Sergei Fedorov has signed a two-year deal with Metallurg Magnitogorsk, according to the Russian club.

At Metallurg, Fedorov will be reunited with his younger brother Fedor Fedorov, who signed a two-year deal with the club this year.

Fedorov's agent, Pat Brisson, told the team that Fedorov wished to fulfill his father's dream of seeing his sons play on the same team.

The deal is reportedly for two years at $3.8 million per season, according to Capitals Insider, quoting other sources.

The 39-year old center played a season and a quarter with the Caps, coming over in a February 2008 trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The certain Hall-of-Famer will probably be remembered with the Capitals most for his goal in Game Seven of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs this season, beating N.Y. Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist and snapping a 1-1 tie, allowing the Capitals to advance to the second round.

The six-time all-star won three Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings and won the Hart Trophy in 1994.

Several stories this morning pointing toward veteran center and future hall-of-famer Sergei Fedorov is close to an agreement to play for Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL next season.

Capitals Insider reports that the deal is not done and that Fedorov "still has interest in playing for Washington next season," but a decision by the Caps would have to be made soon if they hope to retain his services.

The deal is reportedly a two-year contract worth $3.8 million per, and if that information is correct, it's highly doubtful the Caps will be willing to come close, let alone match, that offer.

The 39-year old Fedorov, an 18-year NHL veteran, had 11 goals and 22 assists this season in 52 games. He was plus-6 with 50 penalty minutes, his highest total in penalties minutes per game in several seasons.

Fedorov is the all-time leader in goals for Russian-born players with 483, and has 1179 points in 1248 career games. He won three Stanley Cups with Detroit and was the 1994 Hart and Pearson trophies winner.

The Washington Capitals stretched their lead for second seed in the Eastern Conference to four points with two games remaining after defeating Southeast Division foe Atlanta last night 4-3. The Caps also beat Atlanta Sunday at home 6-4.

The home-and-home wins give Washington 49 victories and need one win in their last two games to record 50 wins for only the second time in franchise history.

New Jersey lost to Toronto 4-1 at home. It was the Devils seventh loss in nine games.

Simeon Varlamov stopped 29 shots for the win. The Caps got goals from Tomas Fleischmann, Viktor Kozlov, Alexander Semin and Sergei Fedorov, and Alex Ovechkin added two assists to keep pace with Evgeni Malkin, who leads Ovechkin by two points, for the scoring title.

Washington continues it's southeast swing Thursday night at Tampa Bay.

_______________

ed. note: Sorry to cut the review short today. I had my annual eye exam this morning and it's very tough to work on the computer with pupils dilated. I'll have more later when I can see again.

In an uneven but exciting affair, the Washington Capitals lost in overtime to the Buffalo Sabres 5-4. Needing a single point to clinch the Southeast Division championship, the Caps received just that.

But an overtime goal by Jason Pominville, off a turnover in his own end by future hall-of-famer Sergei Fedorov, ruined the celebration.

As the Sabres collected on the Verizon Center ice to celebrate, um, something, the Caps headed to the locker room with slumped shoulders, knowing that they left a needed point out on the ice tonight. New Jersey beat Tampa by an identical 5-4 overtime score, so the Caps find themselves just two points ahead of Satan's minions with four games remaining.

Oh by the way, three of which are on the road due to the VC being overrun with the legions of fans of Bemidji State University.

Fedorov had a heck of a night, scoring twice on big, booming slap shots. But he also took a lazy hook which led to Buffalo's third goal in addition to the turnover in overtime.

Actually, the real score of tonight's game was Caps 7, Buffalo 2. Three of Buffalo's goals touched a Caps player last, and the second goal was a thing of beauty for Viktor Kozlov, redirecting a Clarke MacArthur pass past a sliding Simeon Varlamov like he meant to.

Varlamov, making his fourth start, looked sharp at times and shaky at times, something one would expect from a rookie playing in a playoff atmosphere. He is a much better skater and puck-handler than Jose Theodore, so much so the comparisons are drastic.

But he found himself out of position and scrambling every single time the puck was behind his own net. He's a tremendous athlete, that much is certain. And his athleticism allowed him to recover from mistakes several times tonight. But he still has some growing to do before he's an NHL regular.

Alex Ovechkin scored his 55th of the season, keeping alive the possible 60-goal repeat. Brooks Laich made a nifty backhand pass through the crease allowing Ovie to deposit the puck into a mostly open net.

And Ovie's running mate, Alexander Semin, registered his 30th of the year. That gives the Caps three players with 30-plus goals, and with Fed's pair he cracks double digits, giving the Caps nine players with 10 or more goals.

Washington plays their last home game Sunday against the suddenly resurgent Atlanta Thrashers at 3:00 pm.

Fans should celebrate back-to-back division titles. But the team has bigger goals, and leaving the extra point behind tonight was disappointing.

Enjoy the slideshow. Uncle Ted spoke to season ticket holders before the game, so some shots of that are in there as well. The big news from the chalk talk is that Uncle Ted thinks they'll have to have a waiting list for season tickets next year. Caps fever, catch it!

Sergei Fedorov scored 2:20 into overtime to lift the Washington Capitals (41-21-6, first in Southeast, third in East) over the Nashville Predators (33-29-5-71, fourth in Central, T-7 in West) , before 16,064 at Sommet Arena.

Fedorov called the victory a "character win", but the Caps will take any type of win at this point, after losing their previous four games. Nashville has now lost two straight after winning their previous six games.

The win was punctuated by several big fights, with the Caps mainly on the losing end. Donald Brashear was knocked down by Wade Belak in the first period and did not return to the game. According to Capitals Insider, Brashear sprained his knee in the fight.

Matt Bradley then dropped with Jordin Tootoo and suffered a head butt to his nose, opening a gash that required several stitches, and a change of jerseys. Bradley returned to the game after getting stitched up. John Erskine mixed it up with Belak in the second period and managed to hold his own. The defenseman has been discouraged from fighting due to multiple concussions in the past.

As for actual hockey, the Preds got off quickly, scoring 50 seconds into the game. Ryan Suter put a long distance wrist shot through traffic and past a screened Jose Theodore low to the stick side.

Niklas Backstrom tied it with 1:21 remaining in the second period. Viktor Kozlov carried the puck into the offensive zone, went cross-ice to Alex Ovechkin, and Ovie found Backstrom slipping behind the defense. Backstrom caught the pass on the backhand, skated across the front of the crease, and lifted it over a committed Dan Ellis to tie things up.


Video courtesy of Caps365 at http://capitals.nhl.tv

The goalies took over from there, as Ellis--filling in for an ill Pekka Rinne--made several highlight saves in the third period. Eliis would finish with 39 saves on the night. Theodore was efficient in registering 26 saves against the Predators.

Washington had 17 shots on goal in the final frame, but went 0-for-3 on the power play and could not beat Ellis. The veteran backup made three excellent saves against Ovechkin in the third period, who may be suffering from the lingering effects of the bruised heel he suffered at practice last week.

The Capitals next face the Philadelphia Flyers, Thursday night at 7:00 PM from the Wachovia Center. The Flyers defeated Buffalo last night 5-2, as Jeff Carter and Scott Hartnell had two goals apiece.
__________________________________________________
SCORESHEET

1ST PERIOD
50.0 Ryan Suter (6), Wrist Shot. Assist: Weber, Erat

2ND PERIOD
18:39 Nicklas Backstrom (18), Slap Shot. Assist: Ovechkin, Kozlov

3RD PERIOD
None

OT
02:20 Sergei Fedorov (8), Slap Shot. Assist: Kozlov, Semin
__________________________________________________
THREE STARS

1. D. Ellis - NSH (Saves: 42, Save Pct: .955)
2. S. Fedorov - WAS (Goals: 1, Assists: 0)
3. N. Backstrom - WAS (Goals: 1, Assists: 0)
__________________________________________________
NOTES

Alexander Semin extended his point streak to seven games with his assist on Fedorov's game-winner. It is one game shy of his career best streak. The Caps had a goal waived off after a video review determined that Tomas Fleischmann directed the puck into the net with his skate. Ovechkin has five goals and five assists in his last eight games. The Caps have won five straight on the road, improving to 11-3-2 in their last 16 games away from Verizon Center.

"What I can say about him?" reigning Hart Trophy winner Alex Ovechkin said. "He is a good player, but he talks too much."

"Like it or lump it, that's what he does," Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby said about Ovechkin's checking, insinuating dirty play. "Some people like it, some people don't. Personally, I don't like it."

"I play hard. If he wants to do something like hit me again, try to hit me again -- and I'll talk to you guys [about] who plays dirty," Ovechkin said. "That's my game. It's not cheap shots, it's a game moment. But he doesn't like it, it's his problem."

Ah yes, now that we have that settled, we can talk about a hockey game.

The Washington Capitals (38-17-5, first in Southeast) defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins (29-26-6, fourth in Atlantic) 5-2 before a raucous, sold out Verizon Center Sunday afternoon on national television.

The Capitals got goals from five different players, and held the Pens' dynamic duo to an assist apiece in turning back the tenth place team in the conference, despite being granted eight power play chances to DC's three, including all three man-advantages int he third period. Pittsburgh went just 1-for-8 with the extra man. The Caps went two-for-three.

The Capitals are 3-0 against the Penguins this season and 4-1-1 since Bruce Boudreau took over in November 2007. The Caps have won 13 straight at home against Eastern Conference opponents and hold the East's best home record at 24-5-1 overall.

The win gives the Caps their best record through 60 games in franchise history.

Washington received goals from Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Sergei Fedorov, Shaone Morrisonn and Brooks Laich, chasing Peguins starting goalie Marc-Andre Fleury after Laich's tally. Pittsburgh got markers from Maxime Talbot and Sergei Gonchar, playing in just his fourth game this season since returning from a shoulder injury.

Jose Theodore made 31 saves in the win for Washington.

Maxime Talbot and Sergei Gonchar scored for the Penguins, losers of six of seven on the road.

Never was the status of this rivalry more evident than late in the second period, as both superstars were exiting the ice for a line change. Ovie gave Crosby a shoulder check and Crosby responded by trying to dump Ovechkin over the boards and into the Caps team bench. Ovechkin grabbed Crosby by the back of the neck, pulling his helmet off in the process, right in front of Washington's bench, and on-ice reporter Pierre McGuire for NBC.

A linesman stepped between the players and the jawing continued, but Ovechkin got the last word in waving "bye bye" to Sid the Kid as Crosby was pushed toward the Penguins bench, much like a petulant child sent to a "time out".

"I think he got frustrated because he wasn't getting the freedom he's had in this building before," Boudreau said of Crosby's dust-up with Ovechkin. "It adds spice. It's entertainment. It gets your blood boiling a bit. And every time Alex gets a little more excitable, it can be good for us."

The Capitals face their other rival from the Commonwealth, the Philadelphia Flyers, Tuesday night at 7:00 pm from Verizon Center. Philly fell to Pittsburgh Saturday night 5-4, and are fourth in the conference with 71 points.

__________________________________________________

SCORESHEET

1ST PERIOD
06:53 Power Play - Alex Ovechkin (43), Snap Shot. Assist: Backstrom, Fedorov
12:08 Maxime Talbot (8), Wrist Shot. Assist: Eaton, Orpik
13:02 Power Play - Alexander Semin (22), Wrist Shot. Assist: Backstrom, Green

2ND PERIOD
00.56 Sergei Fedorov (6), Slap Shot. Assist: Semin
04:46 Power Play - Sergei Gonchar (2), Slap Shot. Assist: Crosby, Malkin
12:56 Shaone Morrisonn (3), Slap Shot. Assist: Ovechkin, Fehr
13:21 Brooks Laich (14), Wrist Shot. Assist: Poti, Morrisonn

3RD PERIOD
None

__________________________________________________

THREE STARS

1. S. Fedorov - WAS (Goals: 1, Assists: 1)

2. A. Ovechkin - WAS (Goals: 1, Assists: 1)

3. A. Semin - WAS (Goals: 1, Assists: 1)

Alex Ovechkin scored three times in the first two periods, leading his Washington Capitals past the struggling Ottawa Senators, 7-4, before another sellout crowd at the Verizon Center.

The "Great Eight" increased his league-leading goals total to 36, after scoring five goals in the two afternoon games over the weekend. For a player that notoriously dislikes the early games, even Ovechkin himself can not argue with the results.

After the statement win over Detroit Saturday, the Caps could have been in for a let down against Ottawa, disappointingly mired in the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

But coach Bruce Boudreau's charges came out from the first face-off, playing with determination and brilliance, to quell any thoughts the Senators had of pulling off the upset, despite allowing Sens' captain Daniel Alfredsson to open the scoring just over three minutes into the game.

Washington (32-15-4-68, first in Southeast, second in East) followed that goal with two of their own in the first, both in spectacular fashion on the power play.

Defenseman Mike Green (15) blasted a slap shot past goalie Brian Elliott just seconds after an Ottawa hooking penalty. Less than a minute later, with another Ottawa player in the box, Green found Ovechkin in the left wing dot, who made no mistake with the puck.

The two plays took a total of seven seconds. Credit goes to Niklas Backstrom and Sergei Fedorov for winning the offensive zone face-offs, who each drew their face-offs directly back to Green at the point.

The Caps scored four times in the second period, including a breakaway from Alexander Semin, who made a nifty move on replacement goaltender Alex Auld, faking him to the forehand and then lifting the backhand past him once Auld was on the ice. The play was set up by Green, who lobbed a long pass to a breaking Semin.

Boudreau called the play a "Hail Mary" in honor of Super Bowl Sunday.

"A highlight pass," Boudreau said. "That was a sick pass by Mike Green."

Eric Fehr added his fourth goal of the season for Washington.

Washington rests until Tuesday night, when they travel to New Jersey to face the Devils at 7:00 pm. The Caps hold a one point advantage over New Jersey for second place in the Eastern Conference. The Devils have won eight in a row and nine of their last 10 games.

Photos (c) C. Nichols 2009.
________________________________________________
SCORESHEET

1ST PERIOD
03:31 Daniel Alfredsson (13), Wrist Shot. Assist: Heatley, Spezza
09:43 Power Play - Mike Green (15), Slap Shot. Assist: Backstrom
10:32 Power Play - Alex Ovechkin (34), Snap Shot. Assist: Green, Fedorov

2ND PERIOD
46.0 Eric Fehr (4), Slap Shot. Assist: Backstrom, Schultz
02:15 Alex Ovechkin (35), Wrist Shot. Assist: Fedorov, Kozlov
05:01 Daniel Alfredsson (14), Slap Shot. Assist: Volchenkov, Phillips
13:07 Alexander Semin (19), Backhand Shot. Assist: Green, Laich
15:31 Alex Ovechkin (36), Wrist Shot. Assist: Fedorov

3RD PERIOD
07:56 Antoine Vermette (6), Wrist Shot. Assist: Kelly, Fisher
11:28 Power Play - Dany Heatley (22), Tip-In, Unassisted.
19:36 Nicklas Backstrom (13), Empty Net. Assist: Green
________________________________________________
THREE STARS

1. A. Ovechkin - WAS (Goals: 3, Assists: 0)
2. M. Green - WAS (Goals: 1, Assists: 3)
3. S. Fedorov - WAS (Goals: 0, Assists: 3)
________________________________________________
NOTES

Green's 15 goals lead all defensemen...The game was the 14th sell out of Verizon Center this season and seventh straight, one game short of the Caps all-time record...It was Ovechkin's seventh career hat trick...The Game was delayed twice in the second period to adjust the Plexiglas panels behind the Ottawa goal after checks by Doanld Brashear.

One of the appeals of professional sports is that every time you go to the arena, field or court, you might see something you've never seen before in your life. Alex Ovechkin's game-winning goal in the third period was one of those moments.

Defenseman Bryan Helmer pushed the puck along the boards where Ovechkin collected it. The reigning NHL MVP deked defenseman Henrik Tallinder, then while Tallender was regaining his balance, slid the puck off his back hand through Tallinder's legs just inside the blue line, putting the puck on Ovechkin's forehand.

Tallinder got part of a check on Ovechkin as the left winger was going by, and as he fell to his knees, the "Great Eight" got enough on his shot to beat goalie Patrick Lalime short side, taking a 3-1 lead.

The three goals would stand up, as the Caps held off a late third period flurry to defeat the Buffalo Sabres, 3-2, before 18,277 at the Verizon Center.

Ovechkin appeared to give the Capitals a 2-0 lead late in the second period, but a goalie interference call against teammate Brooks Laich negated it, motivating Ovechkin even further.

Washington (22-11-3-45, first in Southeast) received goals from Viktor Kozlov and Boyd Gordon in addition to Ovechkin's marker, and veteran minor leaguer Bryan Helmer chipped in two assists.

Helmer, 36, was recently named as one of the captains in the AHL All Star game in January, but he'll gladly trade that honor for more nights like tonight in the NHL.

Jose Theodore turned away 22 of the 24 shots he faced, but he certainly could not be faulted for the second goal.

Sabres defenseman Toni Lydman misfired on a slap shot from the point and the puck hit Maxim Afinogenov, who was trying to simply get out of the way. The puck then managed to bounce behind Theodore, pulling Buffalo (16-14-5-37, third in Northeast) to within one goal.

The Caps would stymie the Sabres for the remaining 1:49 and extend their home record to 14-1-1, best in the Eastern Conference. Carolina knocked off Atlanta, keeping pace with the Caps, eight back in the Southeast Division race.


Photo by AP.
___________________________________________________
SCORESHEET

WAS: Kozlov (9) from Backstrom and Helmer (2-17:46); Gordon (3) from Jurcina (3-1:58); Ovechkin (23) from Helmer (3-8:27)

BUF: Vanek (25) from Stafford and Spacek (3-6:13-PP); Afinogenov (2) from Lydman and Kotalik (3-18:11)
___________________________________________________
THREE STARS

1. B. Helmer - WAS (Goals: 0, Assists: 2)
2. D. Brashear - WAS (Goals: 0, Assists: 0)
3. A. Ovechkin - WAS (Goals: 1, Assists: 0)
___________________________________________________
NOTES

Caps' Captain Chris Clark returned from the Long Term Injured Reserve (LTIR) after missing 14 games with a stress fracture in his forearm.

Washington out shot Buffalo 34-24.

Sergei Fedorov has been put on LTIR, retroactive to Dec. 14th. He is eligible to return Jan. 9 vs. Columbus.

• Tomas Fleischmann, Jose Theodore and Eric Fehr all practiced today. Flash and Fehr will travel and expect to play, Theodore will not.
  
  
• Simeon Varlamov will back up Brent Johnson tomorrow night.
  
  
• Sergei Federov and Tyler Sloan, both of whom left Saturday's win over Montreal, did not practice. Nicklas Backstrom, who left the game with migraine, did practice.
  
  
• Caps prospect Stefan Della Rovere made the 2009 Canadian World Junior Championships team.
  
  
• Washington is 13-4-2 with Alexander Semin in the lineup this season.

• Alex Ovechkin returned to practice today and will play tomorrow at Ottawa. He expressed thanks to the Caps organization for allowing him the time to be with his grandfather.

• Shaone Morrisonn also practiced after being rushed to the hospital during the game against Buffalo. Apparently, he was spitting up blood after getting hit in the first period Saturday night and was taken to the hospital out of an abundance of caution.

• John Erskine did not practice today, and is questionable for tomorrow's game. Federov skated on the blue line for practice and will play D if Erskine can't go. This is a flare-up of the calf injury first sustained at Calgary.

• Alexander Semin was named NHL's "First Star" of the month of October, formerly known as "Player of the Month". He led the league in points for the month with 16.

• Keith Aucoin of Hershey was named the AHL's Player of the Month, making it a sweep for top honors in the two highest leagues.

Dallas -- After his wrist shot sailed over Dallas goalie Marty Turco's shoulder and into the top corner of the net, Alexander Semin's teammates mobbed him on the ice, the joy and relief of notching two points on a previously pointless three-game road trip evident. Semin's winner at 2:18 of overtime sealed a 6-5 win for the struggling Washington Capitals and brings them home feeling a little better about the road trip, which saw earlier losses to Calgary and Phoenix.

Semin's goal put an exclamation point on a big night for the Caps all around. Sergei Federov netted two goals, setting the NHL record for goals scored by a Russian-born player, Tomas Fleischmann also had a two-goal game, and Tyler Sloan scored his first career NHL goal of his career.

Federov scored twice, his 474th and 475th of his distinguished career, breaking a tie with Alexander Mogilny. Federov already owned the career record for assists and points by a Russian-born player, with 678 and 1,153.

Fleischmann, 24, put his second goal of the season past Turco with a wrist shot at 16:58 of the first, giving the Caps a 2-1 lead. He tallied again at 15:16 of the second to extend the lead to 4-2. The lead would be short-lived, as Brandon Crombeen scored just 39 seconds later to reduce the lead to one, and Dallas tied it 56 seconds into the third period, with Loui Eriksson beating Caps G Jose Theodore.

Tyler Sloan gave the Caps the lead back again at 2:22 of the third, tapping in a cross-slot pass from Viktor Kozlov, making his return after missing four games with a knee injury. But Stars captain Mike Modano punched one in at the post with just 57 seconds remaining in regulation, forcing the extra period.

Jose Theodore (3-2-0) stopped 26 of the 31 shots he faced, but it was enough for the win.

The Caps celebrate Alexander Semin's game-winning goal. (Photo by AP.)
_________________________________________________
SCORESHEET:

WAS: Federov (2) from Semin and Backstrom (1-12:38-PP); Fleischmann (2) from Nylander (1-16:58); Federov (3) from Semin and Laich (2-11:23); Fleischmann (3) from Nylander (2-15:16); Sloan (1) from Kozlov and Ovechkin (3-2:22); Semin (7) from Gordon and Green (OT-2:17)

DAL: Avery (1) from Crombeen and Modano (1-10:19); Brunnstrom (5) from Avery and Robidas (1-19:50-PP); Crombeen (1) from Daley and Modano (2-15:55); Eriksson (4) from Ribeiro and Morrow (2-0:56); Modano (4) from Morrow and Erikkson (3-19:03)
__________________________________________________
THE GOOD, BAD & UGLY

GOOD: The Scoresheet! Six goals, bask in the glory. OK, that might be a little strong. But after scoring just once in losses against Phoenix and Calgary, it was about time for the Caps to bust out. Special congrats to Federov, for becoming the all-time NHL Russian-born goals, assists and points leader, and to Tyler Sloan, at 27 scoring his first career NHL goal in his third game.

BAD: The Defense. What defense? Modano sat on the doorstep and was uncontested banging home the game tying goal with less than a minute to go. Green and Morrisson were both -1 for the game. This team really needs to get Poti back.

UGLY: Marty Turco. What's happened to him? He used to be one of the best goalies in the league, but he's been absolutely miserable this year. He came in with a 4.70 GAA and it'll only go up after allowing six tonight.
__________________________________________________
NEXT GAME: Tuesday, October 28 against the Nashville Predators at 7:00 pm at Verizon Center.

RECORD: 4-3-1, one-game winning streak.

NOTES: The Stars were previously undefeated in eleven games against Washington in Dallas. The teams did not meet last season.

Tom Poti sat once again, nursing his sore groin. Eric Fehr and Dave Steckel were healthy scratches. Coach Bruce Boudreau hoped the night off would inspire and refocus Steckel, who has been struggling on offense and on face-offs, a critical part of his job.

Federov (2 goals), Modano (goal, two assists) and Semin (goal, two assists) were the three stars, as voted by attending media.

Attendance at American Airlines Center was 18,532.

Calgary, Alberta -- Despite a wealth of opportunities on the power play, the Washington Capitals could not muster more than one goal for the game and fell to the Calgary Flames for the first time in Calgary in over ten years, 2-1, before a sell-out crowd of 19,289 at the Pengrowth Saddledome. In a homecoming game for many western Canadians on the Caps, the team played tentatively and unfocused, especially on a nine minute power play in the first period where they registered just three shots on goal.

Already leading 1-0 on the strength of Sergei Federov's first goal of the season, a deft back-handed redirect of Jeff Schultz' centering pass from the point, the Caps were awarded an extremely rare nine minute power play. Rookie defenseman Tyler Sloan, a Calgary native making his NHL debut, laid out Flames center Daymond Langkow with a clean - but hard - body check, the stuff highlight reels are full of. But Flames winger Rene Bourque took exception, and immediately ran Sloan, decking him up high, then swinging punches even after Bourque had Sloan on the ice.

Referees Chris Lee and Bill McCreary conferred, then leveled the book at Bourque: 2:00 Instigator, 2:00 Unsportsmanlike Conduct, 5:00 Fighting and 10:00 Misconduct. Sloan went unscathed. But instead of returning to the effectiveness of pounding shots from the point and banging home rebounds, the Caps continued their recent struggles on the power play, playing indecisively, looking for the perfect pass, and ending up frustrated. The nine minute advantage expired with only one solid scoring threat, and three measly shots on goal.

Calgary G Miikka Kiprusoff, much maligned at the start of this season, recorded 30 saves with a save percentage of .968, but was rarely tested heavily. To his credit, he did not give the Caps many second opportunities, as he played probably his most effective game this season. Washington G Jose Theodore was solid as well, allowing just two goals on 28 shots, a .929 save percentage.

Jarome Iginla scored with a bomb on the power play from the high slot, a shot Theodore got a piece of, but not quite enough. The second Calgary goal, a slap shot from C Matthew Lombardi, was uncontested by the Caps and simply beat Theodore.

After the nine minute power play, Washington was whistled for eight straight penalties, including David Steckel's throwing the stick penalty, resulting in Iginla's goal. Theodore lost his stick in a scrum, and after the clear Steckel tossed his to his goalie. But rules dictate that skaters may hand their sticks to a goalie, not toss, and Steckel was tossed for his infraction.

Photo by AP.
_________________________________________________
SCORESHEET

WAS: Fedorov (1) from Schultz and Ovechkin (1-4:21).

CAL: Iginla (2) unassisted (2-1:00-PP); Lombardi (1) from Boyd and Moss (2-2:42)
_________________________________________________
THE GOOD, BAD & UGLY

GOOD: Jose Theodore. He finally played the kind of game that Caps fans have been waiting for. The second goal was a little soft but Iginla's goal he was just flat beaten, despite getting a piece of it. He controlled the rebounds and made a couple of really nifty catches.

BAD: Alex Ovechkin. You don't figure to see his name in here very often, but Ovie had a poor game. Defenses are really keying on him, and last night was not exception, but he's not making space, holding the puck too much and looks frustrated.

UGLY: Power play. NINE MINUTES? Are you kidding me? It only goes in the books as 0-for-5, but encompassing 13 minutes. That was some of the worst man-advantage hockey we've seen here in quite a while. Then, to complicate things, the rest of the first and most of the second periods the Caps decided to play a man down. Good thing Calgary's PP was just as inept or this would have been a laugher in what was an important game for so many Caps returning home. Half the Caps blue line and their captain all hail from Calgary.
__________________________________________________
NEXT GAME: Thursday, October 23 at Phoenix Coyotes at 10:00 pm EST.

RECORD: 3-2-1. Two-game losing streak.

NOTES: Kiprusoff broke a personal eight game losing streak to Washington.

Sloan, 27, made his debut after 406 games in the minors.

Donald Brashear made his return to the line-up after missing two games with a hand injury.

Eric Fehr was a healthy scratch. Tom Poti and Viktor Kozlov did not dress, but the team thinks both are getting close to a return.

Fedorov's goal was the 473rd of his distinguished career, tying Alexander Mogilny's NHL reocrd for Russian-born players.