Ovechkin gets Olympic send-off from Kerry, scores 40th to lead Capitals past Jets 4-2

WASHINGTON - After getting an Olympic send-off from Secretary of State John Kerry, Alex Ovechkin scored his NHL-leading 40th goal with 12:14 remaining Thursday night as the Washington Capitals rallied from a third-period deficit for a 4-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets.

Ovechkin put the Capitals ahead by lifting the puck over a pile of bodies in the crease, following up after Nicklas Backstrom had taken two whacks at a rebound before sliding into goaltender Ondrej Pavelec.

Troy Brouwer scored twice, Tom Wilson had a goal, and Braden Holtby made 34 saves for the Capitals, who are trying to generate at least a modicum of momentum headed into the Olympic break. Washington had dropped 10 of its previous 13, including a 1-0 shutout loss to the New York Islanders on Tuesday.

Bryan Little and Dustin Byfuglien scored, and Pavelec stopped 26 shots for the Jets, who had a three-game winning streak snapped.

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