NHL Roundup : Gould’s Goals Help Capitals Slip Past Oilers, 5-3

Bob Gould scored two goals, both on passes from Gaetan Duchesne, to lead the Washington Capitals past the Edmonton Oilers, 5-3, Sunday at Edmonton.

Gould’s second goal came with 4:02 left, sealing the victory for the Capitals, who broke a three-game losing streak.

“It’s been a consistent thing for that line,” Washington Coach Bryan Murray said of Gould, Duchesne and Kelly Miller. “The last few games they’ve had both offensive chances and goals.”

Gould, broke into the Oilers’ end on a two-on-one with Duchesne, took a pass and slid a soft shot into the far corner of the net. Edmonton goalie Andy Moog never moved.

“He just stood still,” Gould said. “His stick didn’t even come out.”

Dave Christian scored on a wrist shot, giving Washington a 3-1 lead at 4:28 of the second period. Christian then set up Mike Ridley, who beat Moog for his 23rd goal of the season to make it 4-1.

Edmonton closed to within 4-3 on goals by Raimo Summanen and Kevin McClelland at 14:14 of the second period. But the Oilers couldn’t get any closer.

Washington goalie Pete Peeters suffered a leg cramp in his left leg stretching to make a save on a rebound shot and left the game with six minutes left in the game. He was replaced by Bob Mason, who faced just four shots.

Minnesota 3, St. Louis 2--The North Stars rallied from a 2-0 deficit at Bloomington, Minn.

Willi Plett had the game-winning goal with 8:03 left, his first score since Dec. 18.

Plett’s goal came moments after North Star goalie Don Beaupre stopped a point-blank shot by Mark Reeds. Dennis Maruk then started the puck the other way to Brian MacLellan, who passed to Plett streaking across the blue line.

Plett wristed a 25-foot shot between the legs of St. Louis goalie Greg Millen for his sixth goal of the season.

With 7:16 left in the second period, Neal Broten’s tip-in goal cut the Blues lead to 2-1. And 3:06 later, Keith Acton tipped a rebound of his own shot past Millen.

New York Rangers 4, Pittsburgh 1--Tony McKegney and Walt Poddubny scored first period goals and Ranger goalie Bob Froese won for the 17th straight time against the Penguins.

The victory moved the Rangers to within one point of the second-place New York Islanders in the Patrick Division.

Poddubny’s goal, his 31st, came with 43 seconds left in the first period and gave the Rangers a 2-0 lead.

Chicago 6, Quebec 4--Troy Murray scored what turned out to be the game-winning goal early in the third period in the Blackhawks’ 6-4 victory at Chicago.

Murray’s goal, his 22nd of the season, came in the middle of a three-goal Blackhawk barrage. Murray’s score, at 4:12, followed a goal by Curt Fraser at 1:38. Denis Savard scored 4:08 later on a 10-foot slap shot.