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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. New York Mets Shirts . Forward Iker Muniain scored the winner in the 70th minute after Bilbaos incessant pressure recovered the ball and sparked a counterattack inside Barcelonas half. Neymar was once again tagged to pick up Messis goal-scoring duties, but when he wasnt frustrated by slippery footing Bilbaos defence got the better of him. Custom New York Mets Jerseys . - IndyCar racing officials expressed confidence on Monday that the NOLA Motorsports Park will be able to complete more $4. https://www.cheapmetsjerseys.us/.com) - Damian Lillard poured in 40 points on 11-of-21 shooting to go along with 11 assists, and the Portland Trail Blazers stunned the Oklahoma City Thunder, 115-111, in overtime on Tuesday. Mets Jerseys 2019 . TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie tweeted on Monday that Hemsky will be going to market as an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Mets Jerseys 2020 . The above paragraph could be rewritten, verbatim, with Marcus Stromans name in place of Romeros. After both men had disastrous outings in Tuesdays 18-4 mauling at the hands of the Tigers, its clear that neither is the best option to begin the season in Toronto.FLORENCE, Italy -- Police had to intervene after Mario Balotelli was subjected to racist chants at Italys World Cup training base on Wednesday. Kids outside the Coverciano complex were responsible for the chants, and Balotelli appeared visibly disturbed. The training session was open to media, and Balotelli could be heard saying as he ran by reporters, "Only in Rome and Florence are they that stupid." While most of the fans cheered for Balotelli, police approached the area where the chants came from and they quickly ended. Balotelli was born in Sicily to Ghanaian immigrants and brought up by an Italian foster family. He has faced racist chants throughout his professional career. "Its unbelievable that in 2014 we still hhave this form of racism," Balotellis fellow forward, Ciro Immobile, said.dddddddddddd "Its not great for the nation. We represent Italy." Immobile, from the Naples area, noted how insulting anti-Naples chants have pervaded Serie A stadiums recently. "When I hear that it saddens me, because I have a lot of pride in my city," Immobile said. Balotelli was also the focus of much speculation on racist abuse before the 2012 European Championship, and UEFA placed spotters inside stadiums, resulting in fan behaviour by Spain and Croatia being sanctioned. FIFA claims it will have zero tolerance for racism at the World Cup but has not announced plans yet on how it will control behaviour inside stadiums. ' ' '