"We had to persevere if we were to succeed." Coach Bruce Boudreau on tough 2-1 win over Buffalo.

THE RESULT: The Washington Capitals have been getting outscored lately in the third period of games, but they reversed that trend Sunday afternoon, as a late tally broke a 1-1 tie and gave the Caps a road victory over the Buffalo Sabres, 2-1 before 18,690 in HSBC Arena and an NBC national television audience.

The Capitals have entered the third period tied in four of their last six games, losing each of the three contests.  Courtesy of a solid -- if unspectacular -- effort this afternoon, a familiar story had a much happier ending.

"We talked about, going into the third, that we had to have the will to persevere and and the confidence to do it," Boudreau said when asked if the effort in the third period was a confidence boost for his team.  "I thought they dug deep and they blocked shots and did what they had to do tonight.  It was a hard-earned two points."

With the win, Washington inches to within three points of division-leading Tampa Bay.

Marcus Johansson deflected a Mathieu Perreault shot midway through the third period to lift the Caps past a struggling Buffalo squad.  Not only was it the game-winner, but it was also a power play marker, a precious asset the Caps just haven't had enough of this season.

Alex Ovechkin set up the goal, driving down the right wing drawing much of the Buffalo defense.  He got off a shot that Buffalo goalie Ryan Miller brushed aside with his blocker, but the rebound went straight to Perreault, who lifted a shot back at the cage.  Johansson, crashing the crease, tipped the puck as it went by and into the net.

Perreault also scored the first Caps goal in the second period, banging home a bad bounce off the boards past an out-of-position Miller (37 saves).

The late goal made for a happy ending.  But for much of the game, the Caps were following a all-too familiar script: not taking advantage of opportunities.

Washington went 0-for-4 on the power play in the first period, including 1:34 of 5-on-3 time.  They outshot Buffalo 16-8 in the first, including nine shots with the man advantage, but could not solve Miller.  On one particular save, Miller was down and Nick Backstrom had him dead to rights, but shot the puck directly into Miller's outstretched left pad for the save.

It's a play we've seen Backstrom bury countless times in his tenure, but just goes on a long list of missed opportunities this season for the young center.

Regardless, the two young pivots came through for the Caps today, once again showing glimpses of the potential both possess.  There will be a lot of talk with the upcoming trade deadline approaching about the Caps needing a quality, veteran second line center, and that talk is legitimate.  It's been an weakness of the Caps all season long.

We've seen flashes of brilliance from both Perreault and Johansson, but for all too brief periods.  The production over the long season just hasn't been there.

But for one afternoon, it was good enough.

So the Caps have taken four points through four games on this grueling five-game road trip.  A win in Pittsburgh on Monday would have to qualify the trip a huge success.

With the trade dealine looming so near, it's time to find out who these Washington Capitals really are.

CAPS NEWS NETWORK THREE STARS

3. Alexander Semin.  Gets the nod on the strength of one play, clearing the puck from the crease in scramble late in the game.  I think I've now seen everything.

2. Semyon Varlamov.  28 saves on 29 shots.  Solid positioning, only goal came on a screened shot on a power play.

1. Mathieu Perreault.  In the right place twice, scoring and getting the primary assist on Johansson's tip-in. We'll overlook his careless stick foul.

Matt Bradley and Matt Hendricks will both tell you they aren't the most gifted players in the Washington Capitals dressing room.  That's not to say they aren't capable of chipping with a goal now and then, but the two have combined for 71 goals over 13 NHL seasons, so it's not their offense that's keeping them in the league.

Rather, it's their intensity, their emotion, their willingness to stick their nose into a scrap to bring what hockey's lexicon calls "energy."  Basically, it boils down to a simple idea that when the team needs someone to mix it up, be an agitator or get physically involved in order to inspire their teammates, one -- or both -- will step up, as they did Friday night, setting the tone for a 5-2 win over the division leading Tampa Bay Lightning.

Neither are what you would call an NHL "Heavyweight", someone who dresses with the sole intent on fighting another team's top fighter.  That role on this team is filled by D.J. King, who has dressed for just 12 games and gotten in four fights.  Realistically, with today's rules that position is slowly getting phased out.

But the need still exists on occasion for someone to drop 'em, and it's a role that Bradley has filled for several seasons.  Hendricks, in just his second full season at the age of 29, has adjusted his game a bit and realized that he needed to add more of that element to his game in order to make sure he sticks around with the big club.

In the first period of Friday's game, maybe the pivotal play of the entire evening was Hendricks crashing the crease of Tampa goalie Dwayne Roloson and perhaps, throwing the veteran off his game a bit.  It wasn't a deliberate "running", where a skater tries to take out the goalie, but Hendricks made enough contact that Roloson took exception, and punched Hendricks several times with his blocker pad, earning both men penalties.

So Matt, did you make contact with Roloson on purpose to get things started?

"Part of my game is obviously going to the net hard," Hendricks said Saturday after a spirited Caps practice.  "But we've got good coaches around here and good scouting reports and they've watched [Roloson] in his last few games and he does retaliate. If you get in his crease, if you make contact with him he's not a happy camper. So I knew if I got to the net -- I wasn't trying to end up on top of him -- just trying to make him a little upset. It is what it is. I think I got in his head a bit and I think it helped our team."

But you had to know if you mess with another team's goalie you'd have to answer the bell, right?

"It's all part of the game. It's the code, right? Isn't that what they call it?" Hendricks replied.  Sure enough, on Hendricks' next shift Tampa's resident agitator Steve Downie took up the cause to stand up for his goalie.

But to Hendricks, it was definitely worth the effort. 

"I thought we needed a little boost of energy and a little bit to get the guys going and get in [Roloson's] head a little bit. He'd shut us out the last two times. Just tried to get him to lose a little bit of focus and I think going to him hard all night -- everybody -- really, really helped, especially on Ovi's power play goal with Knuble up front working hard, him and [Tampa D Victor] Hedman kinda scrapping a little bit in the crease. Just getting him off his game."

Bradley, recently returning from a broken finger, fought with Tampa's tough guy Adam Hall later in the period.  Was he concerned about re-injuring the finger in a fight so soon upon return?  "You have to test it sometime.  Better sooner than later.  It feels great."

Coach Bruce Boudreau spoke a bit about the energy Hendricks and Bradley brought to the team.  "I thought it was important that they did what they did.  I think it showed Tampa that we weren't there just to go through the motions like we did the previous game that we lost 3-0.  So it got everybody up on the bench."

"You know, there's a time and a place for a good scrap and I thought those two were right on."

There are guys on the team that while they might be willing, just aren't equipped to play that sort of game -- center Mathieu Perreault being one of them.  He spoke about the necessity of having players to mix it up on the team.  

"That's what we need from these guys.  We want them to bring energy and and stand up for their teammates and this is what they've done.  Even Mike Knuble on the Ovechkin goal on the power play he's right in there in Roloson's kitchen all power play and then [Roloson] got rattled and then Ovi scored so this is what we've got to keep doing more." 

Neither Hendricks or Bradley picked up a point in the 5-2 win, but their efforts went a long way in providing spark and opening up ice space for the skilled players to do what they do.

It's a tough job, night in and night out willing to get punched in the face for the sake of "energy."  But it's a vital role being a player that can contribute both with their hockey sticks and with their fists when need be.

THE RESULT: In the first game back from the All-Star break, the Washington Capitals came out guns blazing, scoring twice in the first period and looking like the team that won the President's Trophy last season as the top team in the league.

The rest of the game however, they fell back into the same uninspired, lackadaisical play that has plagued them since Dec. 1, allowing Brian Gionta and the Montreal Canadiens to tied the game in regulation, and eventually win the shootout to take the extra point in an important Eastern Conference matchup.

The 3-2 final score was gracious, compared to the Caps level of play in the final two frames.

It was a disappointing performance after such a scintillating start.

It would be easy to blame the coaching staff on this one.  The Caps jumped out quickly and took their foot off the gas, allowing a beaten team to come back and take the extra point in their barn.

But that's not the case.  What happened was two defenseman made undisciplined plays at inopportune times trying to go for the throat instead of making fundamentally sound plays. 

On two occasions Gionta, the diminutive Montreal captain, broke free of the defense and beat Semyon Varlamov, left alone to his own defense.  On the first, defenseman John Erskine was caught trying to pinch in on the play and Gionta was sprung for a breakaway.  The Habs second goal came after John Carlson attempted a drop pass, which was stolen and turned around the other way, and once again Gionta took advantage of the mental mistake.

These Capitals have yet to learn how to put away a team on the ropes.  Let's not mince words here, the Montreal Canadiens are not an exceptional team.  Gionta, their 35-year old forward, is still their best offensive player.  Their backend is a mix of older veterans (Hall Gill, Roman Hamrlik) and youth (uneven but talented P.K. Subban) and goalie Carey Price is average at best.

Bottom line:  you have this team down two after one, you have to bury them.  The Caps did not.

The Caps, wearing white throwback jerseys honoring Hall of Famer Dino Ciccarelli, stopped doing the things that made them successful in the first.  They sat back and allowed Montreal to carry the play, defensemen made mistakes in the offensive zone and there were no forwards covering on the plays.

Erskine was out of position, trying to play a game he's not equipped for.  Carlson is a rookie that needs to learn that if he has speed entering the zone he needs to commit, not gain the zone and try a back pass that can only result in no offensive opportunity that puts him -- and his teammates -- out of position.

Coach Bruce Boudreau was more resigned than agitated after the game.  "It wasn’t a letdown as much as it was mistakes. We made two bad mistakes and it’s in our net. We’re playing desperate. We killed off penalties. They took it to us. We battled and we lost in the shootout. I wish we could’ve scored a little bit more.”

Yes, the Capitals were outshot 38-29.  Yes, after the two-goal lead they retreated into a shell.  But on this occasion, the loss can be pinned on two defensemen trying to do too much.

“It’s tough, but the answers are in this room and they aren’t going to come from anywhere else," said forward Matt Hendricks.  "We know that we have the opportunity to change things and we’re working hard at it.”

The Capitals better hurry up.  They only have 30 games left to figure it out.

THE GOOD: Mathieu Perreault, upon his recall from AHL Hershey, had a goal and assist in the Caps two-goal first period.  Stop me if you've heard this one before.

THE BAD: Brooks Laich.  On his first shift, he and his linemates did a great job cycling and keeping the puck deep.  After that...well, lets just say Brooks did not distinguish himself.  Three minor penalties, including one that wiped out a Caps power play.  He has just nine goals through 52 games, and his struggles are symptomatic of the Capitals troubles this season.

Adding injury to insult, Laich limped off the ice late in the game late after being struck in the leg by an Alex Ovechkin line drive.

THE UGLY: Six two minute minors taken, including three of the four calls after the first period.  They killed all the power plays, but that kind of undisciplined hockey just can't be sustained.  Some of these players need to be held accountable for their poor play.

Also:  Tampa beat Philly 4-0, so the lead in the Eastern Conference is now five points.  Oh, the ignominy.

THE STATS: Mathieu Perreault (6) unassisted at 2:29 of 1st.  Mike Knuble (12) from Mike Green (15) and Mathieu Perreault (4) at 7:49 of 2nd (PP).

NEXT GAME: Friday at 7:00 pm at Tampa Bay.

CAPS NEWS NETWORK THREE STARS

3. Mike Knuble.  Goal, six shots, two hits.  Nice game from the old man.

2. Semyon Varlamov.  36 saves on 38 shots.  Was huge in the second and third periods.

1. Mathieu Perreault.  Goal, assist.  Maddening that he can't play with this effort every game instead of just when he gets recalled.

THE RESULT: After an emotionally draining game against a bitter rival and a two-day holiday layoff, the Washington Capitals got back to hockey Sunday night with a workmanlike 3-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Caps made it down to Raleigh, NC despite a snowstorm that dumped six-plus inches on the area, and 10,477 braved the weather for a division game.

The win gives the Caps 47 points (21-12-5) through 38 games, tied with Tampa Bay for first in the Southeast Division and third in the Eastern Conference behind Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

Alex Ovechkin broke an eight-game goalless drought, and Mathieu Perreault and David Steckel both scored as well, sweeping Carolina at RBC Center for the this time since the 1997-98 season.

Perreault didn't finish the game, though.  At the end of the first period, Perreault was the victim of a devastating check by Carolina defenseman Tim Gleason.  Gleason hit Perreault high with an elbow and the diminutive center crumpled to the ice in a pool of blood.  Gleason was given a five-minute charging penalty and a game misconduct.

Reports after the game indicated that Perreault had at least suffered a broken nose, but more information might become available at practice tomorrow.

The Caps have taken points in four straight games, and have won three of four.  They continued their strong play on the penalty kill, killing all four minors assessed.

Ovechkin, who hadn't scored a goal since Dec. 6, broke his drought near the end of second period.  The winger pounded home a rebound of a Mike Green shot into a practically empty net.  He also assisted on David Steckel's goal earlier in the period leaving the puck in space for the center.

It was Ovechkin's first multi-point game since Nov. 26.

It was a solid road effort for the Caps, still trying to regain some of their swagger after the miserable losing streak.  They're not cruising yet, but they are getting there.

THE GOOD: Ovechkin.  This team needs their best player to play like it, and Ovechkin's goal and assist last night were important to the game and his well being.

THE BAD: Nicklas Backstrom.  Missed on five shots, including from inside the circles on an open net late in the game.  To compound his bad night, he won only four of his 12 draws.

THE UGLY: Gleason's hit on Perreault was ugly.  Gleason appeared to leave his feet on the hit and Perreault realy bore the brunt of it.  Here's the aftermath, courtesy of John Carlson's twitter account:

(Photo courtesy @JohnCarlson74)

THE STATS: Mathieu Perreault (5) from Alexander Semin (17) & Brooks Laich (16) at 13:33 of 1st.  David Steckel (4) from Alex Ovechkin (28) at 10:26 of 2nd.  Alex Ovechkin (13) from Mike Green (10) at 18:02 of 2nd.

NEXT GAME: Tuesday against the Montreal Canadiens at 7:00 pm at Verizon Center.

CAPS NEWS NETWORK THREE STARS

3. Semyon Varlamov.  33 saves on 35 shots.  Played within himself and didn't spend his time scrambling around in net.

2. Mike Green.  Another strong defensive games, with four blocks, including two of the bone-crushing variety.

1. Alex Ovechkin.  Goal. Assist. Eight shots on goal.  He did his job.

"It's just one game now and I gotta do it next game and for the rest of the year so I can stay here." -- Mathieu Perreault, after Monday's two-goal game against Toronto

I'm going to go out on a limb right off the bat and frankly state that I like Matthieu Perreault.  From my limited exposure to him, he's been nothing but engaging, sincere and accountable -- good or bad.  As a hockey player, he's proven to be a dynamic, hustling, talented playmaker at the AHL level, with two consecutive 50 point seasons.

(C.Nichols/Caps News Network)

And he was well on his way to surpass that in this campaign, as he had eight goals and 17 assists in 25 games for Hershey this season, tied for 10th in the AHL in points (25).

I just wonder if he's got the chops for the big leagues.

Several occasions he's been called up, and in the first game or two he'll do what he did Monday night:  score, buzz around on the forecheck, add life to a young (but veteran) team.

Then, after a couple games, he'll disappear.

"Every time I get called up seems like the first game I'm flying and now it's just a matter of doing that every night," Perreault told reporters after the Caps devastating 5-4 shootout loss to Toronto Monday night.

So far this season, in four games he's got two goals and two helpers, in two different stints.  Well, that's not really a clear picture.  He had two goals Monday, and two assists in his first game this season, Oct. 23 against Atlanta.

He didn't score in the next two games, and Perreault was returned to Hershey.  Of course, that was while the team was still conducting the "Tomas Fleischmann at Center" experiment.  Perreault was a victim of numbers as much as production.

Last season, Perreault had a two-point night right off the bat, Nov. 4 against New Jersey.  Eighteen games later he had not produced another one, and was held off the scoresheet altogether in 12 of those 18 games and was demoted.  For the season, he played 21 games and had five goals and four assists.

Perreault needs to produce points at the NHL level if he's to stick in this league.  He's a good skater, so he can be effective on the forecheck, but other than that, his role is limited.  He is small (NHL.com generously has him listed at 5'10", 175), so he really isn't much help along the boards or with checking. 

And his stature is perhaps an explanation to why he's been unable to consistently produce for the Capitals; he just gets worn down playing against bigger, stronger competition night in and night out.

NHL history is dotted with "little guys" excelling.  Stan Mikita, Theo Fleury and Martin St. Louis were all vertically challenged and all were/are dynamic NHL players.  But they were all elite skaters with very high motors.  Perreault is a good skater and quick -- two of his strengths -- but I don't think he's in a class with the three mentioned above.

There is a gaping hole at center on the Caps second line, and Perreault has shown to mesh with Alexander Semin in the few opportunities he's had this season.  The job is there for the taking, and it looks like Perreault is going to get every chance to hold onto the spot. 

Perreault even skated in overtime with Semin during four-on-four Monday, and unexpectedly was the second shooter in the shoot-out, as Boudreau by-passed Nicklas Backstrom in the situation.

"It shows they have confidence in me and they're not scared to play me in a big situation."

If GM George McPhee and Coach Bruce Boudreau don't see consistent production from Perreault in the next 10-15 games, I think we should expect McPhee to address the situation with a veteran two-way player as we approach the trade deadline.

But I'll definitely be rooting for the little guy.

"It's frustrating anytime you give up a 4-1 lead in the third period.  You're gonna be angry.  It doens't happen and it's not supposed to happen."  Coach Bruce Boudreau

THE RESULT:  The Washington Capitals fairly dominated every minute of the first two periods, skating circles around a vastly inferior team, skill-wise, taking a 4-1 lead into the second intermission.  Beat writers were already writing their stories, just waiting for a final score.

Unfortunately, the National Hockey League still asks both teams to play three 20-minute periods.

As good as the Capitals were in the first two frames, that's as poorly as they played in the third, and allowed the less-talented Toronto Maple Leafs to tie the game in regulation and eventually win in the shootout, 5-4.

"We quit playing in our zone," said Caps head coach Bruce Boudreau.  "We just wanted to play safe.  You can't just allow a team to come into our zone all night long.  When they were in our zone, our positioning -- by both defensemen and forwards -- was really bad."

Washington (18-8-3, 39 points) had problems with Toronto's forechecking all night long, from the first shift of the game until the last.  But the Leafs had trouble moving the puck, connecting on passes, and whiffing on shots -- until the last three minutes of the game when Toronto scored twice in 59 seconds, with the game-tying goal at 18:36 by Clarke MacArthur.

MacArthur was a pain in the Caps' side all night long, and he really appeared to get under their skin.  Early in the first period, the gritty winger took a high shot at Nicklas Backstrom that was not called, and for the rest of the affair different Capitals, including Matt Hendricks, Jason Chimera and Matt Bradley all challenged the winger.

But MacArthur had the last laugh, as his wrist shot beat goalie Michael Neuvirth to even things up with less than two minutes to play.

If the Caps had exerted as much energy in the third period playing defense as they did trying to chase down MacArthur, the final might have been 7-1.

Captain Alex Ovechkin was at a loss for words after the game.

"I don't know what happened the last ten minutes,' he said.  "Four to one lead after two periods is pretty big.  Losing a game like this is pretty bad for us.  It's a lesson and it's good we have another game soon."

To add injury to insult, defenseman Jeff Schultz was injured in the second period and did not return.  After the game, Boudreau revealed Schultz sustained a fractured thumb and will miss four-to-six weeks.

The loss and injury put a pall over the locker room, and detracts from the great game Mathieu Perreault had upon his recall from AHL Hershey.  The diminutive center had two goals and provided much-needed spark in his first game back. 

Perreault has a history of having good first games.  "Every time I get called up it seems like the first game I'm flying," Perreault said.  "Now it's just a matter of doing it every night."

Perreault even got ice time in overtime -- and the second shot in the shootout.  "It shows they have confidence in me and can play me in the big situation."

"I felt good tonight.  It's just unfortunate that we came out with a loss here.  In the third we got away from our game and it cost us."

Boudreau praised Perreault's effort, but used it to take a backhanded shot at the rest of his team.

"He brought great energy tonight, like we thought.  If some of the other forwards had played with as much energy as him, we wouldn't have been in the situation we were in."

THE GOOD:  Mathieu Perreault had a great game, centering Alexander Semin and Brooks Laich.  He displayed the energy and skill the Caps really love from the little guy.  So many times he seems to step in with these games, but then disappears. The Caps could really benefit from him finally clicking and sticking around this time.

THE BAD:  Schultz' injury could be devastating.  It makes the Scott Hannan deal look even bigger now, but puts the Caps right back where they were before the trade -- thin on defense with a bunch of lingering injuries.

THE UGLY:  The comeback started with Mikhail Grabovski's goal from the high slot at 4:15 of the third.  Alex Ovechkin seemed to lose his positioning on the play, looking for a pass instead of back-checking. 

Asked if Grabovski was Ovechkin's man, he replied, "It was exactly where he should have been.  When it went out to the blue line he was going out -- I think he was looking for the redirect and to go, rather than to come to the slot, just in case something like what happened, happened."

On the game-tying goal, MacArthur was all alone at the far post.  The closest Capital to him:  Ovechkin.

THE STATS:  Mathieu Perreault (1) from Tom Poti (2) and Alexander Semin (15) at 2:55 of 1st.  Mike Knuble (5) from Nicklas Backstrom (20) and Tom Poti (3) at 14:58 of 1st (PP). Mathieu Perreault (2) from Brooks Laich (12) at 6:46 of 2nd.  Alex Ovechkin (12) from Tom Poti (4) and Nicklas Backstrom (21) at 13:50 of 2nd.

NEXT GAME:  Thursday at 7:00 pm against Florida Panthers.

CAPS NEW NETWORK THREE STARS

3. Mike Knuble.  Picked up his own rebound on the power play and scored for the second time in three nights. 

2. Tom Poti.  Three assists in the game for the first time since he was patrolling the blue line for the Islanders.

1. Mathieu Perreault. The diminutive center-iceman scored his first two goals of the season and provided a much needed spark in his second stint with the club this season, much like his first call-up.

CAPS NOTES

D.J. King fought Colton Orr in the second period.  It was just King's third fight of the season.

Ovechkin scored his 12th goal of the season, giving him goals in back-toback games after going nine games scoreless.  He has points in six of the last seven games (two goals, seven assists).

The Caps won 57 percent of their face-offs, and have won 50 percent of more in 15 of their last 16 games.

Washington was three-for-four on the penalty kill and are 21-24 (87.5%) in their last six games.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

"Any kind of win would have been the kind of win we needed." -- Bruce Boudreau, on 4-3 overtime win.

Caps celerate 4-3 overtime win over Atlanta at Verizon Center (C. Nichols/Caps News Network)

THE RESULT:  It wasn't over until it was over, but the Washington Capitals ended a two-game losing streak when Tomas Fleischmann's backhander hit the back of the Atlanta Thrashers' goal 1:37 into overtime, sending 18,398 home happy with a 4-3 win -- that almost wasn't.

The heroics were necessary because the Thrashers tied the game at three with just 33 seconds remaining in the game, skating 6-on-5.  Nothing has been easy for this Capitals team this season, including tonight's win.

Asked if this gut-checker was the type of win his team needed, Coach Bruce Boudreau replied. "Any kind of win would have been the kind of win we needed.  It would have been a tough pill to swallow if we hadn't have come away with points going on three tough road games next week."

It looked for the world like Washington was going to take this one in regulation, courtesy of a Hat Trick from winger Alexander Semin, but Evander Kane snuck through the back door and banged one home from out of mid-air after Atlanta pulled their goalie as time trickled down.

Ninety-seven seconds of play later, Eric Fehr bounced a slap shot high off Thrashers' goalie Chris Mason (40 saves) that found Fleischmann alone in the slot as the teams played four-on-four in overtime.  Flash beat a stunned Mason with a back-handed chip shot for the game winner.

Fleischmann wasn't even sure what happened on his goal.  "What I saw was just puck bouncing at my feet and I tried somehow to put it on the net and lucky for me it went in."

Semin -- and just recalled Matthieu Perrault -- were the stars of the game.  The pair hooked up for two third period goals that completed The Enigma's fourth hat trick of his career, and finally take the lead at 3-2.



Alexander "The Enigma" Semin had a big night.



Semin's first goal was a blast from the right wing after Mason misplayed a puck along the boards, but the second two were really a product of Perrault, playing his first game for the Caps after being the last cut of training camp. 

On the second goal, Perrault got to a loose puck in the high slot and was tripped by an Atlanta defender (he would have earned a penalty), and on the way down somehow directed the puck over to Semin, who deked Mason and buried it.  On the third, Perrault gathered the puck off the side boards, cut to the slot -- drawing both defensemen -- and hit a wide open Semin on the doorstep.

"I knew [Semin] was there," Perrault said after the game.  "I took a quick look and saw him there.  You can't go wrong when you give a guy like that the puck.  I just slide it to him and he finished it."

It was a very strong game from Perrault, who sounds like a man that want to stick around a while on the big club.  "I want to show them I can play here.  The decision isn't up to me, but I'll make it as hard as I can on them."

Boudreau was relieved that the Caps finished this one off heading into a tough stretch on the road, with games at Carolina, Minnesota and Calgary next week. 

"With three days off it's really gonna help cause we've played a lot of hockey and as you know we have a lot of banged up bodies."

The list of walking wounded grew today, as Tom Poti and Semyon Varlamov, who both practiced fully earlier in the day, were held out with injuries, joining Matt Bradley and Boyd Gordon on the unavailable to play list.

Boudreau said Poti (LBI) and Varlamov (groin) were day-to-day, but missing Poti really put a crimp into the D-man rotation.  Mike Green dressed for the first time in four games, but only played -- gingerly at that -- on the power play, causing a five-man defensive rotation. 

Boudreau was happy to have whatever Green could give him.  "I would have liked to have him more.  I wasn't nervous about him at all.  We made the decision before the game that we would see how Mike is.  If he is comfortable we will play him more, but the intent was to play him on the power play."

Green did put a puck in the net, but it was waived off when it was ruled he kicked it in.  Replays showed he was trying to direct it to his stick, but it slid away from him and got past Mason.

Finally had a Mike Green sighting for the Caps tonight.

THE GOOD:  Semin.  He's been one of the teams more effective players the last couple of games, but had nothing to show for it until tonight.  He really benefited from having a true playmaker at center, not an out-of-position winger or a just-turned 20-year old still adjusting to the power of North American hockey and the speed of the NHL.

Boudreau had praise for him after the game.  "He's played well.  The consistency has been there for sure.  We are eight games in, but no real lapses.  Tonight he got rewarded for playing a good game."

THE BAD:  Fleischmann had the game winner, but he was the only man to take a draw tonight that did not have a faceoff percentage better than 50 percent.  He is simply out of position at center.

THE UGLY:  Mid-way through the second period, Dustin Byfuglien left the penalty box and got sent on a breakaway.  Neuvirth made the save, then the 6'3", 250 lb. defenseman collided with the goalie, sending Neuvy tumbling and into his goal. 

Neuvy's recollection of the event was kinda fuzzy, naturally.  "[Byfuglien] came from nowhere.  He was shooting short side and I turned my head as I was following the puck.  It was a big hit from him.  I hit the net.  If the net wasn't there I probably would have end up in the corner."

Instead of truly standing up for their unprotected teammate, David Steckel and Jason Chimera both had just a quick word and slight shove for the tough customer.  It wasn't until John Erskine, who was out at the blue line, came rushing to his goalie's defense, charging Byfuglien and laying him out behind the net.  Byfuglien got five minutes for charging and a game misconduct on the play.  Erskine received two for roughing.

It was extremely difficult to watch Steckel and Chimera not lay into Byfuglien.  I know he's a tough guy, but there are times when you have to do what you have to do, and neither stood up when it was time to be counted.  They might have been thinking that they didn't want to take a penalty and jeopardize a power play, but it was the wrong decision.  Neuvirth needed to be stood up for, and they didn't do it.

"I didn't really see the whole thing," Erskine said.  "I looked back and I saw Neuvy on the ground and I knew [Byfuglien] did something so I just kinda went after him.  I was trying to make a point.

Boudreau had good words for Erskine's defense of Neuvirth, "I applaud him.  That's what you need to do to protect your teammates.  Sometimes as a coach you sit back there and you go 'we only got five defense', but if you start using that as a criteria then your players don't get protected.  He did what he's supposed to do."

Steckel and Chimera did not.

THE STATS:  Semin (3) unassisted at 00:38 of 2nd.  Semin (4) from Perrault (1) at 5:09 of 3rd.  Semin (5) from Perrault (2) at 13:28 of 3rd.  Fleischmann (3) from Fehr (2) and Sloan (1) at 1:37 of OT.  Neuvirth 29 saves on 32 shots.

NEXT GAME:  Wednesday, Oct. 27 at Carolina Hurricanes.

CAPS NEWS NETWORK THREE STARS:

3.  John Erskine.  In addition to sticking up for Neuvirth (which would have had him on this list regardless), he also blocked five shots and laid out four hits.

2.  Matthieu Perrault.  He's gotta stick around this time.  He was the most effective player on the ice tonight.  Great passing, great vision, terrific forechecking.

1.  Alexander Semin.  It takes a hat trick to leap Perrault's excellent game.

MULTIMEDIA

Fan favorite Matthieu Perrault.

Michal Neuvirth during warmups.

Jay Beagle made his 2010 debut for the Caps.

According to the notes section in this Hershey Bears press release, the Washington Capitals have recalled centers Matthieu Perrault and Jay Beagle from AHL Hershey.  Both players were scratched tonight from the Bears' game with Wilkes-Barre, a 3-2 loss.

There has been no word from the Capitals yet with any corresponding moves, but it's no secret the Caps have struggled down the middle so far this season, with rookie Marcus Johansson registering just one point in six games, while he and veteran Tomas Fleischmann both own faceoff percentages lower than 35 percent.

The Capitals have their pre-game skate at Kettler Capitals Iceplex at 10:00 am Saturday morning in preparation for a 7:00 pm game with the Atlanta Thrashers.

We'll update this story as we gather more information.