Michael Nylander has cleared waivers.  There are several sources reporting that he is heading to Russia, however, we have not seen confirmation.

Tarik tweeted about 1:15pm today that the "Caps say they don't expect an update on Michael Nylander's status today."

Photo © 2008 Cheryl Nichols

The Washington Capitals loaned center Michael Nylander to Grand Rapids of the AHL (Detroit's affiliate) this week, in an attempt to find some playing time for the 37-year old Swede. To what result, at this point, is anyone's guess.

The conditioning assignment can last up to two weeks, and the team has already indicated he'll play in Friday's home opener and Monday's tilt for Grand Rapids.

Nylander will still count toward the Capitals' roster limit and salary cap.

The veteran pivot has not appeared for the Capitals in a game -- regular, post-season or pre-season -- since Game Three of the first round playoffs last season against the New York Rangers.

It's been a disappointing run wearing the red of Washington for Nylander. Once considered one of the finest playmakers in the game, he's been relegated to the fate of being loaned out to another team's affiliate just in order to garner playing time.

Just two seasons ago, Nylander manned the helm of the Rangers top scoring line, dishing out 56 and 57 assists in consecutive years. But in two seasons with the Caps, he has totalled just 50 helpers combined. To say that he does not mesh well into coach Bruce Boudreau's system is an understatement.

With the Capitals, Nylander should be enjoying his finest seasons, with some of the best finishers in the game. You might have heard of a couple of them, both named Alex (Ovechkin and Semin).

Yet, he found his way to the bench in last season's playoffs after appearing in 72 games in the regular season, and has not been out on the sheet for the Caps since, despite being healthy and practicing on a regular basis.

The Caps would like nothing better than to find a permanent place for Nylander to finish his accomplished career. However, the burden he carries is his contract, the no-movement clause (NMC) associated with it, and the hit it takes on the Caps salary cap.

For now, Washington's general manager George McPhee is fine -- he has enough bodies and enough flexibility under the cap to manage his roster.

But when Tomas Fleischmann comes off the Long Term Injured Reserve (LTIR) in a couple of games, his salary will again count against the cap, and Washington will have to put a defenseman (or two) though waivers to send them down to the minors.

That situation has already cost the team the services of Chris Bourque, waived after he was told he'd made the opening night roster, and was claimed by Pittsburgh, of all teams. Washington does not relish the idea of losing Tyler Sloan, or any of the other NHL-quality defensemen on the squad.

Even if they get past that hurdle unscathed, Nylander's situation (his cap number is $4.875 million) is keeping the team from negotiating long-term deals for Semin and Mike Green, both due considerable raises going forward.

And then, you have to look at it from Nylander's point of view. All he wants to do is play, and make the money for the contract he signed in good faith two seasons ago. He's 37, and while a trade to an NHL team -- considering his contract -- is difficult, he can certainly be loaned to a foreign team so the Caps can claim some salary cap relief.

There have been rumors since training camp of Washington moving Nylander to Russia, Sweden, and elsewhere, but so far no deals have gone through.

Perhaps this "conditioning assignment" is a tryout for a specific team to see that indeed, Nylander is in shape and able to help out a club in need.

Perhaps it's akin to a yard sale. "Come see what we have on display, big discounts on Swedish centers (not named Nicklas Backstrom)."

Or perhaps, it's just a chance to let a veteran player get a few games in to show the rest of the NHL that he can still play.

Whatever the true reason, the Caps need to find a permanent solution. Because if they have to carry Nylander's contract all season, it will become a distraction in Boudreau's locker room, and severely limit McPhee's roster, especially when the trade deadline comes around.

They can't keep hoping to place players on the LTIR to get around making a deal.

Despite allowing the tying goal midway through the third period, the Washington Capitals (43-21-6-92, first in Southeast) defeated the next closest team to them in the division, the Carolina Hurricanes, 5-4 in a shootout.

Alex Ovechkin potted the shootout winner on the Caps third attempt, clinching the two-nil shootout win. Alexander Semin capped his big night (goal, three assists) with an earlier shootout goal on Carolina goalie Cam Ward.

Ward and Caps goalie Jose Theodore both made several spectacular saves throughout the heavy-hitting contest, but both also allowed a couple of goals they will tell you they should have stopped. Theodore saved 25 of 29 shots and Ward made 22 saves.

Carolina really came out hitting in the first period, especially forechecking against the Capitals defense. Washington responded fairly well, as they took a 2-1 lead in the first on goals by Mike Green and Ovechkin. Ovie's goal was on the power play, and his 49th of the season.

The second period was a wild affair, with breakaways aplenty, a ton of penalties and four goals, two by each team.

Alexander Semin notched his 29th of the season, sweeping a rebound of an Ovechkin shot past Ward, and Niklas Backstrom banged home his 19th on a beautiful pass by Michael Nylander, who drew both defenders out of the middle of the ice on a power play.

The third period exposed Washington's recurring problems clearing the puck out of their own defensive zone. One such escapade led directly to Niclas Wallin clanking a shot off the inside of the post for the equalizer.

Carolina also received goals from Erik Cole, Eric Staal and Ray Whitney.

Overtime saw the Caps play their best defense of the night though, as they spent two minutes of the extra frame killing off a hooking penalty on defenseman Tom Poti, who was whistled for three minor infractions on the evening.

Coach Bruce Boudreau was happy for the win, but not particularly happy with his team's defensive effort. "If he [Theodore] wasn't at the top of his game they would have had six or seven easy. Easy. I mean, they had four breakaways in the second period again."

"Once it started getting to that firewagon hockey, we've got guys that like to go. And they didn't think too much about defense."

Thankfully for the Caps, they put enough up on the board tonight to keep their defense from ruining the fun for a lively Saturday night crowd. But the scoresheet tells the story: Semin and Green were on the ice for all eight goals scored in regulation, and Ovechkin and Backstrom seven of the eight.

Boudreau stressed to the media what he wants his best players to hear, "It was like pond hockey, and in the playoffs, you have to play much more structured," he said.

The Capitals now head out on a five-game road trip, starting in Florida Tuesday night.

_______________________________________________

SCORESHEET

1ST PERIOD
09:53 Erik Cole (18), Slap Shot. Assist: Staal
10:59 Mike Green (24), Wrist Shot. Assist: Semin, Backstrom
18:01 Power Play - Alex Ovechkin (49), Wrist Shot. Assist: Green, Semin

2ND PERIOD
01:30 Power Play - Alexander Semin (29), Wrist Shot. Assist: Laich, Ovechkin
05:57 Eric Staal (33), Wrist Shot. Assist: Whitney, Seidenberg
12:27 Power Play - Nicklas Backstrom (19), Wrist Shot. Assist: Nylander, Semin
19:52 Ray Whitney (23), Wrist Shot. Assist: Cole, Staal

3RD PERIOD
10:47 Niclas Wallin (2), Slap Shot. Assist: Seidenberg, Cullen

OT
None

________________________________________________

THREE STARS

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

2. E. Cole - CAR (Goals: 1, Assists: 1)

3. N. Backstrom - WAS (Goals: 1, Assists: 1)

________________________________________________

NOTES

Sergei Fedorov (illness) and Donald Brashear (knee) were scratched. Green ended a seven game goal drought. Ovechkin pushed his scoring streak to 10 games (7 goals, 7 assists) and Semin extended his scoring streak to nine games (7 goals, 9 assists).

In the end, General Manager George McPhee didn't pull the trigger on any trade deadline deals this year, and the Washington Capitals will have to improve from within.

Plenty of players moved before the 3:00 p.m. eastern deadline, including several that at one point had been linked to the Capitals in some capacity. But after professing his desire to keep much of the young talent Washington has drafted and cultivated in the last few years, McPhee did just that.

And combined with the fact that he ultimately could not find a partner to take Michael Nylander's hefty contract to create cap room, McPhee fairly tied his own hands at this trading deadline.

All season long, Nylander's name has been featured prominently in trade rumors, at some point going to Chicago, Toronto, Nashville or Columbus--really anywhere that would take the remaining year and $5 million off the Caps' books. But Nyls' No Movement Clause made any deal subject to the player, and he was coy all along with his intentions.

"I'm just going to let it play out," Nylander said early Wednesday. "There's nothing I can do. In my case, I have a little say in what goes on. But I'm like everyone else." --Courtesy of Capitals Insider

There were some big names that traded places, but the really big names (Chris Pronger, Jay Bouwmeester, Ryan Smyth) stayed at home.

The Caps were rumored to be targeting a couple players that eventually did move, and unfortunately for the Caps, they went to conference rivals.

Bill Guerin went from the New York Islanders to Pittsburgh, giving the Penguins some much-needed grit and veteran leadership, and defenseman Derek Morris goes from Phoenix to the New York Rangers, along with Nik Antropov, formerly from Toronto.

McPhee is scheduled to address the media early this afternoon.

Michael Nylander scored twice as the Washington Capitals snapped the New Jersey Devils winning streak at eight games, winning 5-2 before 14,018 at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ.

The big road victory came over the team next closest to the Caps in the Eastern Conference standings, and Washington extended its lead over the Devils to three points. Washington owns a 33-15-4 record, good for 70 points.

Defenseman Mike Green added a goal and an assist, as his goal-scoring streak reached four games, tying a Capitals record for most consecutive games with a goal by a defenseman. Alex Ovechkin assisted on two goals, and the Caps were successful on three of their four power plays, including both goals in the first period, setting the tone for the game.

Nylander was a difference-maker, scoring the third goal early in the second period on a backhand after Boyd Gordon controlled a bouncing rebound, and after two New Jersey goals, scored an unassisted power play goal at 10:59 of the third to seal the deal.

The Caps' fourth goal was a classic case of "dummy", where the veteran carried the puck along the boards until the defense practically ignored him, then he whipped a shot between goalie Scott Clemmenson's pads.

Nyls now has eight points in his last nine games, perhaps becoming more accustomed to his role on this team.

Jose Theodore made 32 saves for the win.

The game was not all good, however. For the 12th game in a row, Washington surrendered a power play goal, and tonight also allowed a shorthanded goal, to red-hot Devils captain Jamie Langenbrunner.

More troubling though was the suddenly alarming injury news. Before the game, the team announced captain Chris Clark will miss the rest of the season due to impending surgery on his injured right wrist. Then, the team scratched goalie Brent Johnson to rest his nagging hip injury, with the possibility that Johnson himself may need surgery.

The kicker was losing Viktor Kozlov during the game with a groin injury. The team said it was just a tweak, but any injury to a top line player is a concern.

Brooks Laich and Eric Fehr also scored for Washington, giving Fehr goals in back-to-back games.

The Capitals play next Thursday evening, hosting the Los Angeles Kings at 7:00 pm from Verizon Center.
___________________________________________________
SCORESHEET

1ST PERIOD
05:58 Power Play - Mike Green (16), Wrist Shot. Assist: Semin, Ovechkin
08:12 Power Play - Brooks Laich (12), Tip-In. Assist: Ovechkin, Green

2ND PERIOD
02:16 Michael Nylander (6), Backhand Shot. Assist: Gordon, Fehr
08:50 Power Play - Brian Rolston (9), Slap Shot. Assist: Elias, Parise

3RD PERIOD
41.0 Short - Jamie Langenbrunner (15), Slap Shot. Assist: Zajac, Salvador
10:59 Power Play - Michael Nylander (7), Wrist Shot, Unassisted.
18:50 Eric Fehr (5), Empty Net. Assist: Morrisonn, Laich

___________________________________________________
THREE STARS

1. M. Nylander - WAS (Goals: 2, Assists: 0)
2. M. Green - WAS (Goals: 1, Assists: 1)
3. J. Langenbrunner - NJ (Goals: 1, Assists: 0)

Photo by Getty Images.

Shaone Morrisonn had to know the second the puck hit his right leg that the game was over. Trying to stop a crossing pass from Boston's David Krejci, instead Morrisonn redirected the puck past a stationary Jose Theodore and into his own net, allowing the Eastern Conference leading Boston Bruins (35-8-5-75, first in Northeast, first in East) to escape overtime with a 3-2 win over their next closest opponent in the standings.

Krejci admitted after the game he was trying to pass through the low slot to center Marc Savard, who was wide open on the far post on the four-on-three power play.

The Washington Capitals (30-15-4-64, first in Southeast, second in East) scored twice in the first period, but were shut down the rest of the way by all-star goalie Tim Thomas. Thomas knocked away 34 of the 36 shot he faced, and made a highlight reel kick save on Niklas Backstrom early in overtime to keep Boston alive.

The Caps continue to have problems on the penalty kill, as Boston went two-for-five with the extra skater, including the winning goal. Backstrom was off for hooking Zdeno Chara, on somewhat of a debatable call, as Chara was diving to the net. Several Caps after the game thought Chara embellished his fall a bit.

Coach Bruce Boudreau was not as charitable. "It was a good penalty to take if it was in [regulation]."

Boudreau continued, "These were two good teams. All three games against these guys, we battled them. It was a hard fought game. We have to limit [the penalties] to just three because right now we're fragile killing penalties. The guys are trying so hard, but things aren't working."

Washington finally tallied at even strength after going three-plus games without one. Mike Green (13) opened the scoring at 2:08 of the first period with a slap shot just after Savard's high-sticking penalty expired. Michael Nylander added his fifth of the season right before the first intermission, tipping one in after Tomas Fleischmann charged the net, then wrestled the rebound away from Thomas and a defender.

Caps goalie Jose Theodore had another strong game in net, including a tremendous glove save in overtime before the game-winner. He made 24 saves in the losing effort.

The Caps had a scary moment at the end of the second period, as NHL leading goal scorer Alex Ovechkin took a hard fall, slamming his right shoulder into the low boards as he came crashing to a stop. He was assisted from the ice and missed the last 5:35 of the second, but returned to take his regular shifts in the third period. The team described the injury as a "stinger" and that he was "ok".

Washington is now off until a Saturday matinee at the Verizon Center against the Detroit Red Wings. Game time is 12:30 pm.

Photo by Getty Images.
________________________________________________
SCORESHEET

1ST PERIOD
02:08 Mike Green (13), Slap Shot. Assist: Semin, Ovechkin
09:26 Shawn Thornton (4), Backhand Shot, Unassisted.
19:39 Michael Nylander (5), Tip-In. Assist: Fleischmann, Clark

2ND PERIOD
14:12 Power Play - Marc Savard (17), Wrist Shot. Assist: Bergeron

3RD PERIOD
None

OT
01:55 Power Play - David Krejci (18), Wrist Shot. Assist: Wideman, Chara
________________________________________________
THREE STARS

1. T. Thomas - BOS (Saves: 34, Save Pct: .944)
2. M. Savard - BOS (Goals: 1, Assists: 0)
3. S. Thornton - BOS (Goals: 1, Assists: 0)
________________________________________________
NOTES

Ovechkin went scoreless in the game...Alexander Semin extended a seven-game scoring streak (4-4-8)...Boudreau was honored Monday at the AHL all-star game and inducted into the league's Hall of Fame...Washington was zero-for-six on the power play.

Washington Capitals left wing Alexander Semin scored an unassisted goal mid-way through the third period to lead the home team past the Boston Bruins, 2-1, before a capacity crowd at Verizon Center.

Semin had tried the same move twice earlier in the game with no success. But with the game in the balance, and less than nine minutes remaining in the game, Semin played the puck off the boards to himself at his own blue line, maneuvered around a flat-footed defenseman, and blew a slap shot past all-star netminder Tim Thomas for the game-winning goal.

Semin's unassisted goal broke a 1-1 tie and was the culmination of a strong third period performance that saw the Caps take control of a tense, tight-checking contest pitting two of the highest scoring--and winningest--teams in the NHL.

Boston had won four straight and seven on the road, their last road loss coming in the very same building to the Capitals on Dec. 10.

Washington, winners of back-to-back games, now trail Boston by nine points in the Eastern Conference. The teams have two games remaining, both in Boston.

Washington out shot the Bruins in all three periods, and for the game held a 30-24 advantage. The Caps, paying heed to coach Bruce Boudreau's mantra, got skaters in the Bruins crease in front of goalie Tim Thomas all night. The strategy made for more quality chances and better sustained attack on the offensive end of the ice all game long.

After an evenly-played first period, the Bruins scored first in the second period, as Boston leading scorer Marc Savard knocked in his 16th goal of the season. Savard gathered a rebound in the face-off circle to the left of goalie Jose Theodore and buried the shot past the Caps backstop. It was the only shot out of Boston's 24 that would beat Theodore on this evening.

Washington answered back 1:10 later. Mike Green took a beautiful cross-crease pass from center Michael Nylander and put a wrist shot past a helpless Thomas. It was Green's 12th goal of the season.

The Capitals have two games remaining before next weekend's all-star break, both on the road. They travel to Nassau County to face the New York Islanders on Tuesday, and the following night play in Ottawa against the Senators.

_________________________________________________

SCORESHEET

1ST PERIOD
None

2ND PERIOD
01:49 Power Play - Marc Savard (16), Slap Shot. Assist: Kobasew, Chara
02:59 Power Play - Mike Green (12), Snap Shot. Assist: Nylander, Laich

3RD PERIOD
11:48 Alexander Semin (18), Slap Shot, Unassisted

__________________________________________________

THREE STARS

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

2. J. Erskine - WAS (Goals: 0, Assists: 0)

3. T. Thomas - BOS (Saves: 28, Save Pct: .933)

__________________________________________________

NOTES

Caps Captain Chris Clark was a healthy scratch for the second game in a row.

Boston was without LW Milan Lucic for the fifth straight game due to a shoulder injury.

C Boyd Gordon (back) and D Shaone Morrisson (lower body) were out for Washington.

Washington Capitals rookie goalie Simeon Varlamov recorded 32 saves and the Caps got goals from Niklas Backstrom and Michael Nylander to defeat the Montreal Canadiens before 21,273 faithful at Bell Centre.

The Caps extend their record to 18-10-3-39, first in the Southeast Division. Montreal is second in the Northeast at 16-8-5-37.

Nylander's game winner came with just 3:32 left in the game when he banked a shot off Canadien netminder Jaroslav Halak's leg pad from behind the goal line. Nylander must have felt like the goalie owed him something after robbing him with an outstanding glove save earlier in the game.

Halak finished with 24 saves in the loss.

The win did not come without a cost, however, as Sergei Federov, Tyler Sloan and Backstrom all left the game early with injury or illness. Federov and Sloan's problems were undisclosed, but Backstrom was reportedly suffering from a migraine.

Federov had just returned last night to the team after missing several weeks with an ankle injury. Sloan has been playing for several games with a bruised heel.

Backstrom netted the Caps first goal of the game on the power play in the first period on feeds from Alex Ovechkin and Alexander Semin.

Patrice Brisebois had Montreal's lone tally against Varlamov, making his NHL debut tonight.

The game was very chippy and both teams had plenty of opportunities on the power play. The Canadiens went 0-for-8 with the extra man, including a four-minute advantage when Ovechkin received a double minor for high sticking after clipping Tom Kostopoulos in the face.

Washington is off until Tuesday night, when they travel to face the New York Islanders at 7:00 PM from Nassau Colosseum. The Islanders are last in the Atlantic Division with just 22 points and lost a 5-2 decision to the Caps in Washington on Dec. 4.

Photo by AP.
______________________________________________________
SCORESHEET

WAS: Backstrom (10) from Ovechkin and Semin (1-10:19-PP); Nylander (3) from Giroux and Kozlov (3-17:28)
MON: Brisebois (3) from Tanguay and Lang (2-15:25)
______________________________________________________
THREE STARS

1. S. Varlamov - WAS (Saves: 32, Save Pct: .970)
2. M. Nylander - WAS (Goals: 1, Assists: 0)
3. J. Halak - MON (Saves: 24, Save Pct: .923)
______________________________________________________
NOTES

Washington has won three in a row and five out of their last six. They are within three points for second in the Eastern Conference behind the New York Rangers.

Nylander's goal was his first in 26 games.

Backstrom's goal was his fifth in seven games.

Washington -- The Washington Capitals defeated the visiting Nashville Predators in a shoot out, 4-3, missing their MVP and leader Alex Ovechkin, who was en route to Russia to be with his ailing grandfather.

The Caps took a 3-2 lead against Nashville less than two minutes into the third period, on a power play goal by their new scoring leader Alexander Semin. It was Semin's eighth goal of the season. They then surrendered the tying goal with less than seven minutes to play, but held on to the tie despite being outshot (15-3) and outplayed in the third period to force overtime. Overtime was uneventful, and the Caps went to their second shootout of the season.

But even the shootout went to overtime, as three shots apiece found the teams still tied. Semin and Ville Koistinen each tallied on their shootout attempt, and the teams were forced to send out extra skaters. But Michael Nylander beat goalie Dan Ellis with a nifty backhand and Jose Theodore denied Martin Erat to secure the victory.

The Caps opened the scoring with a goal from Viktor Kozlov, his first of the season, and got a short-handed marker from David Steckel, who finished a breakaway on a feed by Semin. Nashville got two goals ferom Jason Arnott and one from Koistinen.

Washington was jumping in the first period, outshooting Nashville 19-4 in the frame. But as well played as the first period was, it was equally as bad in the third, as the Caps allowed 15 shots and the game tying goal to Arnott. The Caps also took three consecutive penalties in the third, making their jobs considerably more difficult. They were beaten to pucks, stopped skating on defense, and generally were outworked in the last period, something that as to stick in the craw of coach Bruce Boudreau.

But his team secured the victory regardless, even without its marquee player. Ovechkin's timetable for return remains uncertain. The Caps, however, are off until Saturday when they face Buffalo in upstate New York.

Jose Theodore was the winning goalie (4-2-0, 3.20, .886). He stopped 26 of the 29 shots he faced, including 14 of 15 in the third period.

Photos (c) Cheryl Nichols 2008.
___________________________________________________
SCORESHEET

WAS: Kozlov (1) from Green (1-12:13); Steckel (2) from Semin (1-15:38-SH); Semin (8) from Backstrom and Federov (3-1:58-PP); SO: Semin; Nylander

NSH: Koistinen (1) from Dumont and Erat (1-13:59-PP); Arnott (4) from Dumont and Hornqvist (2-11:21); Arnott (5) from Suter and Dumont (3-13:24); SO: Koistinen
___________________________________________________
THE GOOD, BAD & UGLY

GOOD: David Steckel. He played his most complete game of the season last night. Was +1 with short-handed goal. Recorded three hits. Was third in short-handed ice time behind Schultz and Semin. Voted #3 star by attending media.

BAD: Penalties in the third period. Brooks Laich and Nylander each got hooking calls and Shaone Morrisonn took an interference at 15:51. The stripes seemed a little uneven anyway last night, but to give them a reason to blow thier whistles in the third period makes everyone's job tougher.

UGLY: Nashville's shooting. Through the first two periods, the Predators had missed as many shots (11) as it had put on goal.
___________________________________________________
NEXT GAME: Saturday, November 1 against the Buffalo Sabres from HSBC Arena at 7:00 pm

RECORD: 5-3-1, 11 points, first place in Southeast Division. Two-game winning streak

NOTES: The team honored Sergei Federov and Tyler Sloan with video messages on their accomplishments while on the three-game road trip. Federov became the all-time leading scorer among Russian-bron players, and Sloan scored his frist NHL goal.

Ovechkin's streak of 203 consecutive games played was broken.

Semin's power play goal was his first of the season. His previous seven goals were all even strength. Semin currently leads the NHL in scoring with 19 points, one ahead of Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin.

PITTSBURGH -- Trailing 3-1 entering the third period, Washington scored three times and out shot the host Pittsburgh Penguins 21-6 in the frame as the Capitals stormed back to take a well earned 4-3 come-from-behind road win.

Four different Capitals scored, capped by Boyd Gordon, who at 15:43 in the third collected a loose puck off the left face-off circle, skated in unmolested, and lifted a wrist shot over Marc Andre' Fleury's left shoulder and off the top pipe for the game winning goal. The goal light did not come on, however, and play continued for roughly 1:15 until a held puck allowed a video review. After review, the officials pointed to the center circle, the marker was posted, and the Caps celebrated Gordon's first goal of the season on the players' bench.

Pittsburgh scored three unanswered goals and held a 3-0 lead midway through the second. But a nifty backhand from Tomas Fleischmann (goal, assist), started the comeback at 5:45 of the second, and the lead held at 3-1 at the second intermission. But Alexander Semin (goal, assist) beat Fleury at 3:38 with a slap shot and Michael Nylander (goal, assist) finished a perfect tic-tac-toe with Semin and Fleischmann, beating Fleury off his glove hand to knot it up. The odd-man rush was set-up on a turnover by Pittsburgh star Sidney Crosby, who attempted a no-look pass but instead committed the costly error.

Alex Ovechkin did not make the scoresheet, but continued his early-season physical domination, attacking Penguins forward -- and fellow countryman -- Evgeni Malkin, every time both skaters were on the ice. Malkin, in his frustration, buried Semin with a nasty check from behind into the boards, earning him a 2:00 minor when the 5:00 major was warranted.

Jose Theodore saved 23 of the 26 shots he faced to earn the win. The Caps return home Saturday night for a tilt with the New Jersey Devils, 1-0 winners tonight against Atlanta.

Photo by AP.
__________________________________________________

SCORESHEET:

WAS: Fleischmann (1) from Laich and Fehr (2-5:45); Semin (4) from Nylander (3-3:38); Nylander (2) from Fleischmann and Semin (3-10:00); Gordon (1) from Fehr and Fedorov (3-15:43).

PIT: Goligoski (2) from Malkin and Crosby (1-12:58-PP); Malkin (2) from Crosby and Satan (1-19:17-PP); Satan (2) from Sykora and Malkin (2-1:51-PP)
__________________________________________________

THE GOOD, BAD & UGLY:

GOOD: Alexander Semin. He was again the most active and most effective player on the ice for the Caps tonight. Goal, assist, agitator; you name it. Took a really tough hit from Malkin and came right back to score and assist in the third period comeback.

BAD: Penalty Kill. Pens were 3-for-5 on the power play, where they scored all three of their goals, including the 2-man advantage when John Erskine took a delay penalty with Chris Clark already in the box.

UGLY: Matt Bradley's face. Without tough guy Donald Brashear, home nursing an undisclosed injury, Bradley took it upon himself to mix it up with Pens enforcer Paul Bissonette. He took the short end of it, got stitched up, and came back to make several key defensive plays in the third.
__________________________________________________

NEXT GAME: Saturday night at Verizon Center against the New Jersey Devils at 7:00 pm.

RECORD: 3-1-0. Three-game win streak.

NOTES: The Caps have scored at least four goals in all four games.

D Tom Poti played less than five minutes, leaving the game with a groin pull. It is unknown how much time he may miss at this point.

Theodore has a lifetime 13-4-1-1 record against Pittsburgh.

Washington out shot Pittsburgh for the match 30-26, after collecting only nine shots in the first two periods.

Washington -- Washington Capitals back-up goalie Brent Johnson notched his 100th career NHL victory, the team set a franchise record for fewest shots on goal allowed at 10, and Alexander Semin scored twice, leading the Washington Capitals to a 5-1 win over Roberto Luongo and the Vancouver Canucks before 16,847 at the Verizon Center.

The Caps offense completely dominated a Canuck team that had little spring in their step following their nearly coast-to-coast flight. Luongo didn't look -- or fare -- much better, as he was shaky most of the game and was lifted after two periods. Luongo saved only 20 of the 25 shots he faced, and he must have felt like he saw double the amount. Luongo had a personal 10-game winning streak against the Capitals, but didn't even see the third period of this match.

Washington got two goals from Semin and one each from Mike Green, Milan Jurcina and Michael Nylander, who was awarded a penalty shot and scored on a nifty back-hander after faking Luongo to the ice. Alexander Edler had the lone tally for Vancouver.
----------

PHOTOS:

----------

SCORESHEET:

WAS: Semin from Nylander and Green (1-2:54); Green from Nylander and Fleischman (1-16:11); Jurcina from Clark and Gordon (2-4:17); Semin from Laich and Fedorov (2-5:23); Nylander penalty shot (2-16:36).

VAN: Edler from Sedin and Salo (1-4:02).
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THE GOOD BAD & UGLY

GOOD: The swarming Caps offense was more responsible for the low shot on goal total in the first two periods than anything the defense did. The Caps beat Vancouver to almost every loose puck and really controlled the neutral zone.

BAD: F Viktor Kozlov left the game in the second period after a collision and several extra shots by a Canuck defenseman. The team has not disclosed the nature of the injury.

UGLY: Luongo. Normally one of the leagues strongest backstops, he looked shaky all night until he was lifted. On several saves that he did make, he looked behind him to see if he'd been beaten. Every puck in his direction was an adventure.

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NEXT GAME: The Caps play Thursday night at Pittsburgh at 7:30 pm.

RECORD: 2-1-0, 2 game win streak.

NOTES: The game was nationally broadcast on Versus Network.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman addressed Caps season ticket holders before the game and attended the match-up.

Nylander's penalty shot goal was the team's first successful penalty shot since November 2005.

Photos (c) C. Nichols 2008.