BOSTON (AP) — The Washington Capitals set a franchise record with their 11th straight win and sent the Boston Bruins to their eighth consecutive loss as Brooks Laich broke a tie early in the third period of a 4-1 win Tuesday night.

The NHL’s highest-scoring team trailed the league’s lowest-scoring team after one period but came out aggressively in the second and tied the game on Mike Knuble’s goal at 2:04. Laich then scored at 5:04 of the third, Boyd Gordon connected less than three minutes later and Alex Ovechkin added an empty-net goal at 19:28 against the Bruins, who are 0-6-2 in their past eight games.

The Capitals broke the club record set from Jan. 27-Feb. 18, 1984 and have the NHL’s longest winning streak since the San Jose Sharks also won 11 in a row from Feb. 21-March 14, 2008. During their 11 wins, the Capitals, who lead the Eastern Conference, have outscored opponents 51-22.

The Bruins finished first in the East last season but have fallen out of the top eight in the conference that make the playoffs with their current slide in which they’ve been outscored 28-12. It’s their longest losing streak since they also lost eight in a row from Dec. 22, 1955-Jan. 12, 1956.

At home, the Bruins are 0-6-1 since their last win on Jan. 1, 2-1 over the Philadelphia Flyers in the outdoor Winter Classic at Fenway Park.

Laich got the go-ahead goal on a turnover by Boston defenseman Matt Hunwick, who passed the puck behind his net out to the left boards. Washington’s Alexander Semin got it there and passed to Laich, who scored his 17th goal on a quick shot from the slot.

Gordon made it 3-1 with his second goal at 7:51 on a pass from Tom Poti from along the right boards. Goalie Tim Thomas skated toward Poti, who sent the puck to Gordon in the slot. Gordon put it into the open left side of the net. Thomas made 22 saves.

Ovechkin finished the scoring with his 36th goal of the season.

The Bruins had taken a 1-0 lead with a two-man advantage when David Krejci scored at 6:58 of the first period, just eight seconds after Semin joined Matt Bradley in the penalty box. Marc Savard passed from low in the right circle across the crease where Krejci scored his 10th goal of the season.

That gave Boston its first lead after one period since Jan. 5 when it won 4-1 at Ottawa. The Bruins were 1-8-2 in their next 11 before Tuesday.

But the Capitals struck early in the second period. Poti carried the puck across the blue line on the left side and continued in deep before passing to Knuble, who tipped it in from the right corner of the net.

Krejci had a chance to give the Bruins a lead on a penalty shot at 10:34 of the second period after Knuble hit him from behind. But Krejci’s shot went wide to the left of goalie Jose Theodore, who made 41 saves.

Notes: Bruins defenseman Mark Stuart missed the game after having surgery Monday for a broken left pinky finger and is expected to be sidelined four weeks. … Washington’s Mike Green, the highest-scoring defenseman in the NHL, served the second game of a three-game suspension for delivering an elbow to the head of Florida’s Michael Frolik on Friday. … The Bruins went 1 for 4 in the power play in the first period after having two or fewer power-play opportunities in eight of their previous 10 games.

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