannister. They’re now 8-6-1 since firing 2019 Stanley Cup winner Craig Berube and promoting Bannister from the minors.
Blues forward Adam Gaudette played his first NHL game since April 2022 after being called up Wednesday to replace Kasperi Kapanen, who’s expected to miss at least four weeks with a lower-body injury.
UP NEXT
These teams meet again Saturday night in St. Louis, the start of a four-game Western Conference trip for the Capitals.
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