WASHINGTON — Alex Ovechkin scored in overtime, and the Washington Capitals picked up their 50th win of the season and became the first NHL team to clinch a playoff spot as they beat the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1 Tuesday night.

Ovechkin scored his seventh game-winner of the season 2:38 into overtime after the Capitals clinched a playoff spot by picking up a point.

It’s their eighth playoff appearance in nine seasons.

FLYERS 4, RED WINGS 3: Michael Raffl scored two goals and host Philadelphia beat Detroit to pull within one point of the Red Wings for the final Eastern Conference wild-card playoff berth.

PANTHERS 4, CANADIENS 1: Vincent Trochek scored a goal and set up one by Jiri Hudler and visiting Florida downed injury-riddled Montreal.

PENGUINS 2, ISLANDERS 1: Pittsburgh’s Kris Letang scored the only goal of the shootout with a pretty backhand past Islanders rookie goalie Jean-Francois Berube to lift the Penguins at home.

SENATORS 3, WILD 2: Erik Karlsson scored at 4:29 of overtime and host Ottawa beat Minnesota after tying the game on Mika Zibanejad’s goal in the final seconds of regulation.

MAPLES LEAFS 4, LIGHTNING 1: Ben Smith and Connor Carrick scored their first goals of the season and host Toronto beat Tampa Bay, giving the Maple Leafs points in four of their past five games.

KINGS 5, STARS 2: Tyler Toffoli scored again a night after ending a long goal drought and Los Angeles won at Dallas.

NOTES

BLUE JACKETS: Defenseman Dalton Prout was suspended one game for sucker punching Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov during a scuffle on Sunday.