The Washington Capitals announced today the re-signing of D Jeff Schultz to a four-year contract.

In keeping with team policy, the terms of the agreement were not announced, but according to Capitals Insider:

The deal is worth $11 million over four years and will pay the defenseman $2.5 million in each of the first two years and $3 million in the final two years for a $2.75 million per season average.

Schultz led the NHL in plus/minus last season with a plus-50 rating. The 24-year-old also racked up three goals and 20 assists in 73 games..

Earlier in the week, the team inked C Boyd Gordon to a one-year deal.  Again, Capitals Insider had the contract at $800,000.

Gordon, limited to 36 games because of a back injury in 2009-10, had four goals and six assists in his sixth season with the Caps.

The two signings leaves just two unsigned restricted free agents, C Tomas Fleischmann and RW Eric Fehr, both of whom have filed for arbitration.

Also, Michael Nylander was waived (again) at noon.  He will count $4.875 million agains the Capitals' salary cap if no team claims him.

Mike Green scored a pair of power play goals 1:23 apart in the third period to lead the Washington Capitals over the league-worst New York Islanders 5-3 before 18,277 at Verizon Center. It's just the eighth time in history the 30-goal mark has been reached by a defenseman.

Once again, the Capitals (47-23-7-101, first in Southeast, second in East) found themselves playing down to lower competition through much of the first half of this contest, trailing New York--the lowest scoring team in the NHL--by two goals until 5:37 of the second period, when Alex Ovechkin registered his league-leading 54th goal of the season off a nifty feed by veteran center Sergei Fedorov.

But a funny thing happened on the way to that goal. Jeff Schultz got into a fight. No, really. It was Schultz' first career fighting major, and it came after Green launched himself at unsuspecting Islander Andy Hibbert along the boards. Honestly, it was mildly surprising Green did not receive more than the two minute charging penalty he was assessed.

Regardless, Schultz was involved in the fracas following, and somehow got tied up with Tim Jackman, the Islanders rugged winger. While Schultz spent the better part of the fight avoiding getting hit, it was apparent that the shot of adrenaline woke the Caps out of their early-game stupor to take control of the contest.

John Erskine got the rough stuff started a few minutes earlier, as he tussled with Joel Rechicz as the undercard to the Schultz-Jackman main event.

Green's first goal was a one-timer from the wing off a feed from Alexander Semin, who seemed to be sleepwalking though much of the rest of the game, with multiple turnovers and lazy skating. That goal tied Green for first all-time among Capitals defensemen with 17, a record he would hold for his own just moments later.

The second goal was a long, soft wrist shot from the point that managed to escape Islanders goalie Joey MacDonald, though the goalie was distracted by Tomas Fleischman, who was in the general vicinity.

Green now has 30 goals on the season, the first time an NHL defenseman has hit that mark since the Caps' Kevin Hatcher in the 1993-94 season. Green is only the eighth defenseman in NHL history to eclipse the 30-goal mark.

Keith Aucoin scored his first goal as a Washington Capital and Nicklas Backstrom added an empty net goal to cap the scoring.

With the win, the Caps will clinch first place in the Southeast with any other win or Carolina loss. They also took a three point lead over New Jersey for the second seed in the Eastern Conference, as the Devils suffered their sixth straight defeat, losing to Pittsburgh 6-1 last night.

Washington faces the Buffalo Sabres Friday night at Verizon Center at 7:00 p.m.
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SCORESHEET

1ST PERIOD
14:04 Power Play - Kyle Okposo (18), Wrist Shot. Assist: Nielsen

2ND PERIOD
37.0 Frans Nielsen (8), Tip-In. Assist: Tambellini, Okposo
05:37 Alex Ovechkin (54), Wrist Shot. Assist: Fedorov, Green
09:54 Keith Aucoin (1), Wrist Shot. Assist: Fehr

3RD PERIOD
02:12 Richard Park (13), Backhand Shot, Unassisted.
10:55 Power Play - Mike Green (29), Wrist Shot. Assist: Semin, Backstrom
12:18 Power Play - Mike Green (30), Snap Shot, Unassisted.
19:04 Nicklas Backstrom (22), Empty Net, Unassisted
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THREE STARS

1. M. Green - WAS (Goals: 2, Assists: 1)
2. J. MacDonald - NYI (Saves: 38, Save Pct: .905)
3. N. Backstrom - WAS (Goals: 1, Assists: 1)
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NOTES

Defenseman Brain Pothier was named as a finalist for the Masterson Trophy, awarded to the player who best personifies hard work and dedication to the game of hockey.

The Capitals are up to 47 wins, a total they haven't eclipsed since 1983-84, and have 101 points, a mark they haven't topped since getting 102 in 1999-00.

Ovechkin's 33rd home goal of the season broke the team mark he set in 2007-08.

Washington's Donald Brashear missed his ninth consecutive game with a knee injury, but the team expects the enforcer to be available for the playoffs.

Washington outshot New York 43-27, dominating play in the third period with a 22-9 shot advantage.

Photo (c) C. Nichols 2009. All rights reserved.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photo by Getty Images.
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SCORESHEET

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

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

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

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

Ovechkin leads the NHL with 28 goals scored.

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

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

According to the Caps radio broadcast, D Jeff Schultz has broken a finger, and is expected to be out "for weeks." Updates will follow after the game.

Just what this team needs: another major player on the injury list. It will be interesting to see how the team replaces one of their top minute men on the blue line if this preliminary report is indeed accurate.

Boyd Gordon also has left the game with and undisclosed injury. YIKES!