Washington star Alex Ovechkin scored three goals for his sixth National Hockey League career hat trick as his Capitals ended a three-game losing streak with a 5-3 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers.
Ovechkin added an assist, and Eric Fehr and Viktor Kozlov tallied Washington's two other goals in Wednesday's contest.
The Philadelphia Flyers posted their sixth straight victory, beating the Carolina Hurricanes, 3-1. Simon Gagne had two goals and an assist to help lead Philadelphia build its longest winning streak in more than three years.
Montreal goalie Carey Price made 32 saves on the ice in Detroit to lead the Canadiens, 3-1 over the defending champion Red Wings.
In other NHL games Wednesday, the New Jersey Devils needed overtime for a 3-2 victory over the Florida Panthers. The New York Rangers won a shootout to edge the Tampa Bay Lighting, 3-2.
The Pittsburgh Penguins topped the New York Islanders, 5-3, the Buffalo Sabres beat the Boston Bruins, 3-2, and the Dallas Stars defeated the Minnesota Wild, 4-3. Also, the Phoenix Coyotes slipped past the Columbus Blue Jackets, 3-2.
Some information for this report was provided by AP.