Niskanen scores in OT to give Caps 2-1 win over Bruins

BOSTON - Matt Niskanen scored in overtime and backup Philipp Grubauer stopped 33 shots to lead the Washington Capitals to a 2-1 victory over the Boston Bruins on Saturday night.

Niskanen's goal on a slapper from the blue line beat Tuukka Rask 2:36 into overtime. Karl Alzner also scored for Washington, which lost 3-2 to the New York Rangers on Friday night. The first-place Capitals have lost back-to-back games just twice this season.

Rask made 28 saves for the Bruins, who had won two straight and four of five. Patrice Bergeron scored Boston's only goal.

The Bruins made it 1-0 with 7:11 gone in the game when Kevan Miller kept the puck in the zone and passed it to Lee Stempniak. He shot it over to Brad Marchand, who swung it to Bergeron in front for the goal.

A second potential Boston goal was taken off the board in the second period after Washington challenged and the linesman agreed that Loui Eriksson was offside on the play.

Washington tied it 1-all with 7 minutes left in the second when Alex Ovechkin passed across the ice to Nicklas Backstrom, who sent it back the other way to Alzner in front.

Ovechkin picked up his first major penalty of the season when he boarded Miller in the second period, dropping him to the ice and out of the game. But the Bruins' power play was cut from 5 minutes to 3 because Marchand picked up a roughing penalty, and Boston wasn't able to convert on the opportunity.

With 5 minutes left, Ovechkin made a run at Zdeno Chara behind the Boston net. The Bruins defenceman sidestepped the NHL's top goal-scorer but in the process caught him in the face with his glove and the butt end of his stick; Ovechkin went down, drawing the penalty.

But less than a minute later, T.J. Oshie was called for interference at the blue line, erasing the rest of that power play.

NOTES: Several Bruins recorded 98th birthday wishes for Hall of Famer Milt Schmidt, who is the oldest living NHL alum. ... Regular Washington goalie Braden Holtby got the game off, one night after starting in the loss to the Rangers. Grubauer made his 12th start of the season. ... Alzner's goal snapped a nine-game scoreless stretch.