Alex Ovechkin from the Capitals scores the winning goal against the Predators and extends his goal streak

November 7 (UPI) – Alex Ovechkin calmly slipped into the right circle and fired a snap shot past a blinded Juuse Saros to lead the Washington Capitals to a 3-2 victory over the Nashville Predators.

Ovechkin scored with 9:35 left in Wednesday's win at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. The veteran forward has now scored in five consecutive games for the 9-3-0 Capitals.

“It was a tough game,” Ovechkin told reporters. “They played hard. They positioned themselves when it came to scoring points and applying pressure.”

“They’re obviously a great team.”

Ovechkin also recorded an assist. Fellow strikers Aliaksei Protas and Connor McMichael scored the Capitals' other goals in the narrow home win.

Predators forwards Juuso Parssinen and Steven Stamkos scored in the loss. Goaltender Logan Thompson made 33 stops for the Capitals.

“He was so persistent when we needed a big save,” Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said of Thompson.

Parssinen lit the lamp for first blood at 3:12 a.m. McMichael responded by beating Saros about 1:14 later, tying the score. Protas gave the Capitals the lead with another goal with 4:57 left in the second period, but Stamkos tied the game for the second time just 31 seconds later.

The Predators outpaced the Capitals throughout the third period, but it was Ovechkin who finally broke the deadlock during a scramble in front of the road net.

Capitals defender Martin Fehervary fired a pass from the left flank to start the sequence. The puck shot behind the Predators' goal and spun to Ovechkin before hitting forward Dylan Strome. Strome sat behind the net and sent a pass back to Ovechkin as he drifted into the right circle. Ovechkin finished the move with a one-time shot into the top left corner of the Predators' net.

The Predators fired a dozen shots on goal in the final nine minutes but were unable to beat Thompson for another equalizer.

The 39-year-old Ovechkin is just 33 goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky's record (894) for most goals in a career in NHL history. He is on track to score 46 more goals this season.

Ovechkin and the Capitals will host fellow future Hall of Famer Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins (5-7-2) on Friday at 7:30 p.m. EST at Capital One Arena.