The playoff scenarios are still wildly in flux, but one thing now is for certain.  The Washington Capitals will hold one of the top three seeds in the Eastern Conference, courtesy of their fourth straight Southeast Division title, after defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 in a shootout before a capacity crowd at Air Canada Centre.

Mike Knuble, the fourth shooter for the Caps, scored the only goal of the penalty shot phase to deliver the win.

The loss officially drops the Leafs out of the playoff race for the franchise-record sixth consecutive season.

The win, coupled with the Philadelphia Flyers 5-2 loss to Ottawa, gives the Capitals a two-point cushion with two games remaining in the Eastern Conference.

As for the game, there really wasn't a whole lot to talk about, unless you want to discuss Toronto's rookie goalie James Reimer.  The Caps put 41 shots on goal, including seven by Alex Ovechkin, but could only manage to get two past Reimer, Ovechkin's laser beam on a five-on-three, and John Erskine's floater from the point that deflected off Luke Schenn and into the net.

Ovechkin's goal was the 300th of his already illustrious career, and he could have had several move were it not for the stellar play of Reimer.  Ovechkin had a shot flick off a post in the third period after Remier got just enough of it with his glove to deflected it out of the way.

Reimer's play the last month of the season has been a bright spot in another lost season in Toronto, but not bright enough to lift them into a playoff seed.

The Capitals, however, shook off their doldrums of December and January and now sit in the driver's seat in the conference and for the moment own the second best record in the league.  It's quite a difference from the losing streak when talk radio hosts and certain segments of the fan base were calling for coach Bruce Boudreau's head on a platter.

Now, as the second season approaches, it seems like their leader is healthy and, well, leading the way.  Boudreau is resting forwards a game at a time as we go.  And hopefully some old favorites can get some PT against Florida this weekend and bolster a depleted blue line.

Hang on to your hats.  This is where it really gets fun.

SEMIN STAYS HOME

Alexander Semin was not a factor in last night's game as he stayed behind in D.C. nursing an undisclosed ailment.  Boudreau said during the morning skate that if the game had been a playoff game Semin wouled have been in the lineup.

The enigmatic winger had goals in three of his last four games after being held scoreless in seven straight.

ON THE MEND?

GM George McPhee told reporters in Toronto that D Mike Green, who has missed the 24 of the last 26 games with concussion-like symptoms, could return to the ice for Wednesday's game with Florida.  McPhee indicated that Green has passed all the tests mandated by the league for his return, but the team is weighing their options when to insert him back into the lineup.

CAPS NEWS NETWORKS THREE STARS

3. Sean Collins.  I'm going to give Collins some props here.  He was plus-1 and was not the worst defenseman on the ice.  Played a well-managed 10:49.

2. Michal Neuvirth.  The kid just keeps doing his job.  Two goals on 21 shots, and the second goal was the result of his defenseman -- in this case Jeff Schultz -- flat getting beat.

1. Alex Ovechkin.  His goal was a thing of pure power, and he had great legs and hands in this one.  His stick-handling displays on a couple rushes were breathtaking.

THE RESULT:  The Washington Capitals rose to the occasion of "Hockey Night in Canada", with their superstar recording his first hat trick of the season en route to a 4-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Center.

The Caps third baby goalie, Braden Holtby, was spectacular, making several "how did he do that" saves and kept his team in the game until they were able to break out in the third period.

Alex Ovechkin really wanted this one.  Not only did he score three times, but he also had three blocks, including one late in the third period where he laid out on the ice to knock down a shot from the high slot.

Ovi's first goal was a redirect of a shot from Jeff Schultz from the point.  Later, he victimized J.S. Giguere from in close after getting clobbered by defenseman Luke Schenn.  To cap his trick, he beat Tomas Kaberle down the boards and dumped the puck into an open net to seal the win.

In between, Matt Hendricks turned hard work into a pretty goal.  On a defensive zone face off, he was able to tip the puck between Toronto's defensemen and race up the ice in on Giguere, where he made an exaggerated pump-fake to get Giguere down on the ice, then Hendricks slipped the puck on the backhand past the fallen goalie.

Earlier in the night he'd gotten his nose rearranged in a tussle with Leafs Mike Brown, but that didn't keep Hendricks from missing a shift -- he played with a plug in his nostril to keep it from bleeding.

Holtby was the big story most of the night.  He made 35 saves, allowing just a bang-bang goal to Tim Brent.  But he made two huge kick saves early in the game, and robbed Mikhail Grabovski with the glove late in the third.

Taking the win on "Hockey Night in Canada" must be extra-special for Holtby.  The youngster gave up five goals twice in November and was disappointed with his play.  He went back to Hershey and was stellar, recovering his confidence.  He has now won back-to-back games with Michal Neuvirth and Semyon Varlamov nursing injuries.

This team has as good of a stable of good, young, athletic goaltenders as anyone in the league.  It's a luxury to be able to recall a player of Holtby's talent when an injury pops up.

So the Caps come home taking five of six points available on the three-game roadie.  The games with the Islanders and Leafs were must games, and the Capitals were up to the task.  They needed those points in the standings, and what's more, they needed to prove to themselves they still knew how to win.

THE GOOD: Ovi is scoring. Enough said.

THE BAD:  Well, this game started pretty slow.  Don't judge me, I'm in a good mood.

THE UGLY: I'm going to pass on handing out an ugly.  Just a solid win as the third straight game on the road.

THE STATS: Alex Ovechkin (17) from Jeff Schultz (6) and Nick Backstrom (33) at 14:27 of 1st.  Alex Ovechkin (18) from Mike Green (14) and Jason Chimera (10) at 1:12 of 3rd.  Matt Hendricks (6) unassisted at 8:14 of 3rd.  Alex Ovechkin (19) from Nick Backstrom (34) and John Carlson (16) at 19:36 of 3rd (EN).

NEXT GAME: Monday v. New York Rangers at Verizon Center at 7:00 pm.

CAPS NEWS NETWORK THREE STARS

3. Matt Hendricks.  Broken nose in a fight?  No big deal.  He'll just score a pump-fake breakaway goal.

2. Braden Holtby.  Was simply magnificent.  He kept the Caps in the game with several ridiculous saves.

1. Alex Ovechkin.  His hat trick is huge.  He's using his outside speed and physicality inside.

It's only mid-January, but the Washington Capitals are already facing a pivotal juncture in their season.  Their next two games, against two of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference are, for all intents and purposes, Must Win Games.

Tonight, the Caps skate into the Nassau Coliseum to take on the New York Islanders, one of the most down-trodden, talent-poor, financially strapped teams in all of hockey.  Their struggles are well documented, and their play on the ice this season has been as poor as their mis-management.

Ranked 14th in the conference (29th in the league), the Islanders have a goal differential of minus-40, fourth worst in the NHL.  The Isles have been semi-respectable in their last ten games, going 5-4-1, but the fact of the matter is they are one of the worst teams in the league on offense (2.42 GF/G, 28th) AND defense (3.27 GA/G, 29th).  Only mediocre special teams play (18th in PP, 19th in PK) have kept them from being even worse.

They don't have a player in the Top 60 in scoring, and they just traded away their best goalie (noted Caps-killer Dwayne Roloson).

They don't have a single player that's dressed for even one game with a positive +/- rating.

Saturday, the Caps go to Toronto, the butt of league jokes for years now.  Once one of the storied franchises in the game, the Leafs (of Laffs, of Loafs, depending on which blogs you read) are now perhaps the league's biggest disappointment. 

Playing in Canada's biggest market, with all that tradition and high expectations, they continue to flounder despite who they bring in run things or play the game.

The Leafs are currently 12th in the conference (and 27th overall) and have a minus-25 goal differential, so it's not by accident.  They are one spot ahead of the Islanders in GF/G (2.43, 28th), and merely bad on defense, ranked 22nd in GA/G (3.02).

Toronto's leading scorer, Clarke MacArthur, is enjoying his career year having already surpassed his previous season-high points total.  Even then, he almost has as many PIMs as points.

The Capitals sit fifth in the conference heading into tonight's game with the Islanders, where about 3,000 fans will watch. They are only seven points out of first, but only eight points out of ninth place. 

These four points are crucial to the Capitals, both in the standings and to their pysche.  They know where the Islanders and Maple Leafs are in the standings.  They know where they themselves are in the standings.  These are games that good teams simply must win, regardless that they come during a three-game road trip.

Now is the time to these Caps to galvanize.  Forget about the injuries and who's not with them currently.  Forget about the media, the hype, the attention.  Forget about previous missed opportunities.  Forget about everything else.

Work hard.  Skate hard.  Go to the net.  Stand up for your teammates.  Stand up for yourselves. Forecheck.  Backcheck.  Do the little things.  Do the dirty work in the corners.  Win.

The Captain said it following Tuesday's overtime loss to conference-leading Philly:  "We have to go to the net, find our rebound, crash the nets, make some hits -- you know, be angry."

Be angry, indeed.

 

We'll see what this team is really made of in the next three days.  If the Caps don't take two points will they be mathematically eliminated from the playoffs?  Far from it.  But losses could very well be emotional cripplers that send the team further and quicker down the negative sprial that is following this team lately.

 

It's easy to get up for a New Year's Day game on national television against the Penguins.

RESULT:  Saturday night in Calgary, the Washington Capitals got a lead against a struggling, inferior team and buried them, on the road no less.  Wednesday night, in a 5-4 shootout win, it wasn't that simple.

The Caps (8-4-0-16, T-1 in SE) used a three goal blitz in the second period to seemingly take control over the Toronto Maple Leafs.  But instead of notching a fourth goal and taking the wind out of the Leafs' sails, the Caps let a poor and stuggling club back into it. 

Once Toronto got their second goal, they played like their hair was on fire, scoring three third period goals, taking a 4-3 lead at 7:17.

Good thing for Alexander Semin.

The Enigma was in full force last night.  He had two offensive zone stick fouls.  He had four shots on goal.  He scored the game-tying goal at 14:22.  He also scored the clinching goal in the shootout.

The game-tying power play goal was something of a mucker's goal, with the puck bouncing and pinballing in the crease.  But it was that kind of night for Semin, as he was much more involved in the play, going to the net and being a presence in the offensive zone most of the night. 

“When he scored his goal on the power play, there aren’t too many guys in the National Hockey League that have hands like that – that can put it there that quickly," coach Bruce Boudreau said after the game.

In fact, all four of the Capitals goals were scored from in close, and Boudreau acknowledged the effort post-game as well. 

Another aspect that has been missing most of the season from the Capitals attack has been a strong presence from the third line.

Boyd Gordon, Jason Chimera and Matt Bradley not only combined for Chimera's third goal of the season, but regardless if it was Bradley or Eric Fehr on the line, the grinders were effective digging the puck off the boards, providing a physical presence, and buzzing rookie goalie Jonas Gustavsson whenever they were on the ice.

(Video D. Nichols/Caps News Network)

Much like the Capitals season at large, this game wasn't pretty.  There was some really good.  There was some pretty bad.  And again, there was strong goaltending, despite the four goals against.

Mike Green, who scored his second goal of the season on a nifty backdoor pass from Semin, spoke freely about the performance of his young goaltender thus far this season.

“He’s incredible. I don’t want to pump him too much but he’s been outstanding for us. As a defenseman I feel so comfortable with him behind us. There’s already a mutual bond that we feel even though he’s only been here a short period of time.”

The Caps dug down and found enough in the third period and in the shootout to scratch out a win against a team they really should have buried when they had them down.  It's become a familiar refrain in this campaign, but it sure beats losing these games.

As they proved in the win over Calgary, they are capable of dominating a team.  Until they find a way to show that instinct on a more consistant basis, they'll have to find satifaction in winning ugly as well.

THE GOOD:  The third line.  Chimera's goal was a direct result of three things:  getting the puck in deep (Bradley), winning a physical battle in the corner (Gordon), and driving to the net (Chimera).  For a hockey connoisseur, it was as pretty as anything Ovechkin, Semin or Green could have put together.

(Video D. Nichols/Caps News Network)

THE BAD:  Jeff Schultz.  He had a lousy night.  He doesn't have many of them, so if your best stay-at-home defenseman has a bad game in win you have to take it.  He was minus-2 on the night (Green was minus-3) and just couldn't get out of his own way tonight.

THE UGLY:  D.J. King.  Was a minus-2 in just eight shifts.  Had a turnover that led directly to a goal.  Got beat up in his fight.  You have to commend GM George McPhee for indentifying what he thought was a need in the off-season and going out and filling it.  It just might have been with the wrong guy.

THE STATS:  Green (2) from Semin (6) and Ovechkin (7) at 6:05 of 2nd (PP).  Chimera (3) from Gordon (2) and Bradley (1) at 10:35 of 2nd.  Fleischmann (4) from Carlson (6) and Laich (4) at 11:28 of 2nd.  Semin (7) from Laich (5) and Ovechkin (8) at 14:22 of 3rd.  SO:  Ovechkin; Semin.

NEXT GAME:  Friday at 7:00 pm against the Boston Bruins at Verizon Center.

CAPS NEWS NETWORK THREE STARS

3.  Jason Chimera.  Nice goal, brought the speed all night.  Plus-1.

2.  Karl Alzner.  The dude was in the right place at the right time all night long.  He and John Carlson were the only D-man with plus ratings on the night.

1.  Alexander Semin.  We'll forget, for a moment, the two offensive zone stick fouls.  But The Enigma was the best player for the Caps tonight.  Good pressure, full effort, and even did a little crease-camping for show. 



Alexander Semin scores winner in shootout. (C.Nichols/Caps News Network)



Tomas Fleischmann lost his stick. (C.Nichols/Caps News Network)



Michal Neuvith makes one of his 24 saves. (C.Nichols/Caps News Network)

D.J. King had a rough go of it with Colton Orr. (C.Nichols/Caps News Network)




Toronto Maple Leafs (5-5-1-11, 3rd NE) v. Washington Capitals (7-4-0-14, 2nd SE)

7:00 pm  Verizon Center, Washington DC

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The Toronto Maple Leafs, perhaps the second most storied franchise in all of hockey, got off to a tremedous start this season, winning their first four games.  But since that streak was broken in a 4-3 overtime loss to the New York Islanders, the Leafs have lost six out of seven, falling faster than the leaves on the trees as temperatures start to feel like hockey season in America's Hockey Capital.

To make matters worse, Toronto has been shut out in two of their last three games.

Toronto is led in scoring by wingers Phil Kessel and Clarke MacArthur, with seven goals apiece.  No other skater has more than two, and therein lies the problem.

"Well, it's dried up a lot," general manager Brian Burke described his squad's offensive drought. "Obviously, we're having trouble putting the puck in the net right now. I have nothing pending that might solve that. We're going to have to solve it internally for now."

Another handicap facing the Leafs tonight is their captain, Dion Phaneuf, will miss the game (and likely many more) with a laceration of his leg, incurred Tuesday night against Ottawa in the second period after getting tied up with Ottawa's Peter Regin along the boards.

Tonight's matchup, the first of four between conference rivals, pits the struggling Leaf offense against one of the hottest goalies in the league, Michal Neuvirth for the Capitals.  The 22-year old Czech goalie is tied for the league lead with seven wins, and his 2.15 goals-against average ranks second among goaltenders with 10 or more starts.

Neuvirth was named October's rookie of the month, becoming just the third goaltender in franchise history to earn the award, joining Bob Mason (Dec. 1984) and Jim Carey (March 1995) with the honors.

Neuvirth made 27 saves in Washington's 7-2 win over Calgary on Saturday -- the eighth time he's allowed two goals or less as a starter in 2010, cementing his hold on the No. 1 goalie spot over Semyon Varlamov, who has struggled this season with groin injuries.  Varlamov is expected to back up Neuvirth tonight.

The Caps broke out in a big way Saturday, getting big numbers from the re-vamped top line of Nicklas Backstrom, Alex Ovechkin and Alexander Semin.  All three had at least one goal and multi-point games in the breakout against Calgary. 

And the Caps power play, which has been ineffective all season, hit on three attempts with the extra-man, including one sequence where Ovechkin scored on a one-timer on a 5-on-3, then 12 seconds later did the same on the resulting 5-on-4 on the same set play.

Mike Green has returned to his regular patrol on the Caps blueline, even if his shoulder is still not 100 percent.  Green has been on the ice for just one goal against all season full-strength, which underlies his importance to the Caps.  But the defensive corps is still depleted, as Tom Poti and Tyler Sloan will both be inactive for tonight's game.  Brian Fahey was recalled once again from AHL Hershey and will dress for the affair.

The Capitals have a nice little homestand, with consecutive games against Toronto, Boston and Pihladelphia, to continue to progress offensively while staying strong in the areas that have them in the position they are now, namely goaltending and the penalty kill.

___________________________________________________

LEADERS

TOR:  LW Clarke MacArthur (7-3-10, +4), Phil Kessel (7-2-9, even), G Jean-Sebastien Gigure (4-3-1, 2.38, .905)

WAS:   LW Alex Ovechkin (7-6-13, +2), Alexander Semin (6-5-11, +5), G Michal Neuvirth (7-3-0, 2.15, .926)

INJURIES

TOR:  D Dion Phaneuf (leg-OUT), RW Colby Armstrong (finger-OUT)

WAS:  D Tom Poti (LBI-OUT), D Tyler Sloan (hip-OUT), C Marcus Johansson (hip-QUE), G Semyon Varlamov (groin-QUE)

STATS

TOR: GF/G: 2.27 (29th); GA/G: 2.36 (10th); PP: 12.8% (23rd); PK: 81.1% (21st); FO: 52.4% (7th)

WAS:  GF/G: 3.09 (7th); GA/G: 2.27 (T-4); PP: 16.7% (T-14th); PK: 90.2% (4th); FO: 49.8% (17th)

**Quotes in this story were pulled from various sources, including NHL.com and AP

BOXSCORE//GAME SUMMARY//EVENT SUMMARY

Washington, DC -- The Washington Capitals hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs in front of a Red Rockin' Caps crowd.  The weather may have felt like winter, however, it was fall in DC tonight -- The Maple Leafs fell.  Caps dominated entire game and won 6-1.

It took less than a minute for Alex Ovechkin to score a goal and start racking up the points.  The NHL MVP had a season high five point game.  Ovechkin also had a career-high four assists.

After Ovi scored the first goal of the game, Coach Bruce Boudreau thought, "Alex is on tonight."

Mike Knuble and Ovechkin were the fabulous duo.  Back-to-back Knuble goals assisted by Ovi.  Knuble seems to be back on track with five goals in this last five games and his broken finger is healing nicely.

John Carlson was recalled from Hershey this afternoon and arrived at Verizon Center at 6:30 just in time for warmups.  Carlson received a warm reception from the surprised Caps fans when he was announced in the starting lineup.  Fans thanked him for his winning OT goal in the gold medal game at the World Junior Championships when Team USA beat Canada.

"It's pretty cool when you get cheered on like that," Carlson said. "It's cool to recognized like that. But you have to make sure to stay focused on the game, so they're still cheering for you after the game, too."

Caps found yet another enforcer--Shaone Morrisonn.  With about six minutes left in the game, it appeared that Colton Orr took a cheap shot at Mike Green which left him lying flat on his back and Shaone Morrisonn took up the fight with Orr.  Morrisonn ended up with 2 min for instigating, 5 min for fighting and 10 min for misconduct.  Orr was only slapped with a 2 min interference call along with 5 min for fighting.  Coach Boudreau said during post-game interview that after looking back at video, Orr's hit on Green "didn't look like a vicious check."

"We don't exactly have the toughest team in the world," said Boudreau, but 'this group cares about each other and when one hits one, they hit them all."

Caps have had a season-high 13 penalties twice this year - in each of the last two games. 

Per Caps Insider, Jason Chimera will receive an automatic one game suspension because he was whistled for an instigator in the final five minutes of the game. Coach Bruce Boudreau also receives an automatic $10,000 fine because of Chimera's infraction.

Jose Theodore looked sharp in goal and will likely be in goal against Flyers. Coach Boudreau said, "I hope this gets him some confidence. He'll probably start on Sunday afternoon and go again. He's a competitor, a battler. He's done it his whole life being a small goaltender with the awards he won. So it's no surprise to me that he's gone in there and is saying, 'The heck with you guys, 'I'm going to be great.'"

Theodore gave Carlson the Hard Hat. "None of the Canadians were happy with me, it was pretty funny" said a smiling Number 74.

_______________________________________________________

SCORESHEET

1ST PERIOD
00:49 Alex Ovechkin (29), Snap Shot. Assist: Backstrom
17:51 Eric Fehr (12), Slap Shot. Assist: Ovechkin, Chimera

2ND PERIOD
04:03 Mike Knuble (11), Backhand Shot.  Assist: Ovechkin, Backstrom
06:48 Power Play - Mike Knuble (12), Wrist Shot. Assist: Ovechkin, Semin
18:37 Power Play - Tomas Kaberle (5), Slap Shot.  Assist: Kessel, Stempniak

3RD PERIOD
06:47 Power Play - Tomas Fleischmann (16), Tip-In.  Assist: Ovechkin, Green
11:06 Tom Poti (2), Wrist Shot.  Assist: Semin, Green

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THREE STARS

1. A. Ovechkin - WAS (Goals: 1, Assists: 4)

2. M. Knuble - WAS (Goals: 2, Assists: 0)

3. J. Theodore - WAS (Saves: 28, Save Pct: .966)

The Washington Capitals got six goals from five different players, as they jumped out to a 3-0 lead, and cruised home with a 6-4 victory over the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs before a capacity crowd at D.C.'s Verizon Center.

It was Washington's eighth consecutive home opening victory.

"You felt like you were in a piranha fish tank," Toronto coach Ron Wilson said. "We were getting quality scoring chances, without a doubt, but you can't trade chance for chance with a team like that."

Alex Ovechkin, back-to-back Hart Trophy winner, started the scoring 1:17 into the game.  Ovie took a long pass from Nicklas Backstrom, took Toronto's blue line, then used the defenseman as a screen as he flicked the puck glove-side past Vesa Toskala, who had a rough period and was replaced for the second period.

"It's unbelievable," said Toskala, replaced in net by Jonas Gustavsson at the start of the second period. "It seems everywhere they go, the puck is following them."

Mike Knuble scored mid-way through the period, and Brooks Laich scored his third goal of the campaign on a breakaway four and a half minutes later.

"It was a nice play by Juicy [Milan Jurcina].  He made a nice stretch pass and I was able to slip behind the D-man."

"It was nice to get a fancy one, so to say, for once."

Three more second period goals, two from Alexander Semin and one from Brendan Morrison, pushed the lead to 6-1.

Goalie Semyon Varlamov was outstanding in the first two frames.  He made several solid kick saves and held his own when the outcome was still in doubt.  He made 27 saves in the game, and was not faulted by couach Bruce Boudreau.

Defensive letdowns led to three unanswered Leafs goals, and had the Caps not killed a late penalty it could have gotten ugly.  Boudreau was satisfied with the performance, but wanted to use it as a teaching tool as well.

"I told the guys, it was a great win, it was a great start, but we have to learn to how win six-to-one... and not think we're going to win nine-to-one."

"Hopefully this was a cheap lesson for us."

Washington is off until Tuesday night, when they face the Flyers in Philadelphia at 7:00 pm.  Philly is off to a 2-0-0 start, beating Carolina 2-0 Friday night and New Jersey tonight 5-2.

_______________________________________________________

SCORESHEET

1ST PERIOD

01:17 Alex Ovechkin (3), Snap Shot. Assist: Backstrom, Semin

09:12 Power Play - Mike Knuble (1), Wrist Shot. Assist: Clark, Ovechkin

13:53 Brooks Laich (3), Wrist Shot. Assist: Jurcina, Morrison

2ND PERIOD

04:23 Lee Stempniak (1), Wrist Shot. Assist: White, Mitchell

05:27 Alexander Semin (1), Wrist Shot. Assist: Erskine

10:42 Brendan Morrison (1), Backhand Shot. Assist: Green, Laich

16:02 Alexander Semin (2), Backhand Shot. Assist: Ovechkin, Backstrom

3RD PERIOD

02:04 Alexei Ponikarovsky (2), Wrist Shot. Assist: Finger

05:18 Mikhail Grabovski (1), Tip-In. Assist: Schenn, Ponikarovsky

17:57 Niklas Hagman (1), Snap Shot. Assist: Grabovski, Kaberle

_________________________________________________________

THREE STARS

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

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

3. B. Laich - WAS (Goals: 1, Assists: 1)

Welcome from the press box, high atop the Verizon Center, as we get set for the home opener between the Washington Capitals and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Caps come off Thursday's season opener, where they handled the Boston Bruins 4-1.  The team looked sharp, gave up only 20 shots, and had their way on the power play.  The Leafs lost their opener Thursday to thier arch-rival Montreal Canadiens, 4-3, with less than 30 seconds remaining in overtime.

Toronto played a rough-and-tumble game against Montreal, and took three fighting majors, one each from Mike Kommisarek, Colton Orr and Jay Rosehill.  Matt Stajan led the way on offense, scoring twice, with Alexei Ponikarovsky picking up the other goal.

The Caps are led, naturally, by the Great 8, Alex Ovechkin.  The two-time Hart Trophy winner did not disappoint in Game 1, netting two goals and helping with another.  But Brooks Laich opened some eyes, scoring two power play goals from inside the crease.  Nicklas Backstrom had three assists, and Alexander Semin set up two goals.

Jose Theodore played well in net, but Semyon Varlamov gets the start tonight in a pre-determined set-up.  Coach Bruce Boudreau will have to balance the play of the two, resisting to always play the hot hand to make sure both players get enough work, unless and until one of them plays head-and-shoulders above the other.

______________________________________________________

LINEUP

Forwards:

Ovechkin-Backstrom-Semin

Laich-Morrison-Knuble

Laing-Steckel-Clark

Kane-Gordon-Bradley

Defense:

Morrisonn-Green

Poti-Jurcina

Erskine-Pothier

Scratches: Nylander, Sloan, Schultz

_______________________________________________________

INJURIES

WAS: Eric Fehr (shoulders), Tomas Fleischmann (blood clot)

TOR:  Jeff Finger (oblique), Jamie Heward (concussion), Phil Kessel (shoulder), Jamal Meyers (head), Mike Vay Ryn (knee)

Veteran goalie Curtis Joseph sat on the bench for 59 minutes of last night's game, a spectator like the rest of us. For the remaining minute of regulation, five minutes of overtime and the shootout, he was the only player on the ice that truly mattered.

And when he stuffed Alex Ovechkin's shootout attempt to give his last-place Toronto Maple Leafs a 3-2 OT victory, he was mobbed by his mates as if he's won game seven of the Stanley Cup.

Joesph made nine saves in six minutes, several of the highlight reel variety, and earned the first star of the game. Really. For six minutes of work. He was in the game only because starter Martin Gerber lost his cool after the Caps controversial tying goal and made contact with referee Mike Leggo.

Brooks Laich was credited for the tying goal, which came on a scrum in the crease after Alexander Semin's original wrap-around attempt was thwarted. Laich got his stick underneath Gerber and seemed to push the Leaf goalie, with the puck underneath of him, into the goal.

Referee Leggo ruled that Laich played the puck under Gerber and the goal stood. Gerber immediately rose and slammed his blocker pad on the top of the goal, then chased down and made a brushing contact with Leggo. After a brief discussion with his linesmen, Leggo awarded the goal and tossed Gerber.

Gerber was assessed a game misconduct and is expected to receive additional disciplinary action from the league office.

The tying goals was scored while the Washington (45-23-7-97, first in Southeast, T-2 in East) were playing six-on-five with 57 seconds remaining. The Leafs had pulled ahead at 17:52 on a power play goal by Pavel Kubina that slipped past Caps goalie Jose Theodore (27 saves).

Each team had a goal in the second period. Toronto defenseman Phil Oreskovic registered his first career NHL goal, which seems to be redirected at least once by a Capitals skate.

Alex Ovechkin scored his league-leading 51st goal of the season on a power play with 21 seconds left in the middle stanza. He took a pass from Niklas Backstrom at the blue line, weaved through the Maple Leaf defense, deked Gerber and easily deposited a backhand shot past the fallen netminder.

There would be no over-the-top celebration for Ovie on this night, a simple kiss of the gloves and point skyward before gathering with teammates.

The Caps also failed to capitalize on a Toronto penalty in overtime, playing the final 1:02 with an extra man. That mattered not to Joseph, who had the line of the night in the press conference post-game.

I've played long enough," the 41-year-old Joseph said. "Ovechkin is definitely the greatest player in the game right now, I would agree with that. But I've played against the likes of Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux and guys like that."

Washington is off until Friday, when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning at 7:00 pm from Verizon Center.

Gerber going nuts. Photo by AP.
_____________________________________________________
SCORESHEET

1ST PERIOD
None

2ND PERIOD
09:04 Phil Oreskovic (1), Slap Shot. Assist: Ponikarovsky, Grabovski
19:39 Power Play - Alex Ovechkin (51), Backhand Shot. Assist: Backstrom, Green

3RD PERIOD
17:52 Power Play - Pavel Kubina (14), Slap Shot. Assist: Blake, Grabovski
19:03 Brooks Laich (19), Snap Shot. Assist: Semin, Ovechkin

OT
None

SHOOTOUT
Jeff Hamilton (2), GOAL
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THREE STARS

1. C. Joseph - TOR (Saves: 9, Save Pct: 1.000)
2. M. Green - WAS (Goals: 0, Assists: 1)
3. P. Oreskovic - TOR (Goals: 1, Assists: 0)
______________________________________________________
NOTES

Donald Brashear missed his seventh straight game with a sprained knee. With two more goals, Mike Green can register the first 30 goal season by a defenseman in 16 seasons.

The Washington Capitals (45-23-6-96, first in Southeast, third in East) travel to Air Canada Center in Toronto (30-30-13-73, fifth in Northeast) to face a Maple Leafs team playing out the stretch, mired in 13th place in the conference, eight points out of a playoff spot with nine games to play.

Washington trails New Jersey for the playoff's second seed by one point, but the Devils have a game in-hand on the Caps, having played in one fewer game at this point.

The Capitals are dragging entering the contest, as the team is ridden with a flu bug that has affected everyone from Alexander Semin and Matt Bradley to coach Bruce Boudreau and GM George McPhee. Bourdeau typified it as a "head cold", but Semin and Bradley missed practice this week, and the team recalled RW Steve Pinozzotto from AHL Hershey as an emergency stand-by.

To accommodate Pinizzotto's salary, goalie Simeon Varlamov was returned to Hershey and Daren Machesney was recalled and will back up Jose Theodore in goal this evening.

The Caps will be without enforcer Donald Brashear for a seventh straight game as well, along with Boyd Gordon with a broken finger.

DC hopes it can get the scoring magic back, as the team has only averaged 2.36 goals per game in 11 games in March to rank second-to-last in the conference. The Caps had averaged 3.30 goals per game up until that point.

In the 4-1 loss to Carolina Saturday, Washington put up 32 shots but could only get one, Mike Green's 28th goal of the season, past goalie Cam Ward. Alex Ovechkin, who scored his league-leading 50th goal against Tampa Bay earlier in the week, managed seven shots on goal but could not beat Ward.

The Caps only got one goal against Toronto the last time these two teams played, Mar. 5 at the Verizon Center. Semin punched one in with 39 seconds remaining to avoid the shut out. Washington leads the season series two games to one.

Jason Blake (25-32-57, plus-3 ) and Alexei Ponikarovsky (21-32-53, plus 6) are the Leafs leading scorers. Martin Gerber, acquired at the trade deadline with the season-ending injuries to Vesa Toskala, is the goaltender. He is 8-12-1 with a 3.91 goals against average and .901 save percentage for the season.

Toronto leads the lead with 323 games played by NHL rookies this season.
__________________________________________________

SPECIAL TEAMS

WAS: PP-2nd (24.3%, 73/300); PK-20th (79.9%, 71/354)

TOR: PP-13th (19.6%, 58/296); PK-29th (75.8%, 67/277)

__________________________________________________

INJURIES

WAS: C Boyd Gordon (Finger-IR); G Brent Johnson (Hip-IR); RW Chris Clark (Wrist-IR); RW Matt Bradley (Flu-Questionable); LW Donald Brashear (Knee-Questionable); LW Quintin Laing (Spleen-Out); LW Alexander Semin (Flu-Questionable)

TOR: D Jonas Frogren (Knee-Out); RW Niklas Hagman (Head-Questionable); D Tomas Kaberle (Hand-Out); G Vesa Toskala (Hip/groin-Out); D Mike Van Ryn (Knee-Out); D Jamie Heward (Concussion-IR); G Olaf Kolzig (Arm-IR)

The Washington Capitals (40-20-5-85, first in Southeast, third in East) host the Toronto Maple Leafs (25-26-13-63, fourth in Northeast, 11th in East) at 7:00 p.m. from Verizon Center.

Washington has lost their last two games--both at home--and are 3-4 since Feb. 20. The last two losses, to Carolina and Florida, are particularly troubling. Both Carolina and Florida find themselves in the position the Caps were last season, fighting for a playoff spot with the season winding down, thus every game, every point, matters.

The Capitals are fairly secure with their playoff spot this season, leading the Southeast Division by 11 points with 16 games to go. They trail New Jersey by two points for second in the conference, and are seven points up on Philadelphia in fourth.

Caps star left winger Alex Ovechkin, leading the NHL in goals with 46, had a little scare at practice yesterday. The reigning Hart Trophy winner took a slap shot off the boot and left the ice under duress, breaking several sticks along the way out of frustration. But after the initial shock wore off, and some treatment from teh Caps medical staff, Ovechkin is not expected to miss tonight's game.

"He's fine," coach Bruce Boudreau said after practice. "I'm not concerned. ... It's sore, but he's OK."

The Caps need their leader to be fine tonight, considering the way the team has played recently. "We're going through this funk right now," Boudreau said of his team's last two losses. "It looked like there was a complete lack of energy."

Some energy might have been found at the NHL trade deadline yesterday, but General Manager George McPhee decided to stand pat with the roster he has. While some names were moved yesterday, including several that the Cpas had interest in, McPhee did not pull the trigger on any deals, preferring to stay with the young players and minor leaguers that the team has accumulated in the last few years.

Help from within might be coming, however, as defenseman Brian Pothier was granted medical clearance to begin a conditioning stint with AHL Hershey. Under the NHL's collective bargaining agreement, the player has 14 days of rehab in the minors before the team has to either activate him or outright him to the minors, subjecting him to the waiver process.

Coach Boudreau said after this morning's skate, through Capitals Insider, that Ovechkin, Tom Poti (groin) and Jose Theodore (flu) will all play tonight. Michael Nylander, out for four games as a healthy scratch, could play as well.

Toronto enters this game with a new goaltender. Leafs GM Brain Burke acquired martin Gerber off re-entry waivers from Ottawa yesterday, after learning that Vesa Toskala will miss the remainder of the season with hip and groin surgery.

The Leafs also sent Nik Antropov to the New York Rangers and forward Dominic Moore to Buffalo, both for draft picks, further depleting their squad. They acquired Olie Kolzig, Jamie Heward and Andy Rogers from Tampa Bay, but Kolzig and Heward are both on the injury list.

_________________________________________________
SPECIAL TEAMS

WAS: PP-2nd (24.7%, 67-271); PK-22nd (79.4%, 66/320)
TOR: PP-13th (19.8%, 52/263); PK-29th (74.9%, 61/243)
_________________________________________________
INJURIES

WAS: G Brent Johnson (Hip-IR); RW Chris Clark (Wrist-IR); LW Alex Ovechkin (Foot-Questionable); D Tom Poti (Groin-Questionable); G Jose Theodore (Flu-Questionable)

TOR: RW Niklas Hagman (Head-Questionable); D Tomas Kaberle (Hand-Questionable); G Vesa Toskala (Hip/groin-IR); D Jamie Heward (Concussion-IR); G Olaf Kolzig (Arm-IR)

As December crawls to a close, the Washington Capitals (23-11-3-49) find themselves inching closer to the top of the NHL's Eastern Conference lead. The Caps have been one of the hottest teams in the league, winning 10 of their last 12 games.

With their 4-1 win last night over the Toronto Maple Leafs (14-6-6-34 fourth in Northeast), Washington extended their Southeast Division lead to ten points over Carolina, and find themselves alone in second place in the conference, nine points behind the Boston Bruins.

Before a capacity crowd that came to see Caps' great Mike Gartner's number 11 retired, and many other former Caps to honor the Hall of Famer, today's Capitals received two goals each from Brooks Laich and Alex Ovechkin, and goalie Jose Theodore was steady in goal, turning away 23 shots for his third straight victory.

Toronto struck first, as Niklas Hagstrom snapped a shot from the high slot past a partially screened Theodore late in the first period. Leafs goalie Vesa Toskala made several difficult saves in the period, and defenseman Mike Green also hit a screaming slap shot from the point off the far pipe. The lead would hold, in a fairly chippy game, until midway though the second.

On the power play, Laich took a feed in the right wing corner from Niklas Backstrom (two assists), walked in, and stuffed it between Toskala's pads to even the game. Then, with ten seconds remaining in the second period, Ovie made his mark.

Just moments after clinking one off the post, Ovechkin gathered a pass from Milan Jurcina and drilled the puck though Toskala, the puck dribbling across the goal line. Jurcina made an excellent play on the take-away, and pushed it ahead to Ovechkin who was still forechecking.

The red-clad crowd, still buzzing from the pre-game ceremonies, roared its approval.

Laich scored the insurance goal at 15:43 of the third period. Eric Fehr did some good work pinning the defense down in the left wing corner, and the puck popped out to Laich, who was streaking in behind the play. He went though the crease and got a soft shot on goal, but Toskala could not control the bounce, and on the second whack, Laich beat him.

Laich now has four goals in his last six games, and 10 for the season.

Ovechkin added an empty net goal for his 25th of the season.

The Capitals travel to Buffalo to face the Sabres Tuesday night at 7:00 PM. The Caps have split two games with the Sabres this season, a 5-0 shellacking in Buffalo and a 3-2 victory last Friday night at the Verizon Center.

Photos (c) C. Nichols 2008.
__________________________________________________
SCORESHEET

WAS: Laich (9) from Backstrom and Green (2-12:54-PP); Ovechkin (24) from Jurcina (2-19:50); Laich (10) unassisted (3-15:43); Ovechkin (25) from Backstrom and Green (3-19:26-EN)

TOR: Hagman (11) from Grabovski and Frogren (1-14:23)
__________________________________________________
THREE STARS

1. B. Laich - WAS (Goals: 2, Assists: 0)
2. A. Ovechkin - WAS (Goals: 2, Assists: 0)
3. J. Theodore - WAS (Saves: 23, Save Pct: .958)
__________________________________________________
NOTES

Before the game, the Caps returned D Tyler Sloan to Hershey (AHL) and activated Mike Green and Jeff Schultz from the injured list. After the game, the team recalled forward Chris Bourque from Hershey.

Washington is 15-1-1 at Verizon Center this year, and 21-1-1 in its last 23 regular season games.

Forward Matt Bradley fell hard into the side boards after missing a check. He left the game with assistance and appeared woozy. The team said he is "ok", but has not elaborated.

The Washington Capitals (15-9-3-33, first in Southeast) defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs (9-12-6-24) in a tight, tense match before 19,416 at Air Canada Centre in Toronto.

Caps defenseman Milan Jurcina broke a 1-1 tie at 7:12 of the third period just one minute after Nik Antropov had tied it up one a power play.

Toronto lost two players during the game to injury: D Luke Schenn and F Niklas Hagman. Coach Ron Wilson's bench was already worn down, as last night was their fourth game in six days. Schenn left with a lower body injury after being checked by Alex Ovechkin, while Hagman took a knee to the head and was still groggy after the game.

Washington got a goal and assist from rookie defenseman Karl Alzner, and he also blocked three shots and led the defense in shifts and minutes. Alzner's play has picked up considerably in the last couple of games, since a poor showing against Florida last week.

Ovechkin called the game "boring" after the game, but he tried to make the most of it during the game, leading the team in shots (7) and hits (6).

Goalie Brent Johnson (7-4-3, 2.59, .913) saved 19 of 20 shots he faced for the win. The Caps out shot the Leafs 30-20. Toronto G Vesa Toskala made 28 saves in the loss.

Forward Eric Fehr left the game after injuring his shoulder colliding with the end boards. He is listed day-to-day and the team recalled AHL leading goal scorer Alexandre Giroux from Hershey as a precaution.

The Caps are now missing eight players who started the season on the opening night roster, in addition to Tyler Sloan, himself an injury call-up, who missed last night's game with a foot injury. Sean Collins made his NHL debut last night in Sloan's place.

Washington faces the Carolina Hurricanes (12-12-3-27, second in Southeast) at 5:00 pm today from the RBC Center. Carolina has lost their last three games at home. Washington has won both matchups between the teams this season.

_____________________________________________________

SCORESHEET

WAS: Alzner (1) unassisted (2-1:41); Jurcina (2) from Nylander and Alzner (3-7:12)

TOR: Antropov (10) from Stajan and Kaberle (3-6:12-PP)

_____________________________________________________

THREE STARS

1. A. Ovechkin - WAS (Goals: 0, Assists: 0)

2. K. Alzner - WAS (Goals: 1, Assists: 1)

3. V. Toskala - TOR (Saves: 28, Save Pct: .933)

The Washington Capitals (14-9-3-31, first in Southeast) have a pair of games this weekend against Eastern Conference foes. Tonight at 7:00 p.m. from Air Canada Centre in Toronto the Caps face a Maple Leafs (9-11-6-24, fourth in Northeast) team still searching for its identity. Sunday, the Caps travel to Dixie to face Southeast Division rival Carolina Hurricanes (12-12-2-26, second in Southeast) from RBC Center at 5:00 p.m..

Washington's story over the last couple of weeks is well documented and nothing will change that status over the weekend. The team is still missing seven of its regulars due to injury, and while several are making progress toward returning to the ice, none are really ready.

The Caps got more injury news yesterday, as D Tyler Sloan was limping noticeably after taking a shot off his ankle in Thursday's win against New York. The team recalled D Sean Collins from Hershey and he is expected to make his NHL debut tonight. Collins, 25, went 0-4-4 with 10 PIM in 13 games with Hershey this season.

Collins will be the eleventh defenseman used by Washington this season.

Coach Bruce Boudreau will not use injuries as an excuse, and after calling his players out after a lopsided and boring loss against Florida Tuesday, the team responded with a complete game 5-2 victory over the Islanders. This two-game road trip should test their new-found resolve.

Toronto has been a team in turmoil this season so far. They've already turned their front office upside down and recently brought in long-time GM Brian Burke to attempt to lead them back to prominence. Along with the turnover comes the swirling Mats Sundin rumors.

The 37-year old all-star is without a contract and deciding if he wishes to return to the NHL, leaving the faithful Maple Leaf followers confused and frustrated that their team and 13-year centerman can't work something out.

On the ice has been as much as a struggle as the front office. The team is getting outscored nightly and has been attacked in the Toronto press. Goalies Vesa Toskala (-8-8. 3.24, .883) and Curtis Joseph (0-3-2, 3.95, .851) have been inconsistent and left mostly to fend for themselves.

Up front, the Leafs are paced by Mikhail Grabovski (10-8-18, -2), Matt Stajan (7-14-21, -5) and Nik Antropov (9-10-19, -2).

Players currently missing from coach Ron Wilson's lineup include D Mike Van Ryn (Head-IR); D Jonas Frogren (Arm-IR) and C Jamal Mayers (Hand-Out).

Carolina uses a team attack, as none of their skaters has more than nine goals, but six have at least seven goals to his credit. Tuomo Ruutu leads the way with nine (9-6-15, -1), while Eric Staal (8-7-15, +8) is their only leading scorer with a positive plus/minus rating.

Their number one goalie is Cam Ward. He is 8-7-3, 2.68, .911 in 18 games, however, is out with a groin injury. The backup is Michael Leighton (4-6-0, 3.22, .887).

Carolina's injury sheet lists several key players: D David Tanabe (Concussion-Out); D Tim Gleason (Lower-body-IR); D Frantisek Kaberle (Lower body-Questionable); D Dennis Seidenberg (Leg-IR); RW Scott Walker (Lower body-Questionable); G Cam Ward (Groin-Out)