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Steen, Blues hold on against Ovechkin, Capitals

St Louis Blues v Arizona Coyotes

St Louis Blues v Arizona Coyotes

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On a milestone afternoon for Alex Ovechkin, it was the St. Louis Blues’ Alex (Steen) who ultimately got the last laugh.

Both forwards scored two goals on Sunday, but Steen also added an assist on Vladimir Tarasenko’s game-winner as the Blues beat the Washington Capitals 4-3. By taking this one, St. Louis continues its winning ways in the form of an 11-game point streak (10-0-1).

Take a look at Steen’s two goals below:

T.J. Oshie was right up there with Steen, generating three points of his own (all assists), along with four hits. Oshie’s most memorable check might have come in the first period when he seemed to leave Brooks Orpik a little groggy.

David Backes was ejected from the game for a boarding hit on Karl Alzner, who scored the 4-3 goal. A makeshift line of Tarasenko, Steen and Oshie played well enough to top the one-two punch of Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom.

Here’s a look at that Backes hit, which may draw supplementary discipline:

While this effort was better than the one that netted a 4-1 loss to St. Louis on Nov. 15, the bottom line is that the Capitals lost both games against the Blues in regulation. The Capitals have now dropped six of seven games, and while all of those defeats were by a single goal, this could be a stretch that Washington ends up regretting.

Head coach Barry Trotz doesn’t regret the way backup Justin Peters played, however.

As entertaining and competitive as this contest was, the two teams ultimately continue in their diverging paths.

Follow James O’Brien @cyclelikesedins