Brouwer’s hat trick lifts Washington

WASHINGTON – Troy Brouwer got his first career hat trick, and Alex Ovechkin also scored Friday night as the Washington Capitals took a 4-3 victory that handed the Tampa Bay Lightning a sixth consecutive loss.

Brouwer scored in each period for the Capitals, who have won six straight at home and six of eight overall to move back into playoff position in the Eastern Conference.

Tomas Vokoun made 28 saves to follow up his 1-0 shutout of the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday. Washington is 11-9-1 since Dale Hunter replaced Bruce Boudreau as coach in late November.

Steven Stamkos scored his league-leading 30th goal, and Tom Pyatt and Vincent Lecavalier also scored for the Lightning, who have yet to win in 2012.

Blue Jackets 4, Coyotes 3: At Columbus, Ohio, Derick Brassard’s first multipoint game in more than three weeks helped Todd Richards get a winning home debut as interim coach of Columbus.

Brassard had a goal and an assist – and blocked a shot in the final seconds – to lead the Blue Jackets to a victory against Phoenix.

Penguins 4, Panthers 1: At Sunrise, Fla., Evgeni Malkin scored late in the second period, and Pittsburgh beat Florida to snap a six-game losing streak.

Sabres 3, Maple Leafs 2: At Buffalo, N.Y., Jason Pominville scored the go-ahead goal with 5:47 left in the second period, and Buffalo held on for a win against Toronto.

Ducks 5, Oilers 0: At Edmonton, Alberta, Jonas Hiller stopped 33 shots to earn his second shutout of the season, and Teemu Selanne scored twice as Anaheim beat struggling Edmonton.