the Washington Capitals beat the

WASHINGTON - Alex Ovechkin has made a career out of scoring crucial goals for the Washington Capitals, and he did once more Monday night. NHL Jerseys 2020 .Ovechkin scored a tiebreaking power-play goal late in the second period to help the Washington Capitals beat the Colorado Avalanche 2-1.I was just saying I didnt think (Alex) was particularly good for (his) standards today.missing the net a little bit, fumbling pucks, Washington coach Barry Trotz said. But who scores the winning goal? Alex Ovechkin.Jay Beagle also scored and Braden Holtby stopped 31 shots to earn his 21st victory for the Capitals, who improved to 13-1-4 in the last 18 games. Theyve also won six straight at home, their longest home win streak in two seasons.Holtby, who made his 19th straight start and has appeared in 25 consecutive games, had 18 saves in the third period to preserve the win.Alex Tanguay scored for the Avalanche, and Semyon Varlamov finished with 36 saves. Colorado snapped a three-game winning streak.Ovechkin snapped a shot past Varlamov from left circle after passes from Troy Brouwer and Nicklas Backstrom with 2:14 left in the second period. It was Ovechkins 74th game-winning goal, moving him past Peter Bondra for first place in franchise history. Ovechkin also now has scored a goal in six of his last seven games.When we play our game, we play the system. ... its very hard to play against (us), Ovechkin said. When we play the system, play smart (defence), were going to get our chances.Washington was on the power play due to a roughing call on Varlamov.The Capitals came up with many scoring chances but had problems beating former teammate Varlamov. He made 19 saves in the second period alone.I still have lots of memories, Varlamov said. (Washington) was my first team, and they gave me a chance to play in the NHL, so its really fun to play here.The Capitals got another strong effort from Holtby, especially during the third period when Colorado kept the pressure on and outshot Washington 18-6.They have a ton of speed, a ton of skill, Holtby said. I thought we gave up a few shots, but I dont think we panicked in that situation, and that was the difference.Beagle gave the Capitals the early lead when scored on a backhand shot 7:34 into the first period. Washingtons win improved their mark to 22-1-3 when scoring first.Colorado tied it on Tanguays power-play goal with 9:02 left in the second period. Washington held a 20-7 edge in shots in that period before the Avalanche made its big push in the third.Obviously, we were not happy about the second, Colorado coach Patrick Roy said. But the third period, I thought we bounced (back). We had a solid third, and we unfortunately had some bounces that didnt go our way.NOTES: The Capitals recalled G Justin Peters from Hershey of the AHL and re-assigned goalie Pheonix Copley there on Monday. Peters hasnt played since Nov. 29, and he played twice with the Bears this weekend. ... D Nate Schmidt also went to Hershey during the weekend for playing time, but he suffered a scapular fracture (shoulder blade) which could sideline him for six to eight weeks. ... Varlamov was named the NHLs second star of the week Monday. He was 3-0-0 with one shutout last week. Authentic NHL Jerseys . The 23-year-old Neustaedter will move at the end of the season when his contract with Moenchengladbach expires. He signed a four-year deal with Schalke. NHL Jerseys . Louis Cardinals placed outfielder Allen Craig on the 15-day disabled list with a right knee contusion on Sunday. Johnny Football is heading to the NFL. Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel declared for the NFL draft on Wednesday following two spectacular seasons in which he became the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy and helped the Aggies make a splash in their first two years in the Southeastern Conference. "After long discussions with my family, friends, teammates, and coaches, I have decided to make myself available for the 2014 NFL draft," Manziel said in a letter posted online by the university. "The decision was not an easy one, but we all felt this was the right time to make the next step toward a professional career." Some NFL draft analysts have Manziel ranked as high as the third overall pick in mock drafts. In a style befitting his record-setting career, Manziel led the Aggies to a 52-48 come-from-behind win over Duke in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl on New Years Eve in his final college game. Texas A&M trailed 38-17 at halftime before Manziel guided them to the victory by finishing with 382 yards passing with four TD tosses and 73 yards rushing and another score. "In all of my years of coaching, Johnny Manziel is the most exciting football player I have ever seen," A&M coach Kevin Sumlin said. "We appreciate everything he has done for Texas A&M and Aggie football and wish him nothing but the best." Manziel became the first freshman to win the Heisman in 2012 after setting numerous school and SEC records while leading Texas A&M to an 11-2 record and a victory over No. 1 Alabama in its first season in the SEC. His dynamic play created a frenzy and pushed him into a stratosphere of celebrity that few college athletes have reached. That began to cause problems since Manziel, who is from Kerrville, Texas, still had three years of eligibility remaining. He followed his Heisman-winning season with a high-profile off-season of road trips to Las Vegas and the NBA Finals. Manziel met Heat star LeBron James and rapper Drake, and he posted some tweets that made headlines. One that brought the ire of Aggie fans was when he said he "couldnt wait" to get out of College Stationn. Cheap NHL Jerseys. His most embarrassing blunder came during the summer when he departed early from a quarterback camp for high school players run by the Manning family in Louisiana. Manziel said it was a mutual decision after he overslept and missed meetings and activities. Manziels trouble continued when he got back to football. He was suspended for the first half of the Aggies season opener against Rice for what the school said was an "inadvertent" violation of NCAA rules. He was investigated for allegedly accepting money for autographs from memorabilia brokers, a violation of NCAA rules that could have led to a much longer suspension. The Aggies were supposed to contend for a national title in Manziels encore. But another standout season by the dynamic quarterback wasnt enough to overcome a porous defence that was among the worst in the nation. Texas A&M finished 9-4. Manziel shook off his early season drama to lead the SEC with 4,114 yards and 37 touchdowns and he topped the team in rushing with 759 yards and nine more scores. He threw more touchdown passes, had more yards passing, a better completion percentage and averaged more yards an attempt than he did in 2012. Manziel set an SEC record with 5,116 yards of total offence in 2012 also led the SEC in total offence in 2013. Manziel was again a finalist for the Heisman in 2013, but Jameis Winston stole his thunder with a season much like Manziels a year before to take home the award to Florida State. Manziel finished fifth. Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton tweeted about Manziel following the announcement. "Would love to see Johnny Manziel in a Vikings uniform. This guy is the real deal. He will be a big time player on Sundays," Tarkenton tweeted. The Vikings have the eighth overall pick in the draft. The Houston Texans, who play about 100 miles from College Station, have the No. 1 pick in the draft and need a quarterback, though most mock drafts have Louisvilles Teddy Bridgewater going No. 1. Houston Rockets forward Chandler Parsons tweeted good luck to Manziel in the draft Wednesday and finished the tweet with: "Texans??" ' ' '