Capitals top Wild, win 4th in row without Ovie

WASHINGTON — Brian Pothier scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period and the Washington Capitals won their fourth in a row without Alex Ovechkin, beating the Minnesota Wild 3-1 on Friday night.

The NHL’s highest scoring team was nearly thwarted by a backup goalie who more than doubled his save total for the entire season, but Pothier’s wrister from the left circle 2 minutes into the final period hit just inside the far post to beat Josh Harding, who was screened on the play.

Mike Green scored in the second period for the Capitals, Brooks Laich added an empty-net goal in the final minute, and Semyon Varlamov made 29 saves. Cal Clutterbuck scored for the Wild, 2-9-1 on the road this season.

Ovechkin has missed five games because of an upper-body injury but is expected back any day — perhaps as early as Saturday night at New Jersey — but the Capitals had been doing just fine with their two-time reigning MVP.

Then they ran into Harding, who was 0-2 and had saved only 35 of the 46 shots he had faced all season. He stopped 38 of 40 Capitals shots, including several quality scoring chances. He threw his left arm out stop Laich from point-blank range with about 5 minutes to play, maintaining the one-goal deficit to give his team a chance to tie in the final minutes.

Harding ended a pair of Capitals seven-game streaks. For the first time in eight games, Washington failed to score in the first period and failed to score the game’s first goal. After a scoreless first period, Clutterbuck opened the scoring early in the second with a drive from the top of the right circle seconds after a Washington penalty expired.

Green tied the score with a one-timer from Tomas Fleischmann on a power play, making him the 11th Capitals player to score during Ovechkin’s absence.

NOTES: Capitals RW Mike Knuble was injured when he was sent hurdling over Harding and into the Wild net during a first-period power play. He skated directly to the locker room and did not return. … Mathieu Perreault assisted on the winning goal, giving him a goal and three assists in five games since being called up from the minors. … Pothier has two goals and three assists in his last four games. … The Wild haven’t won in Washington since Nov. 21, 2002.