Washington Capitals defeat Blues 4-1

Alex Ovechkin scored his 50th goal of the season and added two assists, leading the Washington Capitals to a 4-1 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday.

Nicklas Backstrom had two goals and Mikhail Grabovski also scored for the Capitals, who have won two games in a row on the heels of a five-game losing streak.

Washington remains alive -- if only just -- in the hunt for a wild-card spot in the playoffs, trailing Columbus by four points with three games remaining.

Braden Holtby had 28 saves in the win as the Caps swept the two-game season series with St. Louis.

Maxim Lapierre scored for the Blues, who have lost three games in a row as they cling to a one-point lead over Anaheim for first place in the Western Conference, and a small lead over Colorado in the Central Division. Ryan Miller gave up four goals on 22 shots.

[SportsNetwork.com]