"We had a lot of enthusiasm and not being scared to lose, but being hungry to win." Lightning coach Guy Boucher

Tampa, FL -- Every Washington Capitals player that faced the media said the same thing in the locker room following Tuesday night's 4-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, putting them in a no games to three hole: "We have to be ready [in Game Four]."  The unasked question?  Why weren't they for Game Three?

The Caps surrendered leads of 2-1 and 3-2, and completely collapsed in the third period -- again -- en route to Tampa taking an almost impossible lead in this best of seven series.  Only three teams in the modern era have ever come back from being down 0-3 to win the series.

You have to give the Lightning credit.  They created a tremendous forecheck, forcing turnover after turnover, leading to a couple easy goals.  But more often than not, it was the Caps shooting themselves in the foot.  They had a goal disallowed because of another botched line change that led to a too-many-men penalty.  They managed just five shots on goal in the third period, a frame that saw Tampa take 15 shots on Michal Neuvirth.  And twice they had defensemen block their own goalie, preventing a save on a shot.

There were several damning post-game quotes, so let's start with the one that came from one of the few men in the room that has been on a Cup winner, Mike Knuble.  Referring to the Lightning, he said, "They're uncanny when they want to get a goal.  They just snap their fingers, hit a button and dial it up. You can see it's like they flipped a switch. I don't know what it is. It leaves you flabbergasted." Hmm, sounds like how the "old" Capitals used to be described.

Nick Backstrom, who did not register a shot on goal and was just 39 percent in the dot, was asked why the Caps couldn't match Tampa's intensity. "I don't know. I think we played pretty good until the third period, when we had everything in our own hands and then we just gave it away."

Karl Alzner was asked the same thing.  "It's tough to say. I don't know exactly, I can't put my finger on it. I thought we were playing good but just started to get a little too complacent.  We just took our foot off the gas for a little bit." Why would the Caps let up with a one-goal lead?  "I don't really know. I wish I knew. I just don't know what to say."

Jason Arnott echoed Alzner's thoughts, "We get up for a certain amount of time and I think that our guys think the game is over."

Flabbergasted.  Gave it away. I don't know. 

These were the responses the Capitals players came up with to describe how Tampa Bay dominated them in the third period.  They all talked about not giving up, taking it one game at a time, getting back in this series, winning Game Four and taking it back to the Verizon Center for Game Five.

But unless someone can come up with how to do so before 7:00 pm Wednesday night, the result might not be any different.  The Caps -- to a man -- don't have any answers for it.  What causes this team to simply stop doing the things they've done to secure the lead in the first place?

Maybe the Lightning are just a better team.  Maybe they are just better prepared.  Maybe the Caps lack something intangible in the collection of players and coaches they've assembled.  Maybe they have several players that just aren't committed enough to be in the right place at the right time.  Maybe some of the younger players they have relied on so heavily this season have just hit the wall.

Maybe none of that is true.  But what is true is that the Washington Capitals are now up against an historical challenge in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.  All the expectations this team, this organziation, have placed upon themselves are in danger of going down the drain once again.

Maybe it goes back to the quote at the top from Boucher, the man with the master's in sports psychology.  "Not being scared to lose, but being hungry to win."  Perhaps the burden of all the expectations are just too much to bear for the men assembled.  But it was obvious watching in the third period.  The Caps were playing not to lose, not playing to win.

Instead, they turned into a self-fulfilling prophecy.

“It was a bad change,” Coach Bruce Boudreau, on the fatal line change in overtime.

When Alex Ovechkin scored at 18:52 of the third period to tie the game at two goals apiece and to force overtime, the Verizon Center erupted to the extent it has not since Sergei Fedorov's goal to beat the New York Rangers in the seventh game of the Caps first round series in 2009.

Six minutes and nineteen seconds of hockey time later, you could hear a pin drop.

Vincent Lecavalier took advantage of a mistimed and poorly managed line shift, got behind the defense, and almost effortlessly roofed a beautiful backhanded pass from Teddy Purcell -- for his second goal of the game -- past the outstretched Michal Neuvirth, sending this series back to Tampa with his Lightning leading the series two games to none.

This game goes into the books as a 3-2 overtime loss for the Washington Capitals, and though all the principals said the "right things" in the locker room and at the press conferences after the game, it was a momentum shift of the highest order, placing all of the pressure of this series squarely on the shoulders of Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and all of their teammates.

It was not supposed to be this way.  The Lightning, deep offensively, determined defensively, and possessing a goalie that has had the Caps number in games past, entered this series victors of seven excruciating games against the Pittsburgh Penguins.  The Capitals had a week off to rest and rehabilitate, having dispatched the Rangers in five games.

To complicate matters for the Bolts, they lost two of their key players, savvy playoff veteran Simon Gagne and rugged defenseman Pavel Kubina, in Game One of this series to injury.  Tampa was supposed to be tired, now injured, and according to their coach, Guy Boucher, simply outmanned.

Boucher, who holds master's degree in sports psychology, has been pumping the Caps up every time he stands in front of a microphone these days, and poor-mouthing his charges, explaining in his deep, french-tinged accent that his players are tired, hurt, and just not as good as the Caps. 

"Oh yeah, we need rest. Rest is a weapon." Boucher said when asked if Tampa's first series in now taking its toll in this series. "It's been very, very tough for us, I'll be honest. I don't think we could have gone on another period."

I'm sure Caps fans will cry him a river right now.

When asked how his team's penalty kill owned the Capitals, shutting them out on six chances (11 total for the two games) and 11:32 of extra-man time, he stated, with a straight face, "I think the goaltender, and luck, had a lot to do with it today."

The Capitals futility on the power play is obviously under a microscope, as it has been all season.  But their struggles there are the same in general for this team on offense right now: too many people are trying to create, to make a play, instead of playing simple, straightforward hockey.  Dump the puck. Go to the goal. Crash the net.  There's a reason people have played hockey in that manner for 100 years.

"We're trying," Boudreau said with exasperation when asked to pin-point the Capitals struggles on the power play.  “We’re trying different things. We’re trying to make things work. Obviously it’s not. It's not like they're bad penalty killers, they stopped 35 out of 36 in Pittsburgh. We’ve just got to keep going at it.”

Plenty of people are describing Tampa's second goal as "lucky", in that a crossing pass deflected off Mike Green's skate past his unsuspecting goalie.  But that's how goals are scored, by putting the puck in the crease or low slot.  The Capitals know this.  Bruce Boudreau preaches it.  The players practice it.  And when they play that way, they succeed.

Both of Washington's goals came with a player in the crease.  First Brooks Laich did some hard work in front of the net off a shot from Nicklas Backstrom.  And the team captain got an unbelievably good pass from Jason Arnott in the trapezoid with 1:08 left in the game.

Yet on the power play, the Caps are content to skate and carry the puck, instead of using short, quick passes to lure the defense out of a comfort zone.  They shoot, but all too often from the point, where the shot is easier to block or knock down, then cleared to the safe end of the ice.  Too many players are trying to create instead of simply getting the puck to the net.  This is what Boudreau and Ovechkin refer to being "cute" on offense. 

It's anything but.

Coaches, players and fans alike are frustrated, but Ovechkin reasoned in comments after the game. "We don't have the kind of traffic like we did against the Rangers. And we didn't find rebounds. We just have to go to the net and find the puck."

Yet, despite the trouble with the power play, the Capitals fairly controlled five-on-five play, outshooting the Lightning 37 to 23.  But a puck off a skate here, a bad line change there, and the Caps find themselves in a 0-2 hole.

In playoff games, the smallest weaknesses are exploited and taken advantage of.  Receiving six power plays by the 11 minute mark of the second period, as the Caps did last night, was a gift from the hockey gods.  And they simply did not -- could not -- take advantage of those gifts.  And it now makes the rest of their quest that much more difficult.

These Caps have pulled off the feat before, in the aforementioned Rangers series in 2009.  They lost the first two games at home and won four of the next five games, culminating in Fedorov's winner.  They'll now have to pull that trick out of their hat again if they are to advance to the Conference Finals in 2011.

"I thought, this isn't the way we play. It was reverting back to an older day." -- Coach Bruce Boudreau, on his team's play in the third period.

The Washington Capitals excelled in the latter stages of the season and in the first round of the playoffs by playing a controlled system, playing within themselves and taking advantage of their speed and strength on offense.  For the first half of last night game, when they took a 2-1 lead over the Tampa Bay Lightning (and really could have been four or five to one), they played that way as well.

But a four and a half minute sequence at the end of the second period changed all that, and the Caps allowed play to be dictated to them the rest of the game.  Tampa rallied for two late goals in that time and the Caps they fell back into more of the style they played when struggling over the winter, which can most politely be described as non-committal.

The end result was a 4-2 loss in Game One of these Eastern Conference Semifinals, and puts the Caps in the unenviable position of essentially needing to win Sunday in Game Two.

The first period started out a little clunky on both sides, as the Caps were coming off a five-day mini-vacation and the Bolts only 48 hours from their Game Seven clincher against Pittsburgh. Tampa got on the board first just 2:12 into play, with Sean Bergenheim knocking in a puck that squirted through Michal Neuvirth off a shot from Steve Downie.

Replays showed Bergenheim cross-checked Mike Green into the goal before the play to take the Caps d-man out of position, but no call came.  Washington answered less than two minutes later, when Alexander Semin ripped a slap shot through Dwayne Roloson.  The Caps swarmed after that and led in shots after one period 14-9.

The second period saw the Caps dominate the first 15 minutes, taking the lead less than two minutes in, as Jason Chimera won a puck battle on a faceoff to Roloson's right and then hit Eric Fehr with a great pass, who had drifted into the slot alone.  Fehr snapped off a one-timer past the Tampa goalie and the Verizon Center faithful erupted.

The Caps enjoyed several other excellent scoring opportunities in the period, but could not convert again.  On one sequence, Laich hit a post and Nicklas Backstrom got the bouncing puck behind Roloson, but Tampa defenseman Eric Brewer swept it out of the crease and out to safety.  It could have been 3-1 on at least three different occasions.

But that didn't happen.

At 16:17, Neuvirth tried to play the puck up the board but Jeff Schultz couldn't handle the puck. Vinny Lecavalier collected the puck along the right wing boards and hit Steve Downie at the far post.  Downie flipped the puck back toward Neuvirth and it deflected off Scott Hannan's stick and over Neuvy's right shoulder to tie the game.

"I thought we were in control of the game until the Downie goal," Caps coach Bruce Boudreau said.  "That gave them life. But you can't play river hockey. I thought, this isn't the way we play. It was reverting back to an older day."

Less than two minutes later, Jason Chimera was called for roughing Pavel Kubina on a forecheck.  At full speed, it looked like Chimera simply finished his check, but a closer look revealed that he got his elbow up on the Tampa defenseman.  Kubina would not return.

On the ensuing power play, Karl Alzner tried to dig a puck out of the corner, but was beaten to it by Brewer, who got enough on it to get it to the post.  Steven Stamkos gathered the puck there and on the second whack, got it behind an out of place Neuvirth, who expected the puck to got into the crease.

There were just 32 seconds remaining in the period, and it was obvious the wind had come out of the Caps sails.

The third period was a disaster.  The Caps only managed five shots on goal, despite benefiting from two power plays in the frame.  The best opportunity they had came when Alex Ovechkin made a beautiful behind the back pass to a wide open Nicklas Backstrom in front of the net, but he only managed to pound it into Roloson.

Backstrom, the Caps second leading scorer, has now gone 13 games without a goal.   He had five shots on goal to lead the team, but his play was erratic. 

Is he pressing?  "Yeah, I think so," he said from the locker room after the game.  "I had an open net there and I should have just put it in. That's what happens when you struggle."

Boudreau spoke about how Tampa impeded his squad in the third period.  "They make it frustrating. They just hang back and you're trying to push and they're very good at it. That's why when they get a lead, and when they got a lead against Pittsburgh, they would hold on to it."

So the Caps are now faced with Game Two Sunday night.  They should be the more rested team, the one with more jump in their legs and fire in their bellies.  They'll have to play that way to regain the momentum in this series.  Because right now, it's with the team that entered this series that didn't get a chance to rest their bones after playing seven games in the first round.

CAPS NOTES:  The Lightning played much of the game without winger Simon Gagne, who appeared to black out after hitting his head and shoulder on the ice after a clean check by Scott Hannan.  He left with assistance but on his skates, and Tampa coach Guy Boucher said he would be evaluated further by team doctors.  Gagne has a history of concussions, missing almost an entire season as a member of the Philadelphia Flyers.

John Carlson appeared to suffer a leg injury of some sort, only taking bits of two shifts in the third period.  Boudreau called him day-to-day and "hoped" to have him for Sunday.

Alex Ovechkin registered just two shots on goal and had seven blocked.  The Caps fourth line of Boyd Gordon, Matt Bradley and Matt Hendricks managed just two shots on goal, both from Gordon.

Jeff Schultz extended his streak of time on ice without opponent goal to 125:47, a Stanley Cup Playoffs record.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are a good hockey club. They have a deep and talented offense, are extremely efficient on the power play, have a veteran and tough defensive corps, employ one of the most obnoxious agitators in the game, and now have a savvy goaltender that just happens to own the Washington Capitals in his history.

Add in the fact the Lightning just bounced the Caps' arch-rivals from the post-season, and there's plenty of evidence to suggest the Caps will have their work cut out for them in the second round.

But there seems to be less hand-wringing and gnashing of teeth about this series than the first round.  Maybe the fact that the Caps escaped indignity by surviving a first-round series has folks feeling, if not comfortable, a little less anxious anyway about the next round.

The stakes are obviously higher for the team. The stage is a little brighter. The schedule laid out is more difficult, with Games Two, Three and Four in a four night span. All these things should be making Caps fans even more nervous.  But it doesn't seem to be.

Could the Caps ownership of the Southeast Division the last few seasons be clouding everyone's vision? Could it stem from even further back in history, as the Southeast still didn't even exist when the Caps heroes of our youth did battle in places like New York, Long Island, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh? Could it be the simple idea that they play their home games in Florida?

Maybe the fact the Caps haven't played Tampa Bay in the playoffs since 2003 is a factor?

Yes, I'm sure all those biases come into play.

Perhaps the Caps regular season record of 4-1-1 over Tampa Bay, outscoring them 19-10 in the process, has something else to do with it.

The Bolts new ownership and General Manager Steve Yzerman are putting together something very formidable in the Bay, and we should not demean that effort at all. With a little luck, maybe this series will finally instigate a natural rivalry within the Southeast Division. That would be good for the division, good for hockey, good for the teams and fans involved.

But as it stands now, even national television coverage of this series is being hidden, with Games One and Two banished to Friday and Sunday nights, so that games featuring Boston, Philadelphia and Detroit can be seen in the most visible slots. And Game Three in Tampa has been set for 6:30 pm, when most D.C. residents are still stuck on the Beltway, 395, or one of the Parkways.

Maybe Tampa comes out tonight, still on a high from their opening round victory, and puts a scare into a rested, but perhaps rusty Caps team and that will get the nerves going again. Maybe Dwayne Roloson pitches a shutout, as he has done several times in the past against the Caps, and the butterflies that were there for in round one come back.

Caps fans should have a healthy dose of respect for the Lightning and their organization. They are certainly capable of playing well enough to advance to the Conference Finals, a place the Caps haven't reached since 1998.  The Bolts led the division much of the season until the Caps went streaking in March.  They had ten double-digit goal scorers and were sixth in the NHL in power play efficiency in the regular season and third in the playoffs so far.

It's a team full of veterans, from Vinny Lecavalier to Martin St. Louis to Ryan Malone to Steve Downie to Pavel Kubina to the ancient one, Roloson, in goal.  Oh, and that Stamkos kid is pretty good too.

In several publications, I predicted the Caps would dispatch the Rangers in five games and they made me look good for saying so. I will now go on the record once again, predicting this time Washington will take care of business in six games.

Enjoy the games Caps fans. 

The Washington Capitals will face Southeast Division rival Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, starting Friday night at 7:00 pm from Verizon Center.  There is a noticeable quirk in the schedule: back-to-back games in Tampa next Tuesday and Wednesday, due to the University of South Florida graduation ceremonies to be held at the St. Pete Times Forum on Thursday.

Here's the full schedule:

Game One: Friday, April 29, 7:00 pm at Verizon Center (Versus, TSN)

Game Two: Sunday, May 1, 7:00 pm at Verizon Center (Versus, CBC)

Game Three: Tuesday, May 3, time TBD at St. Pete Times Forum (Comcast SportsNet, Versus, TSN)

Game Four: Wednesday, May 4, 7:00 pm at St. Pete Times Forum (Comcast SportsNet, TSN)

*Game Five: Saturday, May 7, 12:30 pm at Verizon Center (NBC, TSN)

*Game Six: Monday, May 9, time TBD at St. Pete Times Forum (Comcast SportsNet, Versus, TSN)

*Game Seven: Wednesday, May 11, time TBD at Verizon Center (Comcast SportsNet, Versus, TSN)

*If necessary.

THE RESULTS: The Tampa Bay Lightning put a Matt Bradley quote about this being the Washington Capitals' biggest game of the year up on their white board in their dressing room in motivation for last night's big Southeast Division showdown.

It didn't help much.

The Caps roared out to a 3-1 lead mid-way through the second period, and added two more goals in the third to inch a little closer to the division lead with a 5-2 win before over 20,000 at the St. Pete Times Forum.

Better yet, the Caps top line of Alex Ovechkin, Nick Backstrom and Jason Chimera combined for four of the five goals, and Brooks Laich knocked in the other, just his second goal in his last 20 games.

Ovechkin's goal came on the power play, the first time he's gotten a marker with the extra man since he got two against Calgary Oct. 30, a span of 40 games.  Unreal.

The win is welcome relief from the struggles of the offense so far in 2011.  The Caps had scored just three goals in their last three contests, and five goals are the highest total so far in the new year.

Bradley's remark might have been good bulletin board material, but make no mistake, this was a very big win for the Caps.  It pulls them within three of division-leading Tampa Bay, who is also second in the Eastern Conference.

Lest no one convince you otherwise, the Capitals still see the Southeast as their turf, and winning the division is still a big deal to them, especially now that all five of the teams have a legitimate shot of making the second season.

The Caps even tried sending messages, wtih Matt Bradley and Matt Hendricks both fighting in the first period, trying to set the tone.

It's also a big deal considering Washington's next opponent: the Pittsburgh Penguins on Super Bowl Sunday.  It will be much easier to prepare for a marquee matchup without being pestered for 48 hours about falling to a division opponent on the road.

The Caps have spent all season mixing multiple rookies in and out of the lineup in all phases of the game.  They've also dealt with long-term injuries to several veterans.  They've been scratching their heads trying to figure out "What's Wrong with the Washington Capitals."

They've needed their best players to play like it, and that's been missing for the most part since the first of Decemeber.

Last night was the first time in a long time that this team looked like itself:  pressuring on the forecheck, getting quality shots on goal, following up those shots with rebound attempts, and their best players playing like it.

Dedicated.  Involved.  Having fun.

How far they'll go the rest of the way depends on their willingness to following that formula.

THE GOOD: Other than the obvious goodness of Ovi, Nicky and Brooks all lighting the lamp, the Caps also had a very strong night in the dot, winning 60 percent of the faceoffs.  Of particular note: Marcus Johansson (7-of-8), Jay Beagle (7-of-8) and David Steckel (6-of-7).

THE BAD: No shots on goal from the second or third line centers, Johansson and Mathieu Perreault.

THE UGLY: Steve Downie.  That's all.

THE STATS: Nicklas Backstrom (13) from Alex Ovechkin (33) and Mike Green (16) at 9:09 of 1st.  Brooks Laich (10) from Mathieu Perreault (5) and Jay Beagle (1) at 6:38 of 2nd.  Alex Ovechkin (20) from Nicklas Backstrom (35) and John Carlson (17) at 8:25 of 2nd (PP).  Nicklas Backstrom (14) from Alex Ovechkin (34) and Jason Chimera (11) at 12:22 of 3rd.  Jason Chimera (8) from Alex Ovechkin (35) and Nicklas Backstrom (36) at 19:22 of 3rd (EN).

NEXT GAME: Super Sunday at 2:00 pm v. Pittsburgh Penguins at Verizon Center

CAPS NEWS NETWORK THREE STARS

3. Semyon Varlamov. Only called on to face 25 shots, but made several key saves in the third before the insurance goals that sealed it.

2. Alex Ovechkin.  Goal.  Three assists.  Ten shots on goal, four hits.  Looks like the All-Star Game loosened him up a little.  Happy Ovi = Good Ovi.

1. Nick Backstrom.  Two goals, two assists, five shots, 52% on draws.  Where has this guy been?

THE RESULT:  For the second time in a week, 41-year old goalie Dwayne Roloson shut out the Washington Capitals, leading his Tampa Bay Lightning to a 3-0 win, securing first place in the Southeast Division for the time being.

The loss is the fifth time the Caps have been shut out in their last 25 games.

Domonic Moore, Sean Bergenheim and Simon Gagne scored for the Lightning, who own the top spot in the division by two points over the Caps, and sit second in the Eastern Conference trailing Philadelphia by just two points.

It was Washington's first regulation loss in ten games.

The Capitals were simply outplayed all evening.  Continuing a theme we've noticed for a while, Tampa took the body early and often against the Caps and Washington just didn't respond until things were already well out of hand.

It was the second straight game the Caps got down 3-0, but unlike Tuesday's game in Florida where they stormed back to force overtime and earn a standings point, Alex Ovechkin and the rest of the Caps couldn't muster enough energy for a comeback.

The Caps took just 23 shots on goal against Roloson, making his second appearance against the Caps since being traded to Tampa by the cellar-dwelling Islanders.  Roloson was rarely tested though, as most of the Caps shots against came from outside the circles, and the Caps managed just 12 shots on goal during five-on-five play.

Washington's forwards were content to fling shots from the perimeter, but unwilling or unable to find the requisite determination to crash the net looking for rebounds.

Playing on back-to-back nights on the road in the NHL is tough.  But no one wants to hear excuses.  The Caps did not come out to play last night and it showed, on the ice and on the scoresheet.

Veteran forward Mike Knuble tried to put it into perspective after the game. “It took a lot of energy [Tuesday] night to catch up and if you keep asking your team to do that all the time, it’s tough. Coming in back-to-back, you’ve got to get the lead. It’s pretty important because we chased so hard [Tuesday] night to scrape out a point.”

But despite the lackluster performance, it was just the first regulation loss in 10 games, and the Caps still own the league's seventh-nest record overall.

Are there problems?  Sure.  The power play went 0-for-2 last night and  is as anemic as it has ever been, going 8-for-75 (10.7%) with the extra man in its last 20 games.  The penalty kill is still working well, but the Caps are taking entirely too many penalties, especially in the offensive and neutral zones. 

And the Caps two best players, Ovechkin and Nick Backstrom, are having historically bad runs right now.

As bas as all that is, the Caps are still seventh overall in the league.  I'm sure there are a dozen teams that would LOVE to trade places, problems and all.

It's only Jan. 13.  There's plenty of time to get things sorted out.  They've already weathered an eight-game losing streak, rebounding with a 6-1-3 stretch.

It's not time to panic.  Yet.

THE GOOD:  John Carlson.  No goals allowed.  Led the team with five shots.  Caps killed all five extra-man opportunities for Tampa.

THE BAD: Jeff Schultz.  The Bolts scored three goals.  He was on the ice for all three.  Schultz looked lost last night. 

Dishonorable Mention: Tom Poti.  Scratched from the Florida game, he returned to play just 5:38 and didn't take a shift after the first period.  He was already minus-2 when he left.  If you're a puck-moving defenseman and you can't move, you're a liability.  He should be shut down.

THE UGLY:  I'm still wondering how Scott Downie only got two minutes for punching Scott Hannan in the face twice while another player was holding Hannan down -- and Hannan got four for roughing.  Miscarriage of justice.

THE STATS: No goals.

NEXT GAME: Friday night against Vancouver Canucks at 7:00 pm at Verizon Center.  Vancouver current owners of NHL's best record (28-8-6).

CAPS NEWS NETWORK THREE STARS

3. Scott Hannan.  No goals allowed, and his original check on Downie was a thing of beauty.

2. Semyon Varlamov.  35 saves on 38 shots.  Left to his own defense much of the night.

1. John Carlson.  No goals and five shots for.  Turning into a real leader on the blue line.

THE RESULT: Two of the top scoring teams in the league played to a scoreless draw through sixty minutes.  Both teams played gritty, tight checking defense and their goalies played superbly as one would imagine in a 0-0 tie.

But breakdowns by all five players in red led to the Tampa Bay Lightning netting the game-winner two minutes into extra time, and the visitors took the extra point from the homestanding Washington Capitals.

The win gives Tampa Bay (24-11-5-53) a one point lead in the divison with one game in hand as the Caps (23-12-6-52) reach the official half-way point of the season.

We'll get the obvious out of the way:  both goalies were terrific, turning away 30-plus shot each.  Semyon Varlamov and noted Caps-killer Dwayne Roloson were outstanding.  Both teams had ample shots and quality scoring opportunities, but the goalies were up to the task.

Roloson has a history of taking down the Caps, and in his first game with Tampa Bay he was still employing his New York Islanders facemask and pads.  But the veteran shone for his new squad, which has struggled all season with Mike Smith and Dan Ellis in net, neither of whom own a save percentage over 90 percent.

Alex Ovechkin was at a loss as to the team's lack of finishing opportunities against Roloson.  “We just didn’t find a rhythm.  We didn’t get rebounds. Their defense played great and he made unbelievable saves a couple of times.”

“I think we played well defensively as a group tonight,” Caps forward Matt Hendricks said. “I don’t think our legs were there to get in on the forecheck and do the little things necessary to put pucks in the back of the net. But defensively I thought we played well.”

"It was a combination of two teams wanting the win tonight.  Neither team seemed to be budging on allowing opportunities.  I guess that's what you'd call 'playoff hockey', and we're as desperate for points as they are."

Which makes the game-winning play that much more hurtful.

It started with Jeff Schultz making a clearing pass up the left side boards... to no one.  Defenseman Pavel Kubina gathered it and brought it into the offensive zone in front of Brooks Laich, who couldn't cut off Kubina so he let him go for Jeff Schultz to pick up.

Instead of standing up the rushing defenseman, Schultz allowed himself to be walked back to the goal line where Kubina dropped the puck to a trailing Vincent Lecavalier, whom Laich failed to defend.

Lecavalier got a weak shot off from the right wing dot that Varlamov couldn't steer to a corner, instead leaving the rebound out into the slot.

Tom Poti, in his first game back from groin trouble, was at the top of Varlamov's crease, and could not react in time to the puck going through the slot, which went straight to Martin St. Louis.  The diminutive forward had raced past Nicklas Backstrom to gather the puck and flick a one timer past a now out-of-position Varlamov, still on his knees from blocking the Lecavalier shot.

Poti watched, helplessly, from his post at the top of the crease.

This was a good, exciting defensive hockey game, one for the purists.  It's just unfortunate that all five Caps broke down on the same play in overtime.

Regardless, coach Bruce Boudreau was succinct in his evaluation after the game.

"We're not scoring a lot of goals.  Thank God we're getting good goaltending and playing solid defense.  Cause we're not scoring a lot of goals."

THE GOOD:  Varlamov.  His defense played well in front of him, getting into passing lanes all night long, but the young Russian is really cementing a hold on the goalie spot for now.  All that can change in one game, but he's only given up four goals in his last four games.

THE BAD: Tom Poti.  He might have played, but he still had trouble skating.  He couldn't get into position all night long, instead relied on reaching and pushing instead of skating to hold position. He simply watched as St. Louis collected the rebound and pushed it past Varlamov, helpless to get into any sort of position to help.

THE UGLY: Alexander Semin.  Last night was another prime example of why the Caps are so squeamish about giving him a long-term deal.  He was, in a word, dreadful.  Spent most of his night floating around, never committing to either side of the ice.  Mis-handled puck at the point on a power play which led to a scoring chance the other way, and fell down trying to make some attempt at defense.

That was a recurring theme for The Enigma.  He fell no fewer than a half-dozen times last night, unmolested.  Let's just hope it was a skate problem.  Yeah, we'll go with that.

Oh, and he had the requisite offensive zone stick penalty, a trip with four minutes to play in the second period.

THE STATS: No goals.

NEXT GAME: Saturday at 7:00 pm against the Florida Panthers at Verizon Center.

CAPS NEWS NETWORK THREE STARS:

3. John Carlson.  Was on the ice every time Steven Stamkos was, and limited the league's top goal scorer to four innocent shots.  Was tough in the corners and got 2:07 of PP time. 

2. Karl Alzner.  See John Carlson. His physical play and positioning was excellent. One needn't be a big hitter to play a physical game.

1. Semyon Varlamov.  Stellar in net once again, allowing no goals on 33 shots over 60 minutes.  Saw another five in OT until his defense finally let him down.

"I don't know if it was perfect, but it's as good as we've played all year." Coach Bruce Boudreau

THE RESULT:  The Washington Capitals played a full sixty-minute game against their closest competitor in the Southeast Division, shutting out the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-0, before another sellout at Verizon Center.

The win gives the Caps 34 points this season (16-6-2), and stretches the Capitals lead in the Southeast to six points and wrests the conference lead back from Philadelphia by one point.

The holiday crowd was treated to the Capitals most complete effort of the season.  Six goals scored.  None allowed.  Opponent limited to 17 shots.  NHL goal scoring leader held to one shot.  Even the lone fight was a domination by a player wearing a red sweater.

Alexander Semin continued his hot hand in his contract season, registering a hat trick in a 4:29 span of the second period.  He tallied on a two-on-one with Marcus Johansson and banged home two power play goals off similar back door feeds from Nicklas Backstrom to break things wide open.

It was Semin's third hat trick this season and the sixth in his career.

Semin's total of 17 goals so far this season puts him four behind Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos, who was held to just one shot on goal tonight.

John Carlson and Karl Alzner drew the lion's share of guarding Tampa's top line of Steven Stamkos, Martin St. Louis and Steve Downie, and held the prolific trio to a combined four shots.

Coach Bruce Boudreau assessed the play of his rookie blue-liners: "For 21, 22-year old guys, having the duty of shutting down that line, they did a good job.  And Carly, adds that offensive element as well.  I thought he was at his best tonight."

“We just got outworked today, plain and simple.” said Stamkos, the NHL’s leading scorer. “There’s nothing more to say.”

Carlson was modest talking about his performance after the game.  "My legs weren't as good as I would like them to be, but I felt that I was pretty good, in position the whole time and stayed out of trouble.  So I guess it was a good game."

Three defensemen scored the other three Capitals goals, with Carlson, John Erskine and Tom Poti denting the twine.  Washington now has three defensemen with three or more goals, the same number it had all of last season.

And oh by the way, Semyon Varlamov stopped all 17 shots he faced for his third career regular season shut out.

Captain Alex Ovechkin did not score, but assisted on both power play goals and had three hits early, setting a tone.  "We played good defensively.  Power play works good.  PK did an unbelievable job.  I think we play a good 60 minutes."

The penalty kill did do an unbelievable job, killing off all five power plays, including a five-on-three of just over one minute, and the resulting minute of five-on-four.  "When you score a couple on the power play and you kill a five-on-three, I thought it was a good game by us," Boudreau told the assembled media.

It was something of a statement game, considering how the week started for Washington, getting shut out by New Jersey and playing a pretty good game in Carolina.  Tampa Bay came in hot and the Caps took a physical game to them early, then put the hammer to them in the middle stanza.  The Lightning played the third period like they just couldn't wait to get on the bus out of Verizon Center.

Stamkos probably said it best from the Tampa Bay locker room: "I thought we were soft all over the ice today.  You can't expect to win, especially against a team like that."

Tampa coach Guy Boucher was even more damning.  "Work ethic wasn't there.  It'd be easy to point some fingers as some guys but the reality is we need to point the fingers at every player that was there.  We got outworked.  We got outplayed."

Sounds a lot like what Boudreau was saying after Monday's loss to the Devils.  What a difference a few days makes in the NHL.

THE GOOD:  Lots to go around.  Semin.  Carlson.  Varlamov.  Marcus Johansson with two assists.  Backstrom with two assists.  The Caps scored six goals and no one was more than plus-two.  That's a total team effort against a young, up and coming Tampa Bay team.

THE BAD:  Um... David Steckel was the only Capital with a face-off percentage over 50%?  Does that count?

THE UGLY:  Nothing.  It was a pretty win.

THE STATS:  Carlson (3) from Johansson (1) at 3:09 of 1st.  Erskine (3) from Fahey (1) at 4:38 of 2nd.  Semin (15) from Johansson (2) at 6:52 of 2nd.  Semin (16) from Backstrom (16) and Ovechkin (20) at 8:56 of 2nd (PP).  Semin (17) from Backstrom (17) and Ovechkin (21) at 11:21 of 2nd (PP).  Poti (2) from Hendricks (5) at 14:46 of 3rd.

NEXT GAME:  Sunday at 5:00 pm against Carolina Hurricanes at Verizon Center.

CAPS NEWS NETWORK THREE STARS

3.  John Erskine.  Assist short of the Gordie Howe Hat Trick.  His goal, the second of the game, came at 2:05 of the second and led to the floodgates opening.

2.  John Carlson.  His goal opened the scoring, and he and Karl Alzner held Steven Stamkos to one shot on goal.

1.  Alexander Semin.  Hard to argue with the natural hat trick.  Three goals in a 4:28 span of the second period busted this one wide open.

CAPS NOTES

Ovechkin is now tied with St. Louis for third in the league in assists.  Yup, you read that right.

With the win, the Caps upper their league-leading home record to 11-1-1.  Fahey's assist was his first NHL point.  Johansson's first assist was his first NHL assist.

“It wasn’t anything special. I was just going out there and playing like I do every other game. [The] Most important thing is for the team to win and that’s what happened tonight.” -- Alexander Semin (translated by Dmitry Chesnokov)

THE RESULT:  The Washington Capitals extended win streak to six games in front of the 69th consecutive sellout crowd at Verizon Center on Thursday night with a 6-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Tom Poti returned to the ice after missing eight games and scored the Capitals first goal of the night.  “He’s a good player and a veteran in this league that’s been successful. It’s nice to have him back because we’re young back there {on defense}” said Coach Bruce Boudreau.

There is no question whether the Ovechkin/Backstrom/Semin line is working.  Coach Bruce Boudreau talked about Alex Semin to the media after the game, "I think he likes playing with Alex {Alex Ovechkin} and Nicky {Backstrom}. I think they can play. They’re interchangeable.”

Alexander Semin continues to be red hot. Semin got this second hat trick in just nine games and leads the Caps with twelve goals for the reason.

Tampa Bay Lightning Captain Vincent Lecavalier missed a shift in the first period and the Comcast camera caught his fingers taped together on his right hand, however, remained in the game.  Lightning Head Coach Guy Boucher explained, "Vinny was playing so good the last four games. He was playing great. He got two posts in the first period. That’s the story of his four games. He could’ve had three points every game. Just real bad luck for him. I feel for him. He’s worked so hard – taken care of so many small details. He’s been a real leader on our team. He’s grinding it out. He’s been outstanding for us.”

Goalie Michal Neuvirth struggled in the first period and had several rebounds and a couple of lucky breaks when the puck hit the post, however, he settled down and made key saves when it mattered. He stopped 38 out of the 41 shots made by the Bolts. "He's been really good for us," Backstrom said. "We needed it. Hopefully he can continue playing the way he does and we can keep scoring too."

Nicklas Backstrom continued to discuss the play of the Caps. “The first period wasn’t so good. We didn’t work hard enough, but we worked ourselves back into the game and we finished it [the game] off strong. We have to find a way to start games better. Hopefully it will be the next game.”

Boyd Gordon only played 1:42 after suffering a lower-body injury early in the first period. Coach Bruce Boudreau wasn't sure when the injury occurred but that it could have been when Gordon collided with Matt Smaby on an icing call. "He said he's had this before, the same type of injury and it's usually a week," Boudreau told media after the game. "I don't know when it happened but I think that might be it."

Check out the Movember progress here.

INTERESTING NOTES AND STATS FROM CAPS: 

• Nicklas Backstrom recorded his 200th career NHL assist on Tom Poti’s goal in the second period. He also added four assists and now has 12 points (1 goal, 11 assists) in the last six games.
• Tonight’s game featured two of the top three scorers in the NHL in Steven Stamkos (26 points) and Alex Ovechkin (23). Ovechkin registered a goal and two assists while Stamkos scored his league leading 14th goal of the season and added an assist. Ovechkin has points in eight straight games (5 goals, 10 assists) and has at least a point in 11 of the Capitals’ 12 victories this season.
• With Semin (12 goals) and Ovechkin (9), the Capitals are the only team in the NHL with two nine-goals scorers. The duo has combined for eight goals and 20 points in the past five games.
• Poti, who missed eight games with an injury, scored for the first time since Mar. 8, 2010 (19 games).
• Mike Knuble, who snapped a 13-game goal-less drought on Tuesday against the New York Rangers, scored his third goal of the season at 7:51 of the second period.
• The Capitals have won six straight games overall and five in a row at Verizon Center. It’s the fourth straight season that the Capitals have had a winning streak of at least five games after going five seasons with one. Bruce Boudreau has 10 five-game winning streaks in his NHL head coaching tenure.
• After scoring two goals in the second period, the Capitals have now outscored their opponents 25-10 in the middle stanza this season. During the Caps six-game winning streak, Washington has outscored their opponents 31-17 with 17 of the 31 goals coming in the second period.
• Brooks Laich, who recorded an assist on Knuble’s goal in the second period and leads the NHL with a plus-13 rating, has collected seven points (2 goals, 5 assists) in the last six games.
• Washington leads the league with nine wins (9-3-0) when allowing the first goal of the game (.750).
• The Capitals are 8-0-0 when Semin scores a goal and 7-0-0 when the team records a power play goal.
• The Caps have won for the first time on a Thursday night (1-2-0) and now have registered wins during every day of the week.
• Capitals radio play-by-play voice Steve Kolbe called his 1,000th career NHL game tonight.

BOX SCORE//GAME SUMMARY//EVENT SUMMARY

Alex Ovechkin broke a 2-2 tie with six and half minutes remaining in yesterday's game, and the Washington Capitals withstood a late flurry to hold onto a 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning at sold out Verizon Center.

Both Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom had a goal and an assist, and Brooks Laich added a goal, leading the Capitals to a franchise record tying tenth consecutive victory, originally set Jan. 27-Feb. 18, 1984.

"I told the guys it's something that you might go your whole career again without getting again, and so enjoy it," coach Bruce Boudreau told reporters after the game.

Ovechkin's reaction to the streak was certainly in keeping with his personality, "It's kind of fun and it's kind of good.  But we don't want to stop."

And why should they?  During the streak, they beat both of last year's finalists, other contenders, and division opponents alike.  They've won in blowout fashion, and in nailbiters.  Everybody's scoring, as their longest individual scoring drought is Boyd Gordon's 10 games.

And they are getting quality play in goal.  Yesterday, Jose Theodore returned from a lower-body injury to record 25 saves for the win.  Theodore went 8-1 in January with a 2.28 GAA and .930 save percentage.

Whether it's been Theodore, the veteran, or Michal Neuvirth, the rookie, they've been getting the job done between the pipes.

You know a team is comfortable in the standings when they decided they can send their rookie backup (Neuvirth) down to AHL Hershey so he can get enough games in to qualify to play there during the Olympic break.  It leaves the team with another rookie, Braden Holtby, backing up Theodore for the time being. 

Holtby, who started the season at ECHL South Carolina, has yet to make his NHL debut.

The team hopes to get Semyon Varlamov, yet another rookie, back soon from the knee injury that has had him sidelined since early December.

This team is the first in the Capitals 35 years to reach the 80-point mark before February.  It's the first to record 13 wins in January.  And with 26 total points in January, Washington tied its single-month franchise record set in Dec. 1984.

They currently hold a 23-point lead in the Southeast Division, and an eight-point lead in the Eastern Conference.

It seems on a daily basis, players are reaching personal milestones as well.  The latest was yesterday, as Nicklas Backstrom notched his 23rd goal of the season, passing his career season high set last season.

This team is firing on all cylinders right now, and there are only two questions that separate this team from true greatness:

1)  Are they peaking too early?

2)  How will the Olympic layoff effect the team?

These are both questions to be answered as we play out the rest of the season.  For now, Caps fans, enjoy the ride.

The Caps have road games against offensively challenged Boston and the imploding Rangers, then home against Atlanta in the coming week. 

It's not hard to imagine a 13-game streak heading into the Super Bowl Sunday matchup with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and the rest of the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.

Bruce Boudreau would tell us not to get ahead of ourselves.  And I'm SURE he telling his players not to.  But the way the Caps are playing and winning, it's hard not to.  Especially with the juicy nugget of the Pens game looming on the horizon. 

The Washington Capitals (49-23-8-106, first in Southeast, second in East) face the Tampa Bay Lightning (24-38-18-66, fifth in Southeast) needing only one point to clinch the second seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

A win over Tampa Bay tonight, or Florida on Saturday, would set the franchise mark for points in a season and tie the team's record for wins (50) in a season.

The Capitals have defeated Tampa Bay ten straight games and try to sweep the season series for the first time in nine years. Most recently, Washington beat Tampa at home 5-3 on Mar. 27.

The Lightning are the second worst team in the league, ahead of only the New York Islanders.

Washington maintains a four-point lead over the New Jersey Devils with two games to play, so any combination of a Caps point or Devils loss seals the second seed and home-ice advantage at least until the Conference Finals.

The Caps have won four of their last five games, averaging 4.8 goals per game in that stretch. A return of secondary scoring, from Tomas Fleischmann in particular, has been considerably helpful in the stretch run and a necessary component if the Caps want to go deep in this season's playoffs.

Tuesday night's victory over Atlanta was not particularly artful, but the result was what mattered.

"It was an ugly win, but it's OK," coach Bruce Boudreau said. "I think we played as good as we had to play."

The Lightning know something about ugly right now, losing five in a row and 10 of their last 11 games.

It's been a miserable season for Tampa Bay, as they started poorly and fired coach Barry Melrose just 16 games into the season, and the team has been no better under current coach Rick Tocchet.

Tampa's injury list reads like a Russian novel, and All-star center Vincent Lecavalier underwent wrist surgery last week, ending his season and complicating the beginning of next season as well.

Washington will be without the services of Donald Brashear for the 13th straight game, and Tom Poti will rest his strained groin, a problem that has plagued him all season.
_________________________________________________
SPECIAL TEAMS

WAS: PP-2nd (25.2%, 83/329); PK-18th (80.6%, 74/381)
TBY: PP-19th (18.0%, 60/333); PK-25th (78.1%, 86/393)
_________________________________________________
INJURIES

WAS: G Brent Johnson (Hip-IR); LW Donald Brashear (Knee-IR); C Boyd Gordon (Finger-IR); RW Chris Clark (Wrist-IR); LW Quintin Laing (Spleen-Out); Tom Poti (Groin-Doubtful)

TBY: D Marek Malik (Lower body-Out); C Ryan Craig (Arm-Out); C Vincent Lecavalier (Wrist-Out); LW Ryan Malone (Hand-Questionable); D Josef Melichar (Lower body-Out); D Richard Petiot (Shoulder-Questionable); D Cory Murphy (Foot-Out); G Mike Smith (Concussion-IR); D Andrej Meszaros (Arm-IR); D Paul Ranger (Undisclosed-IR)

In the worst officiated game of the season, Brian Pothier scored his first goal of the season to break a three-all tie, and Alex Ovechkin finished his four-point night with an empty net goal with seven seconds remaining to cement the Washington Capitals 5-3 victory over the cellar-dwelling Tampa Bay Lightning.

Ovechkin had two goals and two assists, and Nicklas Backstrom had two goals and one assist, pacing the Caps in a very erratically officiated game. There were two goals immediately waived off, one a "contact with the goaltender" call against Michael Nylander who neither made contact with the goaltender, nor was whistled for a penalty on the play.

There were 15 penalties called in the game, and the Caps made the most of their opportunities, scoring three power play goals. It was a tough game, with players going out of their way to inflict a physical presence. Tampa Bay seemed to try to take play to the Caps early, but it was Washington that took advantage of the rough play.

Early in the first period, Ovechkin drew two penalties on the same play, drawing a slash by Josef Melichar and a trip by Matt Smaby. He would make the Lightning pay for their indiscretions, banging home a pass from Backstrom to take the early lead.

Backstrom added his own power play goal at 11:17, and later a backhanded rebound off a shot from the point by Mike Green.

But the highlight of the game was Pothier's goal. The defenseman was playing in his fourth game since returning from post-concussion syndrome. His goal was a shot from the point that made its way through a maze of players to beat Lightning goalie Mike McKenna at 4:30 of the third period, just a minute and a half after Vaclac Prospal beat Jose Theodore with somewhat of a fluky goal to tie it up.

Pothier's career was very much in jeopardy as the year-plus rehab saw him experience vision and vertigo problems. But through hard work, dedication and daily therapy, the veteran blue liner has made it back to be a contributor to Washington's playoff effort.

The Capitals are off until next Wednesday, when they host the New York Islanders at 7:00 pm at Verizon Center.

The Caps moved ahead of the New Jersey Devils into second place in the Eastern Conference, as the Devils fell in overtime to the Chicago Black Hawks, 3-2. The Caps have a one-point advantage over New Jersey, but the Devils have a game in hand on the Caps.

The Washington Capitals (45-23-7-97, first in Southeast, T-2 in East), having clinched a playoff spot earlier in the week, host the Tampa Bay Lightning (24-33-17-65, fifth in Southeast), playing out the string in a long, frustrating season.

The Caps are tied with the New Jersey Devils for the second seed in the Eastern Conference behind Boston, but the Devils have two games in hand over Washington. New Jersey plays at Chicago tonight.

Alex Ovechkin scored his 50th goal of the season against Tampa last week, and set off a media firestorm with his celebration, a pre-planned display where he laid his stick on the ice and fanned it, as if it were aflame. Several of the Lightning spoke up about it after the game, but cooler heads have prevailed since.

"There should be no retribution at all. He scored his 50th goal in a 0-0 game. It wasn't 8-0 where he made a mockery," Boudreau said. "If Tampa scores a couple of goals and wants to do a celebration, go for it. It's a done deal as far as I'm concerned, and that's it."

Washington is looking for their tenth consecutive victory over the Lightning.

The Capitals will be missing several key players as well, with Alexander Semin most likely joining Donald Brashear and Boyd Gordon in the press box for tonight's game. Semin has been dealing with the flu for the better part of a week, and he participated in the morning skate.

But the team recalled two forwards, Keith Aucoin and Oskar Osala, from AHL Hershey, to be available for the matchup with Tampa Bay. Also, Jeff Schultz appears to be the odd man out on the blue line tonight.

Jose Theodore will start in goal for Washington.

Tampa is led by Martin St. Louis (28-46-74, plus-6) and Vincent Lecavalier (29-38-67, minus-7). They are one of the lowest scoring teams in the league, in 23rd place in the league in goals, but only nine goals separate them from the last place Islanders.

Mike Smith (14-18-16, 2.62, .916) is Tampa's regular goalie, is out with a concussion. Karri Ramo and Mike McKenna are the backups
___________________________________________________
SPECIAL TEAMS

WAS: PP-2nd (24.5%, 74/302); PK-21st (79.8%, 72/357)
TBY: PP-17th (18.8%, 58/308); PK-22nd (79.4%, 74/360)
___________________________________________________
INJURIES

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

TBY: D Marek Malik (Lower body-Out); D Cory Murphy (Foot-Out); G Mike Smith (Concussion-IR); D Andrej Meszaros (Arm-IR); D Paul Ranger (Undisclosed-IR)

The Washington Capitals (34-16-5-73, first in Southeast) do the Florida two-step this weekend, facing the Tampa Bay Lightning (19-25-11-49, fourth in Southeast) Saturday night at 7:3o pm from the St. Pete Times Forum, and the Florida Panthers (28-19-8-64, second in Southeast) Saturday night from the BankAtlantic Center at 5:00 pm.

The Caps can go a long way in crushing the dreams of anyone thinking they can catch them this weekend. However, the annual Retirement State Swing hasn't always been kind to the Caps. Washington has a losing record in the state of Florida since the lockout.

Combine that with the fact that the Capitals have a 4-5-1 record in the second half of back-to-back games this year, and the Caps have their work cut out for them.

As if that wasn't enough to make you nervous already, this weekend is their "Mentor's Trip", where the players bring along their dads and other mentors, so their focus might not be solely on hockey. Which, come to think of it, for this team may or may not be a significant problem.

And for good measure, let's add in a rookie goaltender, Michal Neuvirth, probably making his NHL debut in one of the games.

The Red get back a missing sniper though, as Alexander Semin should play after missing Wednesday's OT loss in New York. They won't be so lucky with injured winger Viktor Kozlov. Kozlov (strained groin) ended his practice skate early and will probably not be ready this weekend.

The biggest thing to look forward to, besides attempting to come home with four points, is Mike Green's attempt to break the record he has already tied for most consecutive games with a goal by a defenseman, a record he shares with Mike O'Connell of the Boston Bruins. Green leads all defensemen in goals (21) and points (49), and has definitely entered his name into serious Norris Trophy candidacy.

_____________________________________________

SPECIAL TEAMS

WAS: PP-4th (23.4%, 54/231); PK-21st (79.6%, 54/265)

TBY: PP-22nd (16.7%, 40/239); PK-19th (80.8, 52/271)

FLA: PP-26th (15.8%, 33/209); PK-13th (81.8, 40/220)

The Washington Capitals scored early and often, getting goals from seven different players, and handed the Tampa Bay Lightning a 7-4 defeat before a capacity New Year's Day crowd at the Verizon Center. It was Washington's fifth straight victory and 12th out of 14 games.

The game was not without incident, however, as play was delayed several minutes with 13:15 left after Lightning defenseman Jamie Heward was checked awkwardly into the boards by Alex Ovechkin, hitting his head and neck.

Heward was face-down and motionless while doctors attended to him, and he was eventually rolled onto a backboard and taken from the rink on a stretcher. He was taken to the hospital because of a concussion, but his eyes were open as he was leaving the arena.

Heward, who played with the Capitals from 2005 to 2007, sustained a major injury while with the Caps, as his face was sliced open with a skate. Many of the Caps, including Ovechkin and Matt Bradley, skated over to check on their former teammate.

As for the game, the Caps got balanced scoring and just enough saves from goalie Brent Johnson in a chippy, sloppy game. Johnson's biggest save was on a penalty shot by Adam Hall midway through the second period while the score was 4-2.

Tampa Bay goalie Mike Smith, however, was particularly sloppy, directly costing his squad several goals.

Washington took a 3-0 lead in the first period on goals from Sean Collins, his first NHL goal, Dave Steckel and Mike Green. Collins' goal was a wrist shot from the point that trickled through Smith's pads. It would not be Smith's last mistake of the game.

After Vincent Lecavalier and Ryan Malone cut the lead to 3-2 in the beginning of the second period, Matt Bradley answered 11 seconds later when Boyd Gordon intercepted Smith's pass attempt behind the net and slipped the puck between his legs to a wide open Bradley in the slot, who dumped it into a wide open net to extended the lead to two.

Lecavalier scored his second of the game with 16 seconds remaining in the period, though, making the score 4-3 and setting up a wild third period.

Gordon pushed the lead to two as Smith inexplicably left the net and misplayed the puck again, trying to pass out of the zone, instead putting the puck right onto Gordon's tape, who buried it as Smith dove head-first trying to get back into the net.

Mark Recchi responded at 12:22 of the period to get the Lightning back within reach, but Chris Clark netted his first of the season just 25 seconds later. It seemed like the Caps could just turn it back on whenever Tampa Bay would score.

Alex Ovechkin would put the icing on the cake, as he used defenseman Steve Eminger as a screen and whipped a wrist shot past Smith to cap the scoring late in the third period. Ovechkin had two helpers as well.

Washington has a day off tomorrow before hosting the New York Rangers Saturday night at 7:00 PM from Verizon Center.

Photo by Getty Images.
________________________________________________________
SCORESHEET

WAS: Collins (1) from Ovechkin and Morrisonn (1-3:58); Steckel (5) from Bradley and Jurcina (1-8:02); Green (9) from Ovechkin and Backstrom (1-18:29); Bradley (4) from Gordon (2-2:48); Gordon (5) unassisted (3-8:07); Clark (1) from Nylander and Green (3-12:47); Ovechkin (26) from Backstrom (3-18:14)

TBY: Lecavalier (15) from Prospal and St. Louis (2-0:58); Malone (9) from Halpern (2-2:37); Lecavalier (16) from Prospal and St Louis (2-19:44); Recchi (9) from St. Louis and Meszaros (3-12:22)
_________________________________________________________
THREE STARS

1. M. Bradley - WAS (Goals: 1, Assists: 1)
2. C. Clark - WAS (Goals: 1, Assists: 0)
3. V. Lecavalier - TB (Goals: 2, Assists: 0)
__________________________________________________________
NOTES

All 11 goals on the evening were at full strength.

Bradley, Gordon, and Green all had a goal and assist. Niklas Backstrom had two assists. Martin St. Louis had three assists for Tampa Bay.

Washington out shot Tampa Bay 35-26.

The Washington Capitals (24-11-3, first in Southeast) host the Tampa Bay Lightning (10-16-10, fourth in Southeast) at 7:00 PM from Verizon Center.

The Capitals continue to be one of the hottest teams in the NHL, winners of four in a row and 11 of their last 13 games.

Goalie Jose Theodore has been one of the big reasons for the current streak, as he's been in net for each of the previous four wins. Coach Bruce Boudreau, however, will start Brent Johnson against the Bolts tonight, citing the need to keep both netminders sharp.

In the most recent victory, the Caps travelled to Buffalo, a place that has traditionally been a house of horrors for them, and defeated the Sabres 4-2. Winger Chris Bourque, recalled due to Matt Bradley's awkward spill into the boards in the Toronto game and Donald Brashear's lingering leg bruise, scored his first NHL goal, knocking in a long rebound on Buffalo's Ryan Miller.

Center Niklas Backstrom has been outstanding lately, registering 21 points (6 goals, 15 assists) in his last 14 games, and has 38 points in 29 games. He is ninth in the league in scoring for the season (11-31-42, plus-5).

Tampa Bay has struggled to recover from their horrendous start that saw former coach Barry Melrose fired just a few weeks into the season and replaced with Rick Tocchet.

The Lightning dropped their last contest, a 2-1 shootout loss to Montreal, but had won their previous three before that loss. Before the recent spate of good play, Tampa had lost 12 of 13, dating back to Thanksgiving. They are 3-10 in shootouts and 4-13 overall in overtime.

Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier pace Tampa Bay in scoring. St. Louis has 32 points (13 goals, 19 assists), while Lecavalier is just two points behind (14-16-30).

The Lightning's number one goalie is Mike Smith. His tema's record belie his excellent play so far this season. He is the owner of an 8-12-16 record with a 2.42 goals against average and .923 save percentage. Olaf Kolzig, owner of most of Washington's goaltending records, is the normal backup, but will miss the game with an upper body injury.
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SPECIAL TEAMS

WAS: PP-4th (23.6%, 37/157); PK-24th (79.9%, 36/179)
TBY: PP-24th (14.6%, 24/164); PK-19th (81.1%, 36/190)
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INJURIES

WAS: D John Erskine (Concussion-IR); D Brian Pothier (Concussion-OUT); C Sergei Federov (Ankle-IR); D Tom Poti (Groin-IR); LW Alexander Semin (Back-IR); Tomas Fleischmann (Pneumonia-OUT); Matt Bradley (Head/Neck-Questionable); Donald Brashear (Leg-Questionable)

TB: D David Koci (Hand-IR); LW Gary Roberts (Groin-IR); G Olaf Kolzig (Upper body-Questionable); D Marek Malik (Flu-Questionable)

Washington -- Brent Johnson made 34 saves, Alex Ovechkin had a goal and an assist, and the Washington Capitals defeated Olaf Kolzig and the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-2 before an announced 17,932 at Verizon Center. Washington is now 6-0-1 at home in the 2008-09 campaign.

Kolzig received a warm reception from the fans during the player introductions, the National Anthem, and in a video tribute in the first television timeout. But his former teammates treated him rudely, scoring on their first two shots of the game, though neither could really be attributed to the veteran goalie.

"After the game, I told the guys, 'Why try when you are down 3-0? Why do it then?"' Lightning coach Barry Melrose said. "It was very disappointing to play like that in front of Olie in Washington. ... Probably the biggest game he's played in years and they show up and do that for him. Those guys should all be hiding their eyes when they walk by Olie Kolzig tonight."

Tampa Bay played poorly in the first period, but the Caps were definitely taking it to them. D Tom Poti scored on the first shot of the game, on a perfect cross-ice pass from tough guy Donald Brashear. Brashear carried the puck into the offensive zone, pulled up at the short boards, then slid the puck though to Poti, who deposited the puck top shelf against Kolzig from point blank range.

Less than two minutes later, Ovechkin found Mike Green pinching in and Green blasted it glove side against "Olie the Goalie." Eric Fehr finished out the first period scoring with a slap shot from the top of the face off circle on a pass from Brooks Laich. Coach Bruce Boudreau, in his post-game comments, said his "North America Line" of Fehr, Laich and Steckel were "by far the best line we had," on this night.

Boudreau continued, "I don't want to diss a win," but then did, expressing concern with his team's "fancy" play, notably LW Alexander Semin passing on a shot when he was alone in the slot in order to pass to linemate Nicklas Backstrom. "I think this team has an awful lot more to give."

The coach had nothing but praise for his goalie though. Johnson, making his fourth consecutive start, was excellent once again. He gave up just two power play goals to veteran winger Gary Roberts, one with 26 seconds remaining in the game. He was clearly the first star of the game with a save percentage of 94.4%. When asked the last time he's had a four game stretch such as this, Johnson chuckled, "It's been a while." Earlier in the day, Johnson was named the NHL Third Star of the Week for his play last week, and he's off to a good start for next week.

About the possibility of starting Wednesday in Carolina, Johnson again laughed it off, knowing he was being baited, "I'm just going to do whatever Coach wants me to do. If I go on Wednesday, I go on Wednesday. If not, that's it."

The Caps' fourth goal was late in the third period, on a tip in from Alex Ovechkin standing in the crease. Alexander Semin gathered a pass from defenseman Jeff Schultz, wheeled at the face off circle and put the puck right on Ovechkin's stick. Ovechkin even commented afterwards that the puck skipped just at the last and went in off the shaft instead of the blade. Maybe the bounces are returning for last year's MVP, this being his first goal in nine games.

Photos (c) C. Nichols 2008.
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SCORESHEET

WAS: Poti (2) from Brashear and Erskine (1-8:20); Green (5) from Ovechkin and Backstrom (1-9:55); Fehr (1) from Laich and Steckel (1-16:24); Ovechkin (3) from Semin and Schultz (3-15:44)

TBY: Roberts (1) from Recchi and St. Louis (2-16:30-PP); Roberts (2) from Eminger and Jokinen (3-19:34-PP)

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THE GOOD, BAD AND UGLY

GOOD: Once again, Brent Johnson. Ladies and gentlemen, here's the Caps Number One Goalie, at least for the foreseeable future. He was the NHL's Third Star of the Week last week, where Numbers One and Two were goalies as well. He's been almost perfect, and coaches are loathe to give a hot goalie a night off. Johnson's manner in the locker room can't be better either, and his teammates are really rallying around him.

BAD: Not too much here, other than, as the Coach pointed out during the post-game presser, all the fancy passing. Both Ovechkin AND Semin passed on shots in the first period when they were open. Hard to imagine anyone needing to implore Ovie and Semin to shoot, but there you have it.

UGLY: Tampa Bay in the first period and Barry Melrose post-game. Tampa was TERRIBLE in the first period, and it's only because the Caps were passing on shot that it could have been worse. Melrose was visibly red-faced and angry after he addressed the media after the game, frustration for a miserable performance. His team just never caught up from the lousy start.

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NEXT GAME: Wednesday, November 12 at Carolina Hurricanes at 7:00 pm.

RECORD: 8-4-2-18, tied with Carolina for first in the Southeast Division. Three-game winning streak.

NOTES: Semin's assist on Ovechkin's goal gave him 22 points, tying him with Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin for the league lead.

Three players on the Lightning roster -- Kolzig, C Jeff Halpern and L Matt Pettinger -- have played more games with Washington than anyone currently with the Capitals. Kolzig holds the franchise record with 711 games played in a Washington uniform.

RW Viktor Kozlov, D Shaone Morrison and C/D Sergei Federov all sat with lingering injuries.