WASHINGTON -- Nicklas Backstrom scored off the rebound of Alex Ovechkin's shot at 4:46 of overtime to lift the Washington Capitals to a 4-3 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night.
Ovechkin skated in and let loose a blast from the right point. Anton Khudobin made the save, but the puck went to Backstrom in the left circle, and he fired in his fourth goal of the season.
It was Ovechkin's 400th NHL assist. The Capitals squandered a 3-1 lead in the third period on goals by Carolina's Eric Staal and Justin Faulk
Troy Brouwer, Jay Beagle and Eric Fehr scored for Washington, and John Carlson had two assists. Justin Peters stopped 24 shots in his first game against his former team.
Faulk and Riley Nash each had a goal and an assist for Carolina, which had won four straight. Khudobin made 35 saves.
Staal pulled Carolina within 3-2 when he converted a pass from Jeff Skinner at 8:38 of the third period. Faulk tied it with a wrist shot from the left point that eluded Peters with 6:07 left in regulation.
Peters, drafted by Carolina in 2004, played in 68 games for the Hurricanes from 2009-14. He signed with Washington in July.
The Hurricanes trailed 2-1 after one period despite being outshot 18-3. Khudobin made several point-blank saves as the Capitals repeatedly swarmed the Carolina zone.
Washington broke through on a power play at 7:26 when Brouwer's shot deflected into the air. Carolina's Patrick Dwyer attempted to swat the puck out of danger, but instead sent it past Khudobin.
The Capitals made it 2-0 when Beagle fielded Carlson's shot off the back wall and banked the puck in off Khudobin for his first point of the season.
Carolina made it 2-1 with a power play goal by Nash, who beat Peters high on a drive from the left circle with 49 seconds left.
Fehr made it 3-1 at 16:48 of the second period when he broke in on Khudobin, deked, and slid the puck toward the net and had it deflect in off Carolina's Brett Bellemore.
