THE RESULT:  The Caps have been waiting for a game like this.

Shaking off a sluggish first period, the Washington Capitals scored six times in the second stanza, en route to routing the Calgary Flames 7-2, before 19,289 in the Saddledome on Hockey Night in Canada.

The Caps (7-4-0-14) shook the rust off their power play, scoring three straight man-advantage goals, erasing a 2-0 first period defecit that could have been even larger were it not for the continued stellar play of rookie goalie Michal Neuvirth.

But Washington's skaters finally were able to take the pressure off Neuvirth (27 saves on 29 shots), continuing to light the lamp after finally taking the lead.

Coach Bruce Boudreau changed his lines around again tonight, moving Alexander Semin up to the top line, and the change paid dividends.  All three forwards had at least one goal, with Alex Ovechkin scoring twice in a span of 12 seconds, just two seconds longer than Stephen Leach needed to set the Caps record for fastest two goals from one player, 20 years ago next month.

Defenseman Mike Green had his best game of the season, with his first goal and two assists.  He played more of his game and was not as tentative as he has been since returning to the line up three games ago from his shoulder injury.

It was clearly his most complete game of the season.

Even fourth line grinders Matt Bradley and David Steckel got into the act.  Bradley got credit for a goal when Calgary defenseman Cory Sarich knocked the puck off Bradley's stick into his own net, and Steckel was awarded a penalty shot on a short-handed breakaway when he was hauled down from defenseman Mark Giordano. 

Steckel buried it for his first goal of the year off the normally Mikka Kiprusoff (21 saves on 27 shots).

It wasn't all offense for the Capitals, though it was nice to see all the goals.  The penalty kill was perfect again, going six-for-six a man down.

The slow first period, where the Caps were outshot 16-8, kept this one from being called a "60-minute" game, something that so far has escaped the Capitals this season.  But the speed and efficiency of Washington's goal-scoring prowess in the second period was impressive to watch. 

The last couple of games it's been tough to watch the Caps hit posts and fire wide and generally look uninterested and unimaginitive.  Funny how one 20 minute burst of domination can change your outlook on a team.  This is what we expected to see out of the Capitals this season. 

Hopefully this dominant display woke something up in every player that wears the Capitals logo on their chest.

THE GOOD:  Scoring six goals in a period is big, but seeing the power play convert three opportunities, including scoring on a 5-on-3 and the resulting 5-on-4 12 seconds later has to be a relief to all of American's Hcokey Capital.

THE BAD:  Six more minor penalties.  They didn't come back to haunt the Caps, but they are really playing with fire relying on the kill to continue it's stellar play.

THE UGLY:  The only real ugly was the Caps' start, getting down by two goals again -- and it could have been more.  Last season the first period was a strong suit for the Caps, but so far in this campaign the opening 20 minutes have been nothing but trouble.  Thankfully Neuvirth was up to the task once again.

THE STATS:  Nicklas Backstrom (4) from Mike Green (3) and Brooks Laich (3) at 15:22 of 1st (PP).  Alex Ovechkin (6) from Green (4) and Backstrom (4) at 3:43 of 2nd (PP).  Ovechkin (7) from Alexander Semin (4) and Jason Chimera (2) at 3:55 of 2nd (PP).  Green (1) from Semin (4) and Backstrom (5) at 10:28 of 2nd.  Matt Bradley (unassisted) at 10:41 of 2nd.  Semin (6) from Ovechkin (6) and Backstrom (6) at 13:33 of 2nd.  David Steckel (penalty shot) at 18:23 of 2nd.

NEXT GAME:  Wednesday, Nov. 3 at 7:00 pm against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Verizon Center.

CAPS NOTES:  Boyd Gordon returned to the lineup.  He took a delay of game penalty and skated 25 shifts for 16:28 TOI, including 5:09 shorthanded.  Eric Fehr and Mattieau Perrault were healthy scratches.

CAPS NEWS NETWORK THREE STARS

3.  Nicklas Backstrom.  Goal and three assists.  Super Swede has his best game of the season.

2.  Mike Green.  First goal of the season and two helpers.  Starting to look like he feels better.

1.  Alex Ovechkin.  Two power play goals when the contest was still in doubt and a helper on Semin's marker.

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.
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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)
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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.
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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.

The Washington Capitals (3-1-1) start an old-fashioned, three-game west coast swing Tuesday night at the Pengrowth Saddledome against coach Darryl Sutter's Calgary Flames (1-3-1) at 9:30 pm EST.

Five games into the 2008-2009 campaign, the Caps have been equal parts juggernaut and enigma. They have looked dominant at times (Vancouver, third period at Pittsburgh), and have looked lethargic at times (Atlanta, New Jersey). Sitting at 3-1-1 with seven points in the Southeast Division is a solid start, but coach Bruce Boudreau has to be looking to a little more overall consistency and better scoring opportunities for MVP Alex Ovechkin, who has just three points in five games.

LW Alexander Semin continues his torrid start though, adding two more goals against New Jersey to raise his team leading scoring to 10 points. D Mike Green kicked one in on a 5-on-3 power play as well, and he's second on the team with 6 points and a +5.

The team hopes to get Donald Brasher back for the Calgary game, as he and D Tom Poti, who's been nursing a strained groin, both made the road trip. The team also recalled D Tyler Sloan from Hershey to make his NHL debut. Sloan, 27, is a slick skating 6'3" blue-liner that made effort and result his calling card in Hershey.

Coach Bruce Boudreau will have Jose Theodore between the pipes against the Flames.

Calgary has had its troubles so far this season, having won just one of their first five games, and enter this one having lost its last two. The Flames have been outscored 14-22. G Mikka Kiprusoff, embattled much of last season, began a new six-year, $35 million deal this season and has been between the pipes for all four Flames losses this season, to the tune of a 4.37 goals against average and save percentage of just .851.

On offense, RW Todd Bertuzzi has five of the team's 14 goals and C Daymond Langkow is the only skater for Calgary with a positive plus/minus rating through five games. Perennial all-star Jarome Iginla has had a rough start, going 1-2-3 with a -5 in five games.
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WHO'S HOT:

CAPS: LW Alexander Semin (6-4-10, +6); D Mike Green (4-2-6, +5); C Michael Nylander (2-4-6, +3)

FLAMES: C Daymond Langkow (1-5-6, +1); RW Todd Bertuzzi (5-0-5, -3); LW Michael Cammalleri (1-4-5, -2)

WHO'S NOT:

CAPS: LW Alex Ovechkin (2-1-3, +3); C Nicklas Backstrom (0-1-1, +1); RW Chris Clark (0-1-1, -1)

FLAMES: RW Jarome Iginla (1-2-3, -5); D Adrian Aucoin (1-0-1, -5); G Mikka Kiprusoff (1-3-1, 4.37, .851)

INJURIES:

CAPS: D Tom Poti (groin-DTD); LW Donald Brashear (hand-DTD); LW Viktor Kozlov (knee-OUT)

FLAMES: D Rhett Warriner (shoulder-IR)