WASHINGTON -- Ovechkin once. Ovechkin twice. Steen not at all. Just like that, theres a tie atop the NHL goal scoring race, as well as a new leader in the Metropolitan Division. Alex Ovechkin scored his 16th and 17th goals in the first period, while Alexander Steen was held pointless for only the second time this season Sunday night in the Washington Capitals 4-1 win over the St. Louis Blues. "For me, it means a lot," Ovechkin said. "Its always nice to score big goals in big game, but it was a very good team effort today." Braden Holtby made 46 saves, a career high for a regular season game. Mikhail Grabovski and John Carlson also scored, and Nicklas Backstrom had three assists for the Capitals, who have won three straight win and seven out of nine to leapfrog the Pittsburgh Penguins for first place in the division. Vladimir Sobotka scored in the second period for the Blues, who had won eight of 10. The Capitals caught them at a good time, with St. Louis playing for the third time in four nights and on the second half of a back-to-back after a home win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday. "We knew theyre a hot team, theyre a good team, strong, and we knew their situation last night and what they had to deal with," Carlson said. "And Im sure theyre saying its not an excuse, but for us we wanted to jump on them as quick as possible." Sure enough, the Blues said the schedule wasnt an excuse, but they also knew they couldnt afford to be playing catch-up with tired legs. "First period, we were a step behind," St. Louis defenceman Jay Bouwmeester said. "To get down like that against a tough like that, its tough." The Blues took a season-high 47 shots compared to 20 for the Capitals, but the statistic is misleading. St. Louis quality chances were few and far between, while Washington scored on three of its first six shots. Ovechkin got the first two. Sprung on a pass at centre ice by Backstrom -- another sign of the solid chemistry that has developed between the two -- Ovechkin sped past the Blues defencemen and into the right circle for a clean look, beating goaltender Jaroslav Halak stick-side. Ovechkin then flicked in a rebound off a shot by Karl Alzner to give the Capitals a 2-0 lead less than 13 minutes into the game. Meanwhile, Steen finished with three shots on goal and another four that were blocked. His points streak came to an end at 13 games, the longest for a Blues player since Pierre Turgeons 15-game run in 1999-2000. "We had lots of shots, but we didnt have any real penetration, or good shots," Bouwmeester said. "That wasnt our best game, for sure." After Ovechkins two goals, Grabovski poked in a rebound from a tight angle to make it 3-0 late in the first period. The Blues and Capitals also have the top two power plays in the NHL, and they traded man-advantage goals in the second period. Sobotka and Carlson each scored with a drive through traffic from high in the slot, with Carlsons goal ending an 0 for 11 power-play drought for Washington over the previous three games. "Obviously we expected them to be a little tired," Washington coach Adam Oates said. "But I dont think those goals came from fatigue. I think we got rewarded for doing the right things." Notes: The Blues had scored first in their previous 10 games. ... The Capitals have won six in a row at home. ... Washington D Mike Green missed his second consecutive game with a lower body injury and was placed on injured reserve. Oates said Green might return for Wednesdays game against the Penguins. ... The Capitals recalled D Dmitry Orlov from Hershey of the AHL. ... Holtby had a 47-save game in the 2012 playoffs against the New York Rangers. Paul Stastny USA Jersey . 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James van Riemsdyk USA Jersey . -- When Tommy Wingels scored a fluky, short-handed goal in the opening minutes, it was clear this was going to be San Joses night.NEW YORK, N.Y. - Kevin Durant scored 29 points, Russell Westbrook had a triple-double by the middle of the third quarter, and the Oklahoma City Thunder rolled to a 123-94 victory Wednesday over the New York Knicks, who played without Carmelo Anthony. The Durant-Anthony showdown between the NBAs top two scorers was cancelled because of Anthonys sprained left ankle, so the Thunder had the Christmas spotlight all to themselves while winning for the 10th time in 11 games. Westbrook finished with 14 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists in his first triple-double of the season and seventh of his career. Serge Ibaka added 24 points on 10-of-14 shooting. Amare Stoudemire scored a season-high 22 points, and Tim Hardaway Jr. had 21 for the Knicks, who also were missing starting point guard Raymond Felton. J.R. Smith scored 20 points, but shot 8 for 22 and was booed when he left the court for good. Anthony was forced to sit out for the first time this season. The Knicks were never really in it without him and may not have had a chance with him the way the Thunder played. The Knicks not only had trouble with the Thunder, but also with the special edition sleeved jerseys NBA teams are wearing on Christmas. Beno Udrih hit the side of the backboard on two shot attempts in the first half, tugging on his sleeve after the second as if blaming his struggles on his equipment. Oklahoma City had a much easier time in the uniforms. Coach Scott Brooks said before the game the Thunder hadnt had a formal practice in them, but players had shot around the last few days in the jerseys that featured a giant logo in the middle of the chest and jersey numbers on the left sleeve. "They look great. Hopefully, we play well in them," Brooks said. They played superbly. Coming off a 104-98 loss to Toronto on Sunday that ended a nine-game winning streak and was their first setback at home this season, they shot 54 per cent and got 18 points from Reggie Jackson.dddddddddddd Durant made all five shots in the first quarter, with the Thunder leading 35-29 after shooting 70 per cent. Jackson and Durant made 3-pointers to start the second, making Oklahoma City 16 of 22. Ibaka did most of the work in an 8-2 spurt midway through the period that extended the lead to 52-35, and the Thunder led 60-46 at halftime. They kept up the pressure in the third, Durant and Westbrook taking turns being unguardable on the perimeter, and Oklahoma City went on to its sixth straight road victory. Anthony was hurt Monday night in a victory at Orlando, saying afterward he hoped to play Wednesday. But he looked glum and wasnt walking particularly well by the locker room area after getting treatment and testing the ankle, and the Knicks announced he wouldnt be in uniform about 50 minutes before the start. He sat on the bench wearing a brown sports jacket, getting up slowly during timeouts whenever the Knicks called them in a futile attempt to stop the Thunders onslaught. Anthony averaged 28.7 points last season, ending Durants three-year reign as scoring champion, but Durant has moved right back to the top this season with 28.1 to Anthonys 26.3. The Knicks fell to 0-7 in orange uniforms this season. Notes: Chris Smith, J.R.s brother, made his NBA debut with a scoreless minute at the end. ... Kenyon Martin returned to the Knicks after missing five games with a strained left abdominal muscle. ... Knicks coach Mike Woodson said he thought Felton (strained right groin) would see more doctors Thursday, perhaps getting a better idea how long he would be out. 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