The Washington Capitals today traded forward Tomas Fleischmann to the Colorado Avalache for 31-year old defensive defenseman Scott Hannan, a man Alex Ovechkin once described as "the toughest defenseman to play against." 

Hannan, in his first words as a Capital, said he was "really excited, going to a team in first place with a great chance to make a run for the Stanley Cup."  Hannan waived a no-trade clause to come to D.C.

The 6'1", 225 left-handed stay-at-home defenseman was a piece to a puzzle GM George McPhee had been looking for for several seasons. 

"He's at the point in his career where he's been in the league a long time and wants to win a [Stanley] Cup, and I think it completes our defense," McPhee said. "We're really happy with the way our defense has been playing, but to add one more guy like this helps. Our defense moves the puck pretty well -- we can generate offense from back there -- but to have one more shut-down guy that can block shots, that can do all the little things that would make a difference, we thought was important to add."

Hannan was selected in the first round of the 1997 HNL Entry Draft by the San Jose Sharks, where he spent the first eight years of his career, building a reputation as a tough, gritty defenseman, willing to block shots and rough it up in the crease with the opponent's top forwards. 

He signed a four-year, $18 million free agent contract with the Colorado Avalache in 2007 (which expires at the end of this season), and some in the Denver media felt like he never lived up to the terms of the deal.

Hannan will count almost $3.2 million against the salary cap for the rest of the season, but, "We're in good shape," said McPhee.  "As I've said many times, we've managed our cap really well and it allows us to do a deal like this. He has an expensive contract but we have the room to do it."  Even taking on Hannan's contract, the Caps will still have significant room under the cap for future deals.

McPhee also indicated that the Caps have been trying to acquire Hannan since August.

Regardless of his contract status, Hannan is one of the most durable players in the NHL.  He has played no fewer than 75 games in a regular season since becoming a full-time player in the 2000-01 season, and has 73 playoff games to his credit.

The combination of size, strength and experience should be a boon to the Caps' back line.  The acquisition really bolsters a defensive corps that has seen its share of injuries already this season, with Tom Poti, Mike Green and Tyler Sloan all missing significant playing time.

It's easy to project Hannan playing with Poti on a pairing, allowing coach Bruce Boudreau to use John Erskine, who himself has stepped up his play this season, in more of a matchup role.  It also allows the Capitals to not have to rely on Sloan or Brian Fahey, player that have struggled as much as anyone that has pulled on a red sweater this season, as their injury replacements.

Fleischmann posted career numbers in 2009-2010, but disappeared in the playoff for the second straight season, and was a healthy scratch in the deciding game with the Montreal Canadiens in the first round last year.  He was re-signed in the off-season on a one-year deal, but has struggled this season in a  transition to center, prompting Boudreau last week to say, "He's a natural wing.  I think that's where he belongs." 

Fleischmann recorded just four goals and six assists in 23 games this season with the Caps after a 23-28-51 (+9) campaign in 2009-10.  He was a healthy scratch in Friday's shutout win over Tampa Bay, widely considered the Caps' most complete game of the season.

Confirmed by team officials, the Washington Capitals have traded forward Tomas Fleischmann to the Colorado Avalanche for defenseman Scott Hannan.

Hannan is a 31-year old left-handed defenseman.  He is dependable, having skated in the most games of any defenseman in the league since the 2002-03 season.  He had appeared in 267 of 269 regular season games since singing with Colorado in 2007.

Hannan is in the final year of a four-year, $18 million contract. Hannan has most notably played for the Avalanche and San Jose Sharks.

We'll have much more on this deal as details become available.

The Washington Capitals are struggling offensively right now.  They sit exactly middle-of-the-pack (15th) in the NHL in goals per game at 2.71, and if you factor out a seven-goal outburst in the home opener, well, the struggles are even more amplified.

One of the Caps biggest off-season concerns has now turned into a regular season nightmare:  center play.  Nicklas Backstrom is off to a fairly terrible start.  With one goal (credited when an Alex Ovechkin slapshot hit him and went into the net) and three assists, his production is well short of what is expected out of the Super Swede, coming off his career year last season of 101 points.

It's easy to look at Backstrom's slump and say "It's only seven games."  But it's worrisome that his minus-2 rating and woefully inadequate 6.3 shooting percentage isn't better just by accident.  Nicky is still winning his share of draws (57.1 percent), and Coach Bruce Boudreau can do nothing but hope that Backstrom will break out of his doldrums in a big way and in a big hurry.

Still, it's curious that he signed a huge contract this past off-season and then gets off to the worst start of his NHL career.

As for the others?

Currently, the center on the second line between The Enigma (Alexnader Semin) and Iron Man (Brooks Laich) is just-turned 20-year old Marcus Johansson.  The younger Swede has had moments of brilliance and is a slick puck handler and terrific skater.  But he is not strong enough physically right now to really compete on a daily basis with veterans in the NHL.  He is literally a boy among men.

He is also -- despite his obvious skills -- not producing.  One goal, no assists, and just 34.0 percent in the dot isn't getting it done.  He's only put six shots on net.  He's getting beaten physically and positionally on defense.  Is giving on-the-job training to a 20-year old -- on the second line -- a luxury the Capitals can afford right now?

Next, we come to everyone's favorite whipping boy, Tomas Fleischmann.  I'm going to say this one more time: He is out of position at center.  He's got two goals and two assists and is tied for the team lead at plus-4.  But his faceoff percentage is as bad as Johansson's at 36.1.  Boudreau doesn't trust him, evidenced by his TOI/G at just 15:15 and the fact that Boudreau isn't giving Flash any defensive zone draws.

Fleischmann also is a bad defender.  He is pushed off the puck much too easily for a guy that's been around a while now.  He is constantly losing physical battles and seems indifferent to back-checking.

Further down the roster is David Steckel and Boyd Gordon.  Both have the reputation for being good faceoff men and stout penalty killers.  But Steckel hasn't really made much difference on the ice this season after not getting a sweater for opening night, and Gordon hasn't even been on the ice the last three games with an undisclosed injury, after at one point Boudreau calling him a "healthy" scratch.

In the last couple of game recaps I've alluded to the possibility of a roster shake-up if the Caps offensive woes continue.  It's not a stretch to think that the center position is the first place a roster tweak could happen, should GM George McPhee and Boudreau think that's necessary.

Unless something extraordinary happens over the weekend, next Wednesday, July 28, Tomas Fleischmann, his agent, Rich Evans, and the Washington Capitals will meet with an arbitrator to determine the forward's compensation for the 2010-2011 season.

Flash missed the first 11 games of the 2009-2010 season recovering from a blood clot in his leg, and when he returned he immediately showed off his skills, posting 14 goals in his first 25 games.  He could not sustain that torrid pace, and only netted nine in the team's last 44 games, before disappearing in the playoffs, where he had one point in Games 1-6 against Montreal and was scratched for Game 7.

The 26-year old forward -- and we'll call him a forward for now since that is one of the points of contention -- feels like he should be paid like a prominent No. 2 center, which is precisely an area of need for this Capitals team. 

Fleischmann had some success in the pivot last season -- he had some of his finer offensive outputs at center.  But his face-off technique (43.1%) and defensive skills still leave too much to be desired to seriously consider him "the answer" at 2/C.  And then there's the complicating factor of his playoff performance, or lack thereof.

Would the Caps seriously consider a candidate at second-line center as a free agent if he had been left off his team's playoff roster for a Game 7?  Probably not.

It's no secret Flash is popular with his coaches and amongst his teammates.  By all accounts, he's the type of guy you want in the room.  But is he going to take the next step -- and more importantly, should he be paid like it before he gets there?

It's an interesting question, and only GM George McPhee can make that determination.

McPhee was able to come to deals with the team's other RFAs, inking Jeff Schultz and Eric Fehr to multi-year deals and Boyd Gordon to a one-year deal, avoiding arbitration with those players.  If McPhee is willing to allow the Fleischmann negotiations to go to the arbiter, it could be telling that he believes the player needs another "show me" year.

Or worse.  If McPhee is willing to go through the arduous process and risk being forced to -- in his mind -- overpay for Fleischmann's services, perhaps McPhee doesn't see the player as part of the eventual equation and is willing to live with the consequences for this season.

This strategy is risky in itself.  Say Fleischmann does take the "next step" this season, settles into the second line center spot and puts himself in position for not just a nice salary, but a HUGE raise after next season.  With the impending free agency of Alex Semin as well, would exellent performance by the pair actually be a distraction for the Capitals as they chase Lord Stanley's Cup next spring?

McPhee might have tipped his hand already by not acquiring a veteran second line center via free agency this off-season.  It looks more and more every day like the slot will be filled by someone in-house.  There is no shortage of candidates, but all are seriously flawed in some manner.

In addition to Fleischmann, Mathieu Perrault and Marcus Johansson are both options to helm the second pivot.  But Perrault, despite his 50 points in 56 games with AHL Hershey and nine points in 21 games with the big club, is very undersized to compete with the elite centers of the NHL.  And Johansson, who had a tremendous development camp by all accounts, is just 20 years old and has never played on North American soil.

Of course, Coach Bruce Boudreau could turn back to old reliable, Brooks Laich.  But he'd much rather keep Laich on a wing, where he can get into the crease and create havoc without some of the defensive responsibility at center.

It's a curious situation all around.  How Fleischmann's contract works out could go a long way in telling us what McPhee really thinks of the situation.  But even then, it won't give us all the answers.

One thing we do know:  McPhee wasn't impressed with the free agent options, or he could have already eliminated this headache.

With yesterday's news that the Caps have re-signed winger Eric Fehr to a sparkling new two-year deal (reportedly worth $2.2 million per season), that leaves just C/RW Tomas Fleischmann as the sole unsigned Restricted Free Agent.

Fehr joins D Jeff Schultz (four-year, $11 million) and C Boyd Gordon (one-year, $800,000) as players that have re-upped with the Captials in the past week.

Unless Flash and his agent have a turn of heart and get something worked out, the sides will meet in arbitration July 28 in Toronto, accirding to a tweet from Mike Vogel this morning.

GM George McPhee was able to bring three big contributors back into the fold at reasonable price tags, and hopes to do the same with Fleischmann.  The center had moments of brilliance last season, but was too inconsistant during the regular season and then all but disappeared in the playoffs -- not the way you want to enter an arbitration hearing.

Fleischmann and his agent would be better served finding a middle ground with GMGM, rather than go throught he bitterness of arbitration for the sake of a few more bucks.

Perhaps McPhee has been putting a little more attention to retaining his talent than going out and seeking new talent via free agency.  But to good affect, in my opinion.  Some of the money being thrown around for average players on the market thus far has been a little ridiculous, and I think McPhee and the Caps are better served being patient and prudent.

There are a few names out there left unsigned that might look good wearing a red sweater this fall.  I'm willing to wait a little longer to see who, if anyone, McPhee still has an interest in.

The Washington Capitals got goals from Alexander Semin, Tomas Fleischmann and Mike Green--and 34 saves from first star of the game Jose Theodore-- to defeat the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2.

The win is No. 51 for the season for Washington, setting a franchise record.

Theodore improved to 18-0-3 with a 2.70 GAA since Jan. 13, extending his own record for decisions without a regulation loss.

The Caps added to their franchise record for points in a season (114) and set a new mark for road wins (23).

Unfortunately, I did not get to watch the game, so please visit one of the excellent blogs in the blogroll to the right of this story for analysis of the game.

In a back-and-forth firewagon affair, the Washington Capitals had the last laugh, as Tomas Fleischmann ended sudden death overtime with a one-timer past goalie Manny Legace to give the Caps a 4-3 victory over their division rivals, the Carolina Hurricanes, 4-3, before another packed house at Verizon Center.

With less than two minutes remaining in overtime, newly acquired center Eric Belanger carried the puck into the offensive end calmly, and held the puck long enough to draw both defensemen. He then fed a streaking Fleischmann near the right wing face off dot, who fired a laser past the veteran Legace.

It was Fleischmann's 19 goal of the season, and give the Caps their 45th win of the campaign, and 99 points for the season, with 15 games to play.

Mike Green scored twice on the power play (16, 17), and Alexander Semin started the scoring with his 31st of the year, a nifty backhand after breaking in clean.

Jose Theodore was very strong in net, making 28 saves, including a first period penalty shot by Brandon Sutter, who was tripped form behind by Green on a turnover-induced breakaway while the Caps were on a power play.

As is typical of Caps-Canes games, this one was fast-paced and spirited. Coupled with four players changing sides at the trade deadline--all of whom were in the lineup--and perhaps there was a bit extra on the line tonight.

Scott Walker and Joe Corvo suited up against recent former teammates for the Capitals, while Brain Pothier and AHL Hershey star Oskar Osala, who was called up today as an injury replacement, faced their old team for the first time since being traded at the NHL trade deadline Mar. 3.

For the second game in a row, the Caps held a lead of 2-0 before eventually being tied and forced to overtime. Unlike Monday, when Dallas held in OT and won on penalty shots, the Caps ended things in the extra frame.

The Caps host another division rival, the Tampa Bay Lightning, Friday at 7:00 pm.

For the second night in a row, Washington Capitals rookie goalie Michael Neuvirth gave up four goals in 15 shots, all in the first period.  And for the second night in a row, coach Bruce Boudreau called on veteran Jose Theodore was called on to relieve the youngster at the start of the second period.

Only on this night against the Florida Panthers, Theodore was excellent in net, holding the Panthers at four goals, allowing his talented teammates to chip away at opposite number Tomas Vokoun.

Theo stopped all 15 shots he faced in regulation, and was outstanding in overtime. On three successive odd-man rushes, including a one-on-one breakaway, Theodore came up big, steering away everything sent in his direction.

Eventually the Caps tied the game, sent it to overtime, and won on a seven-shot shootout, when Vokoun's Czech National teammate Tomas Fleischmann beat him to cap a tremendous comeback and steal the extra point from a stunned Panther squad.

Jason Chimera came up with a "Gordie Howe Hat Trick", with a goal, assist and fight, as he duked it out with Gregory Campbell in the second period.

Alex Ovechkin banged home the Caps third goal, 27 seconds into the third period, as the Florida D could not get the handle on a bouncing puck.  It's his 29th goal of the season, and break a little scoring drought for the two-time Hart Trophy winner.

Ovie's linemate, Nicklas Backstrom, tied the game midway through the third.  Defenseman Mike Green, who had a rough game against Tampa Bay Tuesday night, skated in from the point and directed the puck toward the net, where Backstrom got enough of his stick on the puck to flick it past a down Vokoun.

The bigger concern for Boudreau, however, has to be the poor play of his team in the first periods of the last two games.  The Caps have surrendered eight goals in the last two first periods, and only exceptional goaltending and elite goal-scoring skills rescued the game tonight.

For most of the season, the Caps have been able to dominate in the first period, outscoring the competition easily.  But against their Southeast Division foes the last two nights they just haven't been able to get out of the box.

Was it the result of starting a talented rookie who might have been suffering a confidence problem?  Could be.  Neuvirth looked outstanding in the 8-1 win over Atlanta, but confidence is a funny, fleeting thing.

Is this just a bump in the road?  The last two games of a three-game roadie might be enough to explain the sluggish starts.  The Caps play the next nine of their 11 at the Verizon Center, so that should be enough to cure that little problem.

Is it just something that happens in an 82-game schedule?  Most likely.

But if it isn't, Boudreau will get to the bottom of it.  This team is much too talented to struggle for long stretches, especially against their less-talented Southeast Division rivals.

The Washington Capitals entered Tuesday night's game with the Montreal Canadiens on a three game regulation losing streak and in need of a spark. 

They got that and more, as Alexander Semin scored twice, Tomas Fleischmann registered a goal and two helpers, and Michal Neuvirth pushed aside 24 of 26 shots, as the Caps completed a 4-2 victory over the Habs before a sellout crowd at Verizon Center.

The biggest news of the day, however, was the biggest spark that could have been provided.  Earlier in the day, and announced just at game time, two-time Hart Trophy winner Alex Ovechkin was named as the 14th captain in Capitals' history, ending a three-game captainless stretch, the result of the trade that sent Chris Clark to Columbus.

Ovechkin was held without a point in his first game as captain, making it two games in a row the prolific scorer has been held off the scoresheet.  But it was of no matter, as his countryman, Semin, tallied twice, including the icing on the cake with just over two minutes remaining.

To illustrate the point of leadership, coach Bruce Boudreau had his captain take the ice as time dwindled with the Caps fighting off the extra skater with less than a minute left.

Fleischmann played a complete game in his first start at center in the NHL, scoring the first goal of the game -- unassisted -- on the power play.  He also helped out on both of Semin's goals as well.  The flourishing touch?  He even won the majority of his faceoffs, something he needed extra practice for with faceoff specialists David Steckel and Biyd Gordon in yesterday's practice.

Perhaps the only blemish on the victory was two third period penalties by veteran alternate captain Mike Knuble.  He was whistled twice in the final frame, and the first ended with Benoit Pouliot's fifth goal of the season, which brought Montreal within one.

But the Caps killed the second infraction, then Semin notched the insurance goal at 17:58.

Ovechkin becomes just the sixth Russian born player to captain an NHL team.  He is the second youngest captain in Capitals history, and the third youngest captain in the league.

Boudreau heaped praise upon his newly minted leader. 

"I talked to him a few days ago about it," Boudreau said. "He said, 'I would accept the responsibility, but only if my teammates want me to. If they're happy with me as a captain, I'd be glad to be captain.' So he was already thinking about the team rather than thinking about himself, which is what captains do."

Ovechkin was circumspect in the locker room following the game.  "We have a lot of guys who can speak and talk. But if I have to say something, I say something."

Notes:  After the game, the Washington Post reported that David Steckel has signed a contract extension.

In the World Junior Championships in Saskatoon, Team USA defeated Team Canada in the Gold Medal game, winning 6-5 in overtime.  Caps' prospect John Carlson had two goals in the game, including the game winner on a 2-on-1 breakaway in overtime.

The Capitals took 43 shots -- a season high -- and marked the eighth time this season they've recorded 40 or more. They are 7-0-1 when taking 40 or more shots.

Photos From Habs v. Caps; Ovi wears C (C) C. Nichols 2010.

Tomas Fleischmann scored twice, Jose Theodore allowed just one late goal, and the Washington Capitals cruised to a 6-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche before an announced crowd of 14,172, on the second game of a four-game road trip.

The Caps (21-7-6) were up 5-0 toward the end of the second period, when David Koci slammed Mike Green from behind, leaving the Caps defenseman face-down on the ice for several moments.  Teammate John Erskine stood up for his fallen teammate by going to-to-toe with the much larger Koci afterward.

Koci was penalized with a five-minute boarding major and both players received fighting and 10-minute misconducts.  Erskine took a two-minute instagator call as well.

Coach Bruce Boudreau was steamed after the game about the hit.  "Fifteen feet, he saw Green's No. 52, and it didn't stop him one iota from hitting him in the back and going for the head," Boudreau said. "So I hope they throw the book at him."

"To me that's just a bush-league hit," Boudreau added.

Green received stitches over his left eye, but pronounced himself fit to play Friday night in Vancouver.

Morrisonn also has a dust-up with Koci, and his status for Friday is "questionable," according to Boudreau.

With Green and Morrisonn out, Brooks Laich took a couple of penalty kills shifts in the third period with the team down to four defensemen.  At one point, Tom Poti and John Erskine were both in the box, leaving the team with just two defensemen, which prompted the promotion of Laich to the blueline.

Washington also recieved goals from Mike Knuble (6), Dave Steckel (2), Matt Bradley (6), and Nicklas Backstrom (11).  Kyle Wilson, recalled from Hershey and making his NHL debut on his 25th birthday, had two assists, as did Chris Clark.

Theodore made 27 saves in his return to Colorado, where he played for two season before joining the Capitals.  He played solid in goal, turning away everything that made it through to him until 11:21 remaining in the game, when Washington held a comfortable 5-0 margin.

It was the first loss for Colorado against an Eastern Conference team at home this season.

The Caps have a couple days off in western Canada before facing Vancouver on Friday night.

_________________________________________________________
THREE STARS

1. T. Fleischmann - WAS (Goals: 2, Assists: 0)
2. M. Bradley - WAS (Goals: 1, Assists: 1)
3. K. Wilson - WAS (Goals: 0, Assists: 2)

Posted by Cheryl Nichols, Contributor and Photographer for Capitals News Network

The Caps held their first practice of training camp on Sunday, Sept. 13 in preparation for the 2009-10 NHL season. Fans won't be surprised to hear that Alex Ovechkin was the first player on the ice at Kettler Capitals Iceplex.

Sixty-eight players (40 forwards, 22 defensemen and six goaltenders) are listed on the Capitals’ training camp roster and 65 of those players took the ice today at Kettler.

The absentees were left wing Tomas Fleischmann, goaltender Braden Holtby and defenseman Grant McNeill. Holtby tweaked a groin and was held out as a precautionary measure. McNeill had off-season knee surgery and is not ready to go as of yet.

According to Mike Vogel, Fleischmann is suffering from deep vein thrombosis, a condition that may have been inflicted on the long airline flight from D.C. to Fleischmann’s home in the Czech Republic at the conclusion of last season. Caps coach Bruce Boudreau expects Flesichmann to be able to return to practice sometime in October and perhaps to the lineup by the second or third week of next month. See Vogel's other training camp updates here. *UPDATED* Fleischmann talks about his blood clot.

The first practice brought many season ticket holders and other fans to Kettler to catch a first glance at the Caps and welcome them back to the ice. Some fans were impressed by Mike Knuble, one of the newest Caps, and his drives to the net.

One fan mentioned that both Jose Theodore and Semyon Varlamov looked strong and made some "awesome" saves. One of the younger players, John Carlson, took one to the lower lip in a battle for the puck.

PLAYER THOUGHTS AND NOTES:

·Newcombers Mike Knuble and Brendan Morrison are ready to play.

·Mike Green has a good feeling about this year.

·Alexander Semin will be conversing more with the media thanks to translator Dmitry Chesnokov.

·Jose Theodore is facing biggest challenge of his life after the recent death of his two month old son.

·Michael Nylander wants to play in NHL.

·Check out the interviews with Coach Bruce and several players from training camp here.

ROOKIE GAME:

If you missed the Annual Rookie game on Friday, Sept 11 against Flyers in Philadelpha, you can watch the game online. Flyers win 7-3. Caps outshoot Philly 32-27. Period 1, Period 2, Period 3.

NEXT UP:
Teams B & C scrimmage at 12:15 p.m. today, Sept. 14 at Kettler which is free and open to the public.

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

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

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

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

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

_______________

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

Despite two goals by defenseman Mike Green, the Washington Capitals (34-16-5-73, first in Southeast) fell in a shootout on a fluky shot to the New York Rangers, 5-4.

Rangers forward Ryan Callahan scored the decisive goal in the shootout, as his wrist shot sailed past Caps goalie Jose Theodore, hit the crossbar, and bounced back to hit Theodore and then go in the net. Theodore offered protest, but believing the puck was dead after it hit the goal, but officials informed him otherwise.

"To be honest, I thought when it hits the crossbar and comes back out it's no play," a dejected Theodore said. "I didn't really try to get out of the way because for me it was no goal.

"Obviously, I was wrong, so it's a lesson that I learned, I guess."

Green's 20th and 21st goals of the season extended his consecutive games with a goal streak to seven, tying the NHL record set by Mike O'Connell of the Boston Bruins in 1982-83.

"Things just seem to be rolling lately," Green said. "It feels pretty special. I honestly didn't even realize (the record) until yesterday. I tried not to think about it before the game, but I'm pretty happy right now."

All eight goals in regulation were scored in the first two periods. Callahan started the parade with his 13th of the season, a tip in off a nice feed from Lauri Korpikoski. The Caps defense collapsed on Korpikoski, allowing Callahan to skate into the slot uncontested to beat a helpless Theodore.

Tomas Fleischmann and Eric Fehr answered later in the period, both players knocking in rebounds of Fleischmann shots from close range.

Both of Green's goals came in the second period from the top of the right wing circle, one a wrist shot and the other a slap shot that Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist had no chance on. Green, the NHL's Third Star of the Week last week, has nine goals and seven assists during his seven-game goal scoring streak.

Green leads all NHL defensemen in goals (21) and points (49).

New York (30-20-5-65, third in Atlantic) also received goals from Korpikoski, Markus Naslund and Paul Mara in the second period.

The third period and overtime were scoreless, and after three rounds of shootouts, the teams were still tied, with Nigel Dawes and Alex Ovechkin both successful on their attempts. That's when Callahan came tot he Rangers rescue to earn the extra point. Brooks Laich had an attempt to tie, but could not solve Lundqvist.

Both teams came out of the dressing room fired up, and there were a pair of fights just 2:43 into the contest. First, Donald Brashear dropped the gloves with Colton Orr, and three seconds later Matt Bradley took things up with Aaron Voros. All four players received fine-minute majors for fighting.

Washington travels to Tampa to face the Lightning Saturday night at 7:30 p.m.
______________________________________________
SCORESHEET

1ST PERIOD
07:33 Ryan Callahan (13), Slap Shot. Assist: Korpikoski
10:51 Tomas Fleischmann (16), Wrist Shot. Assist: Fehr, Fedorov
18:08 Eric Fehr (7), Snap Shot. Assist: Fleischmann, Alzner

2ND PERIOD
08:49 Lauri Korpikoski (4), Snap Shot. Assist: Staal, Callahan
10:32 Mike Green (20), Wrist Shot. Assist: Ovechkin, Backstrom
11:39 Markus Naslund (17), Tip-In. Assist: Dawes, Gomez
16:00 Paul Mara (5), Slap Shot. Assist: Gomez, Dubinsky
19:02 Mike Green (21), Slap Shot. Assist: Nylander, Morrisonn

3RD PERIOD
None

OVERTIME
None

SHOOTOUT
Nigel Dawes (1), GOAL
Alex Ovechkin (1), GOAL
Ryan Callahan (1), GOAL
_______________________________________________
THREE STARS

1. L. Korpikoski - NYR (Goals: 1, Assists: 1)
2. M. Green - WAS (Goals: 2, Assists: 0)
3. R. Callahan - NYR (Goals: 1, Assists: 1)
_______________________________________________
NOTES

Jay Beagle made his NHL debut for the Capitals, wearing jersey no. 83, skating in place of the injured Alexander Semin (undisclosed)...The Caps spent most of the third period killing penalties, taking three minors and a double-minor for high sticking against Shaone Morrisonn...the team killed all five penalties in the game...Washington was outshot 32-30.

Alex Ovechkin scored two goals and assisted on a third, leading the Washington Capitals over the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-3 before 16,975 in snowy western Pennsylvania last night. The Pens also lost three players to injury, including captain and all-star Sidney Crosby, who left late in the game after a collision with Caps forward David Steckel.

The Capitals (28-14-3-59, first in Southeast, second in East) received balanced scoring, as Tomas Fleischmann had a goal and an assist, Niklas Backstrom had three helpers, and Viktor Kozlov, Alexander Semin and Jeff Schultz each added a goal.

After all the talk between the feuding superstars, this game came down to Ovechkin enforcing his will in the third period and dominating the frame. The game was tied at two entering the final 20 minutes, and very quickly into play, last year's MVP showed why he is the pre-eminent player in the game.

On the power play, Ovechkin took a cross-crease pass from Brooks Laich, whacked the first attempt into Pens goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, then collected his own rebound and put the puck past the netminder to break the tie.

The Penguins (21-20-4, fourth in Atlantic, 10th in East) would tie the game briefly again, as Ray Whitney scored his first of the season, but that would be the end of the offensive output for Pittsburgh.

The game winning goal would belong to Tomas Fleischmann, who has goals in four of his last five games and a career-high 15 for the season. On another power play, Ovechkin's shot from the circle bounced off Fleury into the slot, where Fleischmann made a dive to poke the puck past the now out of position netminder.

"There was a puck laying there and open ice," Fleischmann said. "The only way I could reach it was by diving."

Ovechkin put the game out of reach with his second of the night just a few moments later. He skated through the zone drawing Pittsburgh defender towards him, and in an attempt to pass to an open Niklas Backstrom cutting to the net, he puck ricocheted off a Penguin skate and into the back of the net.

The Caps sent Crosby to the dressing room twice during the game. Before being knocked out for good in the third period, Crosby had retreated to the locker room during the first period after falling hard on his right side after tumbling over Kozlov but returned minutes later.

The Penguins also lost defenseman Rob Scuderi (slap shot to the face) and forward Maxime Talbot (undisclosed) during the game.

There were just brief moments of ugliness in this grudge match. Evgeni Malkin drew a two minute interference call for hitting Ovechkin from behind in the first period, and there was a little bit of a shouting match between Ovie and Crosby as the teams retreated after the second period.

The Pittsburgh players did not talk to the media following the game, and the Caps players chose to talk about the team.

"We don't even talk about it," Fleischmann said "It's just the Washington Capitals against the Penguins, that's how it is and we didn't talk about it."

Washington is off for a couple days in preparation for a big meeting with the Eastern Conference leading Boston Bruins (32-7-4-68) Saturday night at 7:00 pm from Verizon Center. Boston plays at the New York Islanders tonight.

Photo by Getty Images.
_________________________________________________
SCORESHEET

1ST PERIOD
05:45 Power Play - Evgeni Malkin (18), Slap Shot. Assist: Crosby, Satan

2ND PERIOD
01:06 Viktor Kozlov (10), Snap Shot. Assist: Backstrom
08:23 Miroslav Satan (13), Wrist Shot. Assist: Talbot, Kennedy
12:40 Alexander Semin (17), Wrist Shot. Assist: Fedorov, Fleischmann

3RD PERIOD
01:48 Power Play - Alex Ovechkin (28), Slap Shot. Assist: Laich, Backstrom
03:12 Ryan Whitney (1), Slap Shot. Assist: Crosby, Jeffrey
08:11 Power Play - Tomas Fleischmann (15), Wrist Shot. Assist: Ovechkin, Backstrom
11:27 Alex Ovechkin (29), Wrist Shot. Assist: Green
18:54 Short - Jeff Schultz (1), Empty Net. Assist: Laich ____________________________________________________
THREE STARS

1. A. Ovechkin - WAS (Goals: 2, Assists: 1)
2. N. Backstrom - WAS (Goals: 0, Assists: 3)
3. S. Crosby - PIT (Goals: 0, Assists: 2)
______________________________________________________
NOTES

Ovechkin leads the NHL with 28 goals scored.

Florida General Manager Jaques Martin was also at Mellon Arena last night presumably scouting players.

The power play went 2 for 6, netting its first multi-goal game in eight contests.

For the second time in a week, a Western Conference team that does not travel well came into the Verizon Center and reduced the Washington Capitals to lofting shots from the point and a series of 1-on-2s or even 1-on-3s, as the Edmonton Oilers won for the first team in D.C. (or Landover, MD, for that matter), since Jan. 26, 1997.

Eight of the Caps 14 losses this season have come against Western Conference teams and they're 1-3 against the Northwest Division.

The 5-2 final was not as embarrassing as the 3-0 shut out Columbus hung on the Caps last week, but just as demoralizing. Washington has dropped three in row and now travel to Pittsburgh to try to stop the bleeding.

Edmonton forward Eric Cole had a had trick (including an empty net) and goalie Dwayne Roloson made 34 saves in the effort. Defenseman Steve MacIntyre scored his first NHL goal, a shot from the top of the slot that Caps goalie Jose Theodore never saw.

For the Caps, defenseman Mike Green had a goal and assist, and Tomas Fleischmann had a highlight reel goal, but it was not enough. Not close.

The Caps were fairly manhandled by the Oilers, limiting the Caps to long, easily brushed aside shots, or individual odd-man attacks that, other than Fleischmann's daring-do, were quashed over and over again. Though Washington held a 36-23 advantage in shots, Edmonton actually had more quality chances and took advantage of those chances.

Over the last three games, the Caps have been outscored in regulation nine to three despite outshooting their opponents 115-80.

Coach Bruce Boudreau played with his lines most of the night, trying to find the right combination, to no avail. The Caps played disjointed and unorganized all evening long.

There was no further evidence of that than early in the third period when Alex Semin stepped out onto the ice and proceeded to trip over--and fall on top of--Green, who had been knocked to the ice a moment before.

The last three games have seen the Caps play deteriorate into a series of bad turnovers, lazy passes and overall malaise.

Perhaps a trip to the Igloo will be enough to wake them up tomorrow night.
_______________________________________________________
SCORESHEET

WAS: Fleischmann (14) from Green and Nylander (2-7:40); Green (11) from Semin (3-16:51-PP)

EDM: MacIntyre (1) from Grebeshov and Brule (1-12:59); Cole (9) from Souray and Visnovsky (1-14:10-PP); Brule (2) from Brodziak (2-2:15); Cole (10) from Brodziak and Potulny (3-3:19); Cole (11) from Gilbert (3-19:02-EN)
________________________________________________________
THREE STARS

1. D. Roloson - EDM (Saves: 34, Save Pct: .944)
2. E. Cole - EDM (Goals: 3, Assists: 0)
3. G. Brule - EDM (Goals: 1, Assists: 1)
________________________________________________________
NOTES

Fleischmann's goal, his 14th of the season, is a career high.

Washington killed a four minute power play in the second period after Fleischmann took a high stick.

D John Erskine returned to the lineup after missing 22 games with a concussion.

Washington went 1-for-5 on the power play against the Oilers, ranked 28th in the league in penalty killing. The Caps are 4-for-26 in the past six games with the extra skater.

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

After several weeks of playing short-handed due to multiple injuries, it finally caught up to the Washington Capitals in a 5-3 loss to the Florida Panthers last night, one of the lowest scoring teams in the league, missing two of their three top scorers themselves.

Washington was lethargic from the opening face-off, but managed to jump on the board first. After Donald Brashear did a great job drawing a tripping penalty with tough work down low, Nicklas Backstrom made the Panthers play for the transgression with his sixth goal of the season, a shot that redirected off Florida D Jay Bouwmeester.

Unfortunately, the Caps stopped skating after that goal, maybe surmising that one goal would be enough to stop the offensively challenged Panthers. That, obviously, was not the case.

Redirected pucks would be a recurring theme for the evening.

The second period was all Florida, and they got plenty of help from the depleted and inexperienced Washington blue liners. Ville Peltonen walked in alone and lifted a soft shot past goalie Jose Theodore to tie the game at 6:19, his fourth of the season. The next two goals were as strange as they were inexcusable.

With Alex Ovechkin off for goaltender interference, David Steckel attempted a cross ice pass in his own end, but instead of going behind the goal, he attempted it through the crease. The puck hit rookie Karl Alzner's skate and slid undetected between Theodore's pads for the go-ahead tally. The play was uncontested by Florida, so Steckel had no one to blame but himself.

Bouwmeester was the last Panther to touch the puck, getting undeserved credit for the "own goal."

Florida's second goal was a redirect as well, as D Bryan McCabe's power play shot from the point was deflected twice, off both Boyd Gordon and Shaone Morrisonn. The extra-man situation arose when Eric Fehr lazily lofted a clearing attempt off the ice for a delay of the game penalty.

Steckel and Fehr's poor plays were indicative of the Caps' performance last night. Despite the rash of injuries, until now the Caps have been able to hide the inconsistent and ragged play one would expect from a team playing without six to eight of their regular players. But there were enough turnovers, bad passes and miscommunication last night to make up for a week's worth of good play, and Coach Bruce Boudreau was not happy with the effort after the game.

The Caps added late third period goals from Viktor Kozlov (4) and Tomas Fleischmann (10) to draw within one, but an empty netter from Greg Campbell with one minute remaining sealed their fate.

Photos (c) C. Nichols 2008
__________________________________________________
SCORESHEET

WAS: Backstrom (6) from Fleischmann and Lepisto (1-15:57-PP); Kozlov (4) from Backstrom and Morrisonn (3-16:11); Fleischmann (10) from Ovechkin and Kozlov (3-17:02-PP)

FLA: Peltonen (4) from Radek and Dvorak (2-6:19); Bouwmeester (3) unassisted (2-7:28-PP); McCabe (4) from McLean and Frolik (2-12:09-PP); Dvorak (3) from Campbell and Peltonen (3-4:45); Campbell (5) from Skrastins (3-19:00)
__________________________________________________
THREE STARS

1. V. Peltonen - FLA (Goals: 1, Assists: 1)
2. R. Dvorak - FLA (Goals: 1, Assists: 1)
3. N. Backstrom - WAS (Goals: 1, Assists: 1)
__________________________________________________
NOTES

The loss was Washington's first regulation loss at home of the season and first in their past 16 home games dating back to last season.

D Sami Lepisto has a point in three of his four games played this season.

With a goal and assist, Fleischmann pulled into a tie with Mike Green as the team's fourth leading scored with 16 points (10 goals, 6 assists).

The Washington Capitals (13-8-3-29, first in Southeast) face the Florida Panthers (9-11-3-21, third in Southeast) in the first of six meetings between the two division rivals this season at 7:00 p.m. from Verizon Center.

The Caps closed out a very good month of November (8-5-2) with back-to-back shut outs--one for and one against--but look to continue their high scoring ways tonight versus the Panthers.

Alex Ovechkin on Monday was named the NHL's #1 Star for November after scoring 25 points in the month, including a 10-game point streak. After a slow start, Ovie is now tied for fifth in the league in scoring with a total of 30 points (13 goals, 17 assists). His +13 has him tied for third behind teammate and NHL #1 Star for October Alexander Semin.

Despite having missed the last eight games with back and shoulder problems, Semin is still tied for seventh in scoring with 27 points (13 goals, 14 assists). The team has weathered the storm of injuries in the last couple of weeks but will still be without some of its most important players for tonight's game.

Along with Semin, Sergei Federov, Mike Green, Tom Poti and John Erskine are all expected to miss the Panthers game, and a decision about Boyd Gordon still had not been made. Karl Alzner, who left the game in Columbus Saturday after a hard hit into the side boards, practiced Monday and should suit up, along with fellow recent call-ups Bryan Helmer and Sami Lepisto. They join Tyler Sloan as players who started with AHL Hershey now manning the Washington blue line.

Winger Tomas Fleischmann has been hot of late, scoring six of his nine goals in the last 14 games. He has points in four of his last five games.

Coach Bruce Boudreau plans to start Jose Theodore in net after making 28 saves in a the shut out win versus Montreal on Friday. He was won three of his last four starts overall and owns a 1.77 GAA at home this season.

Tonight's lines, courtesy of Capitals Insider:

Forwards:
Ovechkin-Backstrom-Kozlov
Fleischmann-Nylander-Bradley
Laich-Steckel-Fehr
Brashear-Gordon-Mink

Defense:
Lepisto-Morrisonn
Alzner-Jurcina
Sloan-Helmer

Florida enters this contest losers of two of their last three games, including an overtime loss to New Jersey and a shoot out loss to the New York Rangers. The Panthers rebounded, however, against those same Rangers to earn a 4-0 shut out Saturday behind goaltender Craig Anderson Saturday night.

Anderson, normally the backup behind Tomas Vokoun, has been stellar this season, going 4-1-3 (1.87 GAA, .948 Sv%) in his ten starts while Vokoun has struggled. His only regulation loss came to St. Louis back on October 25. Anderson is 0-3 in his career against Washington.

The Panthers are one of the league's lowest scoring teams, averaging just 2.39 goals per game. Their task may be tougher for a while as David Booth, their leading scorer with 12 goals, injured his shoulder in the win over the Rangers and is out for tonight's game. No other Panther has more than six goals.

Washington is 9-0-1 at home this season, averaging 3.6 goals per home game.
_____________________________________________________
SPECIAL TEAMS

WAS: PP-11th (19.8%, 20/101); PK-24th (79.0%, 25/119)
FLA: PP-27th (13.6%, 12/88); PK-11th (83.0%, 17/100)
_____________________________________________________
INJURIES

WAS: D Karl Alzner (Shoulder-PROB); RW Chris Clark (Forearm-OOU); D John Erskine (Concussion-OUT); C Sergei Fedorov (Ankle-QUES); D Mike Green (Shoulder-IR); D Tom Poti (Groin-QUES); D Jeff Schultz (Finger-IR ); LW Alexander Semin (Back-IR): D Brian Pothier (Concussion-OUT)

FLA: RW Nathan Horton (Leg-IR); LW Cory Stillman (Concussion-IR); LW Richard Zednik (Arm-IR); D Bryan Allen (Knee-IR); LW David Booth (Shoulder-OUT); D Cory Murphy (Shoulder-IR)

Behind stellar goaltending from embattled netminder Jose Theodore, the Washington Capitals (13-7-3-29, first in Southeast) shut out his former team, the Montreal Canadiens (12-6-4-28, second in Northeast), 3-0 before a sell-out Friday night crowd.

Theodore easily played his best game to date as a Capital, stopping all 28 saves he faced. He played in control the entire game, looking very much like the all-star and MVP he was while wearing les blue, blanc et rouge of last night's opponent.

Theodore would not admit to revenge against a team that the last he faced surrendered eight goals in a loss while with Colorado in 2006, but completing the shut out had to be personally satisfying on top of providing a vital two points in the standings, on a night where four of his active defensemen were starters in Hershey (AHL) at the beginning of the season.

The team lost Tom Poti to a strained groin Wednesday in the Caps win over Atlanta, so Washington was forced to call up yet another minor leaguer to man their blue line, this time recalling veteran Bryan Helmer, to team with Tyler Sloan, Sami Lepisto and Karl Alzner as former Hershey Bears in the lineup for Washington against an offensively creative Canadiens team.

Tomas Fleischmann started the scoring for Washington when he snapped a shot past Montreal goalie Jaroslav Halak. Canadians defenseman Francis Bouillon played the puck behind his own net, trying to pass out to a wing, but Fleischmann intercepted the pass right in front of Halak. Fleischmann tapped the puck to Michael Nylander, who was forechecking as well, and Nylander gave it right back and Fleischmann made no mistake.

Alex Ovechkin added his 13th goal of the season in the third period, extending his scoring streak to 10 straight games. During that stretch, he has tallied 11 goals and 11 assists, and leads the NHL in scoring in November and is now tied for second overall.

David Steckel redirected a shot from Lepisto at 8:46 to cap the scoring. The rest was left to Theodore.

Washington travels tonight to Columbus to face the Blue Jackets (9-10-3-21, fourth in Central Division) at 7:00 p.m. from Nationwide Arena. Brent Johnson will get the nod in goal tonight for the Caps.

Columbus is led on offense by Rick Nash (10-9-19, +3), with Derick Brassard, Kristian Huselius and R.J. Umberger all adding eight goals apiece. Rookie G Steve Mason has not looked out of place in his six starts. He's 4-1-1 with a .913 save percentage and a 2.28 GAA.

_____________________________________________________
SCORESHEET

WAS: Fleischmann (9) from Nylander (1-11:03); Ovechkin (13) from Backstrom (3-3:42); Steckel (4) from Lepisto and Laich (3-8:46).

MON: None.
______________________________________________________
THREE STARS

1. J. Theodore - WAS (Saves: 28, Save Pct: 1.000)
2. A. Ovechkin - WAS (Goals: 1, Assists: 0)
3. T. Fleischmann - WAS (Goals: 1, Assists: 0)
______________________________________________________
NOTES

Washington Coach Bruce Boudreau earned his 50th win as the coach of the Capitals. He becomes the fastest to 50 in the team's history, recording the win in 84 games.

The 36-year-old Helmer played in his first NHL game since April 2004 with Phoenix.

Washington -- The Washington Capitals (12-7-3-27, first place in Southeast Division) received three goals from Alexander Ovechkin and were never really threatened by their Southeast Division rival Atlanta Thrashers (8-11-2-18, third place in Southeast), winning easily 5-3.

The Caps played without many of their regular skaters, including their captain, RW Chris Clark, who along with D Jeff Schultz were placed on the Long-Term Injured List before the contest. But no matter, as the Capitals were playing their first home game after a five-game road trip and had a surprising amount of spring in their collective steps.

The team recalled wingers Chris Bourque and Graham Mink and defensemen Sami Lepisto and Karl Alzner, the fifth overall pick in the 2005 entry draft. The youngsters seemed to help the overall level of urgency, and the Caps jumped all over Atlanta in the first period.

Ovechkin started the scoring at 3:29, with a slap shot that handcuffed Thrasher goalie Ondrej Pavelec. It was a power play goal, set up by Sami Lepisto, who slid a perfect point-to-point pass to Ovechkin, who let one blast. Four minutes later, Eric Fehr banged home a pretty tic-tac-toe from Tomas Fleischmann and Michael Nylander.

Bryan Little of Atlanta stemmed the tide just a bit, notching a power play of his own at 12:08, but Ovechkin scored his second of the game with a wrist shot, gathering a rebound shot by Viktor Kozlov. The hat trick was completed less than a minute into the second period, as Poti found the Great Eight in the slot alone, and Ovechkin made no mistake. The competitive portion of the game was complete.

Kozlov scored his third goal of the season in the third period, and Slava Kozlov and Nathan Oystrick both tallied for Atlanta, but the outcome was never in doubt after the hats rained down for last year's Hart Trophy winner.

Washington hosts the Montreal Canadiens (12-5-4-28) Friday night at 7:00 pm ET from Verizon Center.

Photo by AP.

__________________________________________________

THREE STARS

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

2. V. Kozlov - WAS (Goals: 1, Assists: 2)

3. T. Fleischmann - WAS (Goals: 0, Assists: 2)

__________________________________________________

SCORESHEET

WAS: Ovechkin (10) from Lepisto and Kozlov (1-3:29-PP); Fehr (2) from Fleischmann and Nylander (1-7:23); Ovechkin (11) from Kozlov and Fleischmann (1-14:01-PP); Ovechkin (12) from Poti and Sloan (2-0:54); Kozlov (3) from Ovechkin (3-1:20)

ATL: Little (10) from Kovalchuk and White (1-7:33); Kozlov (12) from Little and Kovalchuk (2-13:06-PP); Oystrick (1) from White and Schneider (3-12:28)

__________________________________________________

NOTES

Ovechkin has points in nine straight games. He has 24 points (10 goals, 14 assists) in his last 11 games. The hat trick was his first since last March.

Jose Theodore stopped 15 of 18 shots faced.

D Tom Poti missed the second half of the third period. There were no details of possible injury.

Alzner, making his NHL debut, logged the second highest ice time for the game, behind only Ovechkin.