ST. LOUIS — Alex Ovechkin scored twice for the Washington Capitals in an 8-1 win against the St. Louis Blues at Enterprise Center on Saturday.

With eight goals in his past seven games, Ovechkin now has 863 career goals, leaving him 31 shy of Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record.

Connor McMichael scored twice, Jakob Chychrun and Michael Sgarbossa each had a goal and an assist and Dylan Strome had three assists for the Capitals (10-4-0), who lost 4-2 against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday. Logan Thompson made 24 saves to improve to 7-0-0 this season.

Scott Perunovich scored his first NHL goal in his 79th game, and Jordan Binnington allowed eight goals on 27 shots for the Blues (7-8-0), who have lost two straight after winning the first two of a five-game homestand.

McMichael scored 59 seconds into the first period to put the Capitals up 1-0 when he skated into the offensive zone and snapped a shot from the top of the right circle off both posts and in.

Perunovich tied it 1-1 at 7:07. After a face-off win, Matthew Kessel found Perunovich alone in the slot, where he scored on a wrist shot.

Ovechkin made it 2-1 at 7:42 of the second period with a wrist shot from the left circle, and Chychrun made it 3-1 at 10:53 with a wrist shot from the high slot after a turnover in the neutral zone.

Ovechkin’s power-play goal from the left circle at 2:09 of the third period made it 4-1.

Rasmus Sandin made it 5-1 at 3:51, one-timing a drop pass from Sgarbossa into an open net.

Sgarbossa made it 7-1 at 15:27, and Brandon Duhaime scored at 16:45 for the 8-1 final.