Nicklas Backstrom scored a power-play goal 22 seconds into overtime, and the shorthanded Washington Capitals beat the Colorado Avalanche 3-2 in Denver on Friday night.

Backstrom also had an assist and Alex Ovechkin and Devante Smith-Pelley scored goals for Washington.

The Capitals (9-7-3) played without their No. 1 goaltender and two of their top forwards but still managed to get the win. T.J. Oshie and Evgeny Kuznetsov were both scratched with undisclosed upper-body injuries suffered in Wednesday's loss to the Winnipeg Jets.

Braden Holtby was injured during a morning skating session on Wednesday. Pheonix Copley had 24 saves in his second straight start for Washington.

Carl Soderberg and Colin Wilson scored goals for Colorado (9-6-3), and Philipp Grubauer had 26 saves against his former team.

Washington went on the power play with 1:09 remaining in regulation and had several chances to score before the end of the third period.

The game went to overtime where Backstrom's wrister from between the circles beat Grubauer over his right shoulder. It was Backstrom's fifth of the season.

The Avalanche took the lead just 1:08 into the game when Tyson Barrie stole the puck in the Washington zone and tipped it to Tyson Jost. He skated along the left boards and fed Soderberg in front for his seventh goal of the season.

It stayed that way until midway through the second period. Travis Boyd sent a pass across the zone to Chandler Stephenson, who one-timed it to the other side of the net where Smith-Pelly put it in at 8:55.

Ovechkin gave the Capitals a 2-1 lead with a sharp wrister from the right circle at 18:29 of the second.

The Avalanched pressed for the equalizer and finally got it at 17:16 of the third period. Ian Cole's shot from the top hit off of teammate Matt Calvert in front of the net and bounced to Wilson, who knocked it in out of the air for his fifth of the season.

--Field Level Media