Jay Beagle scored twice to lead a balanced blowout for the Washington Capitals as they won their eighth consecutive game, beating the Chicago Blackhawks 6-0 on Friday night in a matchup of the NHL's hottest teams.

Nicklas Backstrom, Brett Connolly, Tom Wilson and T.J. Oshie also scored for Washington, which snapped Chicago's winning streak at four.

The Capitals have ended five different opposing win streaks of three games or more already in 2017 while playing their best hockey of the season.

Braden Holtby stopped all 24 shots he faced and got the benefit of goaltender interference on Vinnie Hinostroza's would-be goal for his fifth shutout in the past 14 games. The Vezina Trophy winner is 9-2-2 with a 1.34 goals-against average and .950 save percentage over that time.

The Capitals tilted the ice against the Blackhawks, outshooting them 14-5 in a three-goal first period and dominating throughout, even when Chicago was on the power play. Blackhawks All-Star goaltender Corey Crawford allowed five goals on 30 shots before giving way to Scott Darling.

Beagle continued his own personal run of success against Chicago, opening and closing the scoring to reach eight goals on the season. The fourth-line center has four goals in two games against the Blackhawks this season and six in eight career games against them.

Three of his four multi-goal games have come against Chicago.

Alex Ovechkin contributed career point No. 1,002 with a secondary assist on Backstrom's goal. Backstrom, who assisted on Oshie's third-period goal, has scored in three games in a row.

It's no coincidence that Holtby, Ovechkin and Backstrom are rolling as Washington is on its longest winning streak of the season. Holtby hasn't allowed a 5-on-5 goal in five games as the Capitals climbed past the Blue Jackets, who were in action at the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday night.

NOTES: D Karl Alzner became the first player in Capitals franchise history to play 500 consecutive regular-season games. Alzner joined Keith Yandle and Jay Bouwmeester as the only defensemen since 1943-44 to play 500 games in a row. Baseball ironman Cal Ripken Jr. was featured in a video message congratulating Alzner on the achievement. ... Washington improved to 23-3-3 when scoring first. ... D Michal Rozsival returned to the Blackhawks' lineup after missing six consecutive games as a healthy scratch, replacing Michal Kempny.

UP NEXT:

Blackhawks: Host the Central Division-rival Wild on Sunday, their first game against Minnesota this season. The Wild trail the Blackhawks by just two points and have played five fewer games.

Capitals: Try to make it nine straight when they host the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday at 1 p.m., moved back from 12:30 as a domino effect from the Steelers-Chiefs AFC playoff game shifting to prime time because of weather in Kansas City.

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P.K. Subban knows how to kill time in style.

Looking dapper as ever, the Nashville Predators defenseman posted a photo of some of the winnings he and his teammates took away from Dave & Busters during a travel delay.

What's noteworthy here is that Subban is traveling with the team despite not playing since Dec. 15 due to an upper-body injury.

The Predators kick off a five-game road trip Saturday in Colorado, while Subban has been able to skate with the team in recent days.

Either way, expect the Predators to officially announce the addition of a new plumber to the staff.

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P.K. Subban knows how to kill time in style.

Looking dapper as ever, the Nashville Predators defenseman posted a photo of some of the winnings he and his teammates took away from Dave & Busters during a travel delay.

What's noteworthy here is that Subban is traveling with the team despite not playing since Dec. 15 due to an upper-body injury.

The Predators kick off a five-game road trip Saturday in Colorado, while Subban has been able to skate with the team in recent days.

Either way, expect the Predators to officially announce the addition of a new plumber to the staff.

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Martin St. Louis' number won't ever be worn by another Tampa Bay Lightning player.

The diminutive legend had his No. 26 retired at Amalie Arena on Friday night following a series of speeches by Lightning luminaries, including former head coach John Tortorella, current general manager Steve Yzerman, and injured captain Steven Stamkos.

Related - Tortorella: Martin St. Louis was 'a pain in the ass to coach'

St. Louis made special mention of his late mother during his speech before the banner was raised.

"There's one person not here tonight who I wish could be here more than anything: My mom," he said.

"I know she is here with us tonight," he added. "She always said, 'Show them, Marty. Show them.' Well, mom, I think I did."

St. Louis is the first player in Lightning history to have his number retired, and his career numbers with Tampa Bay certainly validate the honor.

He also scored perhaps the most memorable goal in franchise history, netting the double-overtime winner in Game 6 of the 2004 Stanley Cup Final to send the series - which the Lightning eventually won - back to Tampa Bay.

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One of the most decorated athletes in Canadian sports history is hanging up the skates.

Five-time Winter Olympian Hayley Wickenheiser took to Twitter on Friday to announce her retirement.

"It has been the greatest honor of my life to play for Canada," Wickenheiser told Donna Spencer of the Canadian Press. "I'll miss it."

Wickenheiser ends her playing career with four gold medals and one silver from the Winter Olympics, along with seven gold medals and six silvers from the Women's World Championships.

She also ranks first in goals (18) and points (51) in all-time Olympic scoring across all nations, as well as first in points (86) at the World Championships.

Wickenheiser spent time playing men's professional hockey in Sweden and Finland, and trained with NHL players in the offseason.

"Her record speaks for itself winning so many gold medals, but in years to come, the biggest memory will be how she inspired so many girls to play the game," said Bob Nicholson, CEO of Oilers Entertainment Group and former president of Hockey Canada.

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Washington capitalized early and quickly.

Hosting the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday, the Capitals scored two goals in quick succession, with the first coming off the stick of Jay Beagle.

Meanwhile, Nicklas Backstrom is on fire, scoring in his third consecutive game only 13 seconds later.

The burst of offense marked the Capitals' fastest back-to-back goals this season.

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John Tortorella has mellowed in recent years, but he can still channel his old self when the moment is right.

Such was the case Friday night, when the Columbus Blue Jackets head coach and former Tampa Bay Lightning bench boss opened his remarks ahead of Martin St. Louis' jersey retirement ceremony with a classic one-liner.

"I need to make something perfectly clear, and I want his kids to know this too," Tortorella said. "Marty was a pain in the ass to coach."

The quotable coach wasn't done there.

Both men were critical cogs in the Lightning's Stanley Cup championship squad in 2004, and Tortorella coached St. Louis for seven of the forward's 13 seasons in Tampa Bay.

"He is a man who has been told 'no' so many times in his career," Tortorella added Friday night. "I just have so much respect for him in how he did it."

St. Louis' No. 26 will be the first number to ever be retired by the Lightning.

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The Nashville Predators have placed defenseman Roman Josi on injured reserve with an upper-body injury, the club announced Friday.

Josi left Thursday's game against Boston after taking a hit delivered by Bruins forward Anton Blidh and was unable to return.

NHL rules dictate a player placed on IR must remain out of the lineup for seven days, meaning Josi will miss at least the next three games - Jan. 14 in Colorado, Jan. 17 in Vancouver, and Jan. 19 in Calgary.

Josi would be eligible to rejoin the team for the final two games of the road trip in Edmonton and Minnesota.

Blidh will not face supplemental discipline from the league, per Joe Haggerty of CSNNE.

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The Flames were a goal away from the Stanley Cup.

The folks in Calgary won't forget June 5, 2004, and neither will the folks in Tampa Bay, or Martin St. Louis.

The undersized St. Louis kept the Lightning alive that night in Game 6 of the 2004 Stanley Cup Final, scoring the double-overtime winner to force the series back to Florida.

Two nights later, St. Louis and the Lightning were Stanley Cup champions.

To the rafters

On Friday night, St. Louis, countless members of the Lightning organization, and Bolts fans across the land will recall that hot night in June while St. Louis has his number retired, becoming the first Lightning player bestowed with the honor.

The good times began Thursday, when St. Louis took part in a ceremonial faceoff before Tampa Bay beat Buffalo.

(Courtesy: NHL Public Relations)

That's Stanley Cup happiness, right there, folks.

Lightning forever

St. Louis is a Lightning legend. Not only was that the biggest goal of his career, it is arguably the biggest goal in Lightning franchise history. Without it, Tampa Bay doesn't play for the Cup. Without it, Dave Andreychuk maybe never wins a Cup.

No. 26 belongs up high, and never again on a Lightning jersey. It's Marty's. His name is littered throughout the Lightning record book. He's second to Vincent Lecavalier in games played (972) and goals (365), and is the franchise's all-time leader in assists (588), game-winning goals (64), and points (953).

St. Louis wore a Flames jersey, and a New York Rangers jersey, but he'll always be a member of the Lightning. Once and for all, Friday evening.

And at 5-foot-8 and 180 pounds, he was never supposed to be anything at all. What a career.

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The Los Angeles Kings will pay homage to their heritage when they don their 1995 throwbacks during the pregame warmup Saturday prior to facing off against the Winnipeg Jets.

Colloquially known as the "Burger King jersey", the Kings donned these threads - complete with a purple-bearded king wearing a golden crown - during the 1995-96 season, when the team boasted the likes of Wayne Gretzky and Kelly Hrudey, among other Los Angeles greats.

Following that season, the alternate jersey was quickly stuffed to the back of the closet as the Kings returned to their traditional black and white scheme for the next two seasons. A purple, black, and silver look was introduced in 1998-99.

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