THE RESULT:  The Washington Capitals got down early behind a shaky rookie backup goalie and never recovered, cruising throughout the game and falling to the homestanding Atlanta Thrashers 5-0, before an annouced 11,115 at Phillips Arena.  There were perhaps half that in attendance.

It was the first time the Capitals (14-5-1) had been shut out since Dec. 9, 2009, to Ryan Miller and the Buffalo Sabres.

Braden Holtby, making his second start of the season, lasted just 9:27, allowing three pretty bad goals in succession.  The youngster faced just five shots before being yanked by Coach Bruce Boudreau.

Holtby was screened on the first goal, a wrist shot from Ben Eager from the right wing circle that went across the crease and beat him stick-side. On the second goal, he misplayed a loose puck above the crease from his stomach and Nik Antorpov pushed a backhander into the empty goal.

Just 15 seconds later, Evander Kane flung a puck toward the Caps goal from just above the goal line that Holtby never saw and it went right between his legs for the Thrashers third goal.  That's all that Boudreau needed to see.

Things didn't really get much better after Michal Neuvirth (29 saves on 31 shots) entered.  He was solid in net, but the damage had already been done.  The Caps were outshot 36-29 and, for the most part, looked fairly uninterested after the score became 3-0.

Things were much better on the other end of the ice, as Ondrej Pavelec stopeed all 29 shots he faced.  Pavelec was also the beneficiary of three Capitals shots ringing off goal posts.

And there was injury to go along with the insult.  Mike Green took a hard shot into the boards and missed several shifts, and Mike Knuble took an Eric Fehr shot to his face, drawing much blood.  He never returned to the game and Boudreau said Knuble would be "out a while" with the injury.

There just isn't much more to say about this one.  The Caps were outplayed and out-hustled, and I'm sure it will be a quiet flight home tonight after Boudreau gets the screaming out of his system in the lockerroom.

It's a quick turnaround for a team that laid an egg this evening, with the Philadelphia Flyers already in D.C. awaiting the team with the best record in the league to return home for Saturday night's main event.  Hopefully, the Caps got all their suck out of the way tonight and find some of the Fury for their worthy opponent.

Cause they sure didn't have any tonight.

THE GOOD:  Hmm.  Michal Neuvirth made 29 saves in the relief effort.  Mike Green had four shots on goal.  I guess that's it.

THE BAD:  Braden Holtby.  He looked shaky and nervous.  It's just one game, but even from the look on his face for the pre-game skate he just didn't "look" right.

THE UGLY:  Tyler Sloan.  He was on the ice for all of Atlanta's first four goals.  This team can't get Tom Poti back quickly enough.

THE STATS:  No goals.

NEXT GAME:  Saturday at 7:00 pm at Verizon Center against the Philadelphia Flyers.

CAPS NEWS NETWORK THREE STARS

3.  John Carlson and Karl Alzner.  Both players were even on a night the Caps gave up five goals.

2.  Nicklas Backstrom.  Only had one shot on goal, but was one of few players that had spring in his step.

1.  Michael Neuvirth.  He continued his strong season, but this was certainly a night Boudreau would have liked to rest him with the big match-up tomorrow.

Washington Capitals (14-4-1-29, 1st SE) v. Atlanta Thrashers (7-9-3-17, 4th SE)

Phillips Arena, 7:30 pm, Atlanta, GA

________________________________________________________

The Washington Capitals travel deep into Dixie to face the Atlanta Thrashers for their fourth meeting (out of six) already this season. 

Since falling to the Thrashers on Opening Night 4-2, the Caps have taken two straight, both at Verizon Center, by 4-3 and 6-4 scores, the latest coming last Sunday as John Erskine banged home the game winner from just inside the blue line at 13:11 of the third.

Alex Ovechkin, Mike Green and David Steckel had a goal and an assist each for the Capitals in that win. Alexander Semin and Matt Hendricks also scored for Washington, which couldn't protect a three-goal lead in the middle period, which has become all too customary in the recent weeks.

Wednesday night versus Buffalo, the Capitals got out to a 3-0 lead midway through the second, but then surrendered two goals in less than a minute to set up a tense third period, but the Caps played lock-down defense in the final frame to hold onto the 3-2 win.

The line of Matt Bradley, Jason Chimera and David Steckel combined for five points Wednesday vs. Buffalo.  They had entered the game with 14 points combined. Bradley and Chimera each posted their first multiple-point games of the season while Steckel scored for a second straight game, the first time he has scored in consecutive regular-season games.

Washington is 8-1-1 in their last 10 games overall, but just 4-3-1 away from Verizon Center this season.

Alexander Semin has points in nine straight games, the longest point streak by a Capital this season and just one game shy of the longest of his career (10 games from 1/15/10 to 2/2/10, 6g-11a).  Semin leads the NHL in goals (12) and points (18) at home.

He is one of a trio of Caps -- with Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom -- to reside in the league's top 20 scorers, the only team in the league to boast that.  Semin and Ovechkin both have 25 points, while Backstrom has 21.

As of this post, coach Bruce Boudreau had not set his goalie for the match, though he promised earlier this week that Braden Holtby would start one of the two back-to-back games this weekend.  It would make sense Holtby would get the road game and have Michal Neuvirth handle the Saturday night start against Philadelphia.

Atlanta, on the other hand, is struggling.  They've gone 3-5-2 over their last ten, including consecutive losses to Pittsburgh, the Caps, and Wednesday to Florida, dropping a 2-1 decision.  The Thrashers are 1-5-1 in their last seven games and have been outscored 26-18 in those contests.

Andrew Ladd, the team leader with 18 points, was named the Thrashers new captain Thursday. He has three goals and one assist against the Capitals this season.

Ondrej Pavelec, the Thrashers goalie who collapsed to the ice unconscious and was rushed to the hospital for observation in the season opener against Washington, has returned to play and will start tonight's affair.  He is 1-4-2 with a 2.33 GAA and .928 SV% in nine games this season.

________________________________________________________

LEADERS:

WAS:  LW Alexander Semin (14-11-25, +10), LW Alex Ovechkin (10-15-25, +7), G Michal Neuvirth (12-3-0, 2.56, .912)

ATL:  LW Andrew Ladd (7-11-18, -1), D Dustin Byfuglien (5-11-16, -2), G Chris Mason (6-5-1, 3.90, .897)

INJURIES

WAS:  F Boyd Gordon (LBI-DTD); D Tom Poti (LBI-OUT)

ATL:  D Dustin Byfuglien (LBI-DTD); F Fredrik Modin (UBI-DTD); F Eric Boulton (Hand-DTD)

STATS

WAS:  GF/G: 3.63 (1st)  GA/G: 2.58 (9th)  PP: 22.7% (6th)  PK: 83.8% (11th)  FO:  50.7% (T-12th)

ATL:  GF/G: 3.00 (10th)  GA/G: 3.53 (29th)  PP: 24.0% (5th)  PK: 76.1% (27th)  FO: 49.2% (20th)

"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.

Atlanta Thrashers (3-3-0-6, 3rd SE) v. Washington Captials (4-3-0-8, 2nd SE)

7:00 pm, Verizon Center, Washington DC

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After home and home losses to the Boston Bruins this week, the Washington Capitals look to get back on the right track against a young and improving Atlanta Thrashers squad. 

Washington has won seven straight games against Atlanta at Verizon Center, dating to Feb. 2, 2008. The Capitals have averaged 4.43 goals per game in that stretch.

Matthieu Perrault at Caps practice this morning.

The Caps, struggling on offense this week, limited to two goals in two games with the Bruins, and struggling with nagging injuries, recalled forwards Matthieu Perrault and Jay Beagle from AHL Hershey today.  The two players are expected to dress for tonight's matchup.

How that shakes up the lines is anybody's guess at this point.  At this morning's pre-game skate, all Caps forwards wore white practice jerseys and did not do line rushes, concentrating more on two-man drills.

Center Marcus Johansson did not practice and is not expected to play, joining walking wounded Matt Bradley and Boyd Gordon, who has been MIA all week, with no description of why the veteran forward is sitting, except for Coach Bruce Boudreau saying "He's healthy but we've decided to give him a few days here."

Johansson has what Boudreau described as a hip flexor injury, sustained against Boston Thursday night.  Boudreau expects him back next week.

In Thursday's loss, Boudreau had Johansson on the second line with Alexander Semin and Brooks Laich, while Tomas Fleischmann centered Eric Fehr and Jason Chimera.  Flash's chemistry with Fehr makes them a good tandem, and Perrault might find himself slipping into Johansson's place on the second line.

D.J. King skated with the coaches following practice, so it's a good bet he'll be a healthy scratch tonight, with Beagle stepping into his slot on the fourth line with David Steckel and Matt Hendricks.

Of course, that's all speculation.

Mike Green winces after taking a shot in practice.

Defenseman Mike Green took full practice with the team this morning, but was still in obvious discomfort shooting the puck.  Boudreau said Green will take the pre-game skate tonight and will be a game-time decision.

Semyon Varlamov was the first goalie off the ice at practice, so it's likely he'll start in goal for the Caps tonight.

Atlanta enters play tonight losers of two in a row themselves, dropping a 4-1 loss to Buffalo Wednesday and a 5-2 decision to division rival Tmapa Bay last night.  Both games were at home for the Thrashers.

Goalie Ondrej Pavelec, who fainted and sustained a concussion in their home opener against the Caps (a 4-2 Atlanta win) has not played since the event, but passed his concussion test and could return soon for the Thrash.  Chris Mason has handled the bulk of the work between the pipes, going 3-4-0 with a 3.47 GAA and .908 save percentage.

Atlanta is led by center Anthony Stewart with four goals, and LW Andrew Ladd has two goals and five assists in a strong start. 

_______________________________________________________

LEADERS

ATL:  LW Andrew Ladd (2-5-7, +2), D Dustin Byfuglien (2-4-6, -4), Chris Mason (3-4, 3.47, .908)

WAS:  LW Alex Ovechkin (4-4-8, -1), D John Carlson (1-5-6, +1), G Semyon Varlamov (0-1-0, 2.91, .896)

INJURIES

ATL:  C Nik Antropov (hip-out), D Zack Bogosian (shoulder-out), F Patrice Cormier (foot-out), G Ondrej Pavelev (concussion-QUE)

WAS:  D Mike Green (shoulder-QUE), RW Matt Bradley (LBI-out), C Boyd Gordon (undisclosed-OUT), C Marcus Johansson (hip-out)

STATS

ATL:  GF/G: 2.71 (T-14th), GA/G: 3.57 (30th), PP: 21.2% (8th), PK: 73.5% (28th)

WAS:  GF/G: 2.71 (T-14th), GA/G: 2.57 (T-12th), PP: 13.3% (18th), PK: 89.7% (9th)

_______________________________________________________



Jay Beagle returns to the Caps' roster.





Matt Bradley practiced but will miss his fourth straight game tonight.



BOX SCORE//GAME SUMMARY//EVENT SUMMARY

The Washington Capitals beat the Atlanta Thrashers 5-3 in front of a electrifying, red-rocking crowd.  The Caps looked like a team that is ready for the playoffs.

The Caps have set new records during the 2009-2010 season and Friday night was no exception.  During a pre-game ceremony, the Caps First-Ever Presidents' Trophy was presented by NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly.

Alex Ovechkin scored two goals which increased his total to 50 goals for the season and puts him at top of the NHL leaderboard by one goal over Crosby. This picture is of goal #49.

Congrats to Alex Ovechkin on reaching 50 goals this season!

Nicklas Backstrom scored two goals as well and reached 100 points for the first time in his career. Congrats Nicky!

After Backstrom's second goal of the night.

With Poti and Knuble sitting out as healthy scratches, Backstrom and Green wore the "A" on their sweaters.

Last, but not least, with five Caps' goals, all fans (with valid ticket stubs) get WINGS from Glory Days.

All Photos 2010 © Cheryl Nichols Photography. All Rights Reserved.
______________________________________________________

SCORESHEET

1ST PERIOD
14:44 WAS - N. Backstrom (32), Wrist Shot. Assist: Ovechkin, Green

2ND PERIOD
11:15 ATL - E. Artyukhin (9), Slap Shot. Assist: Kulda, Slater
13:07 ATL - C. MacArthur (16), Snap Shot. Unassisted
16:04 WAS - A. Ovechkin (49), Slap Shot. Assist: Semin

3RD PERIOD
09:49 WAS - A. Ovechkin (50), Snap Shot. Assist: Semin, Backstrom
12:16 WAS - J. Chimera (15), Slap shot. Assist: Belanger, Schultz
13:05 WAS - N. Backstrom (33), Wrist Shot. Assist: Semin, Corvo
_______________________________________________________

THREE STARS

1. A. Ovechkin - WAS (Goals: 2, Assists: 1)
2. N. Backstrom - WAS (Goals: 2, Assists: 1)
3. A. Semin - WAS (Goals: 0, Assists: 3)
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PHOTOS FROM CAPS WARMUPS:




















All Photos 2010 © Cheryl Nichols Photography. All Rights Reserved.

BOX SCORE//GAME SUMMARY//EVENT SUMMARY

It was another one of those games again, the game sthat are driving Washington Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau slowly crazy.  On the road, the Caps came out against a wounded Atanta Thrashers squad and dominated through about 35 minutes.

Unfortunately, they once again took their foot off the gas and watch as their opponent scratched its way back into a game they had no business being in.  Time ran out before Atlanta come complete their comeback, though it was not for lack of effort.  At least, not lack of effort by Atlanta.

It's tough to be so negative, as the win marks Washignton's sixth straight, and they sit atop their division and near the top of the conference.  But against tougher foes, this now-common recipe isn't going to cut it. 

Boudreau told the assembled media following the game, in no uncertain terms, what he thought of his team's performance in the second half of the game.

"I thought with about seven minutes to go in the second period, we thought this was going to be easy," Boudreau said. "And then we stopped skating and stopped playing. But I knew once [Atlanta] got one goal, just like last time, they would be flying. It's not like a faucet. You can't turn it on and off when you want."

"We need to be able to finish teams off when we have the chance," he said. "We need that killer instinct and we haven't had that killer instinct. We let teams right back in the game."

 

The bad taste left from an almost-comeback spoiled what should have been a game worth celebrating.  Alex Ovechkin scored twice in the first period and Brendan Morrison added a power play marker four minutes into the second period. 

 

Almost immediately following, you could see the adrenaline leave the bodies of the Capitals, signaling Atlanta to put pressure on goalie Semyon Varlamov (38 saves on 41 shots), who was outstanding in place of Jose Theodore, given the night off in preparation for the game Friday night against the New York Islanders.

 

"I wasn't happy for Varly," Boudreau said. "He plays an outstanding game and ends up with three goals on him. Nothing he could do. He kept us in the game in the third period. It's ridiculous how we just let up and let the other teams back into the game. It's very frustrating."

 

Altanta (4-4-1) out shot Washington 33-19 in the final two frames, despite missing leading scorer Ilya Kovulchuk, out serveral weeks with a broken foot.  It was the second consecutive game the Caps surrendered 20 shots in the third period, and over 40 for the game.

Atlanta got three third period goals, two by Zach Bogosian -- the last coming with less than one second on the game clock.  As it turned out, Mike Knuble's empty net goal at 19:07 turned out to be the game-winner. 

That's a margin that is much too close, especially on a night that started with such dominance.

Washington hosts the Islanders (2-4-5) at 7:00 pm at Verizon Center tonight.  The Isles beat the New York Rangers Wednesday night 3-1, but lost their three previous, including a home 3-2 loss to the Caps Oct. 24.

________________________________________________________

THREE STARS

1.  Alex Ovechkin (Goals: 2, Assists: 1)

2.  Zach Bogosian (Goals: 2, Assists: 0)

3.  Semyon Varlamov  (Saves: 38, Save Pct: .927)

________________________________________________________

NOTES

Tomas Fleischmann was activated for the game and played surprisingly well.  He logged 16:07 of ice time, was credited with three shots, including a close on against Thrashers goalie Ondrej Pavelec.   "Every shift I felt more comfortable on the ice," he said. "He made one really good save on me. I should have scored that one. It will go in eventually."

***Quotes for this story were selected from muliple sources***

Washington Capitals (7-2-2, 16 pts, 1st in Southeast Division)

v.

Atlanta Thrashers (4-3-1, 9 pts, 2nd in Southeast Division)

7:00 pm from Phillips Arena

________________________________________________________

PREVIEW

This is the second consecutive Thursday these two teams meet, but both are significantly different teams than the last meeting, a 5-4 Caps win, Washington getting five goals from five different player, none names Ovechkin.

Atlanta now finds themselves missing their top player, Ilya Kovalchuk, who scored twice in last week's melee.  Kovalchuk will be out several weeks with a broken bone in his right foot.

The Capitals will be without shot-blocker extraordinaire Quentin Laing, who was diagnosed with H1N1 and sent home from the team.  Eric Fehr missed Thursday's win over Philadelphia with an "upper body injury", believed to be bruised ribs from blocking a shot the other night.

Returning for this contest, though, is Alexander Semin, who missed out in the fun in Atlanta last week while nursing an undisclosed illness/injury, and the possible return of Tomas Fleischmann, who was activated by the team yesterday in is return from a blood clot in his leg.

Alexandre Giroux was returned to AHL Hershey to make room for Fleischmann.

________________________________________________________

EXPECTED LINEUP

Forwards

Ovechkin-Backstrom-Semin

Laich-Morrison-Knuble

Fleischmann-Aucoin-Clark

Sloan (Fehr)-Steckel-Bradley

Defense

Morrisonn-Green

Poti-Jurcina

Schultz-Pothier

Goalie

Theodore

Varlamov

Scratches: Fehr, Laing

________________________________________________________

TEAM STATS

WAS: GF: 2nd (40/3.64); GA: 13st (31/2.82); PP: 21st (9/52, 17.3%); PK: 10th (10/54, 81.5%)

ATL: GF: 4th (28/3.50); GA: 14th (23/2.88); PP: 4th (9/32, 28.1%): PK: 3rd (5/36, 86.1%)_______________________________________________________

LEADERS

WAS: G: Ovechkin (11) A: Backstrom (12) P: Ovechkin (19) +/-: Ovechkin (+11)

ATL: Kovalchuk (9) A: Antropov (7) P: Kovalcuk, Peverley (10) +/-: Kubina (+4)

________________________________________________________

INJURIES

WAS: D John Erskine (IR-hand), F Boyd Gordon (DTD-back), Quentin Laing (DTD-Flu), Eric Fehr (DTD-Ribs)

ATL:  LW Ilya Kovalchuk (IR-Foot), D Boris Valabik (IR-Ankle), G Kari Lehtonen (IR-back), C Nik Antropov (QUE-groin)

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

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

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

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

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

_______________

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

The Washington Capitals (48-23-8-104, first in Southeast, second in East) travel to Atlanta to meet the Thrashers (34-39-6-74, fourth in Southeast) looking to complete a home-and-home sweep and get the season-ending three-game road trip started on the right foot.

Washington needs to win two of their last three games to hit 50 wins for only the second time in franchise history.

The Capitals hold a two-point advantage over the New Jersey Devils for second seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Devils host Toronto tonight.

Washington holds the season record over Atlanta at three games to two, however, the Caps have been throttled in Atlanta this season, losing both games by a combined score of 12-5.

Alex Ovechkin continues his quest for a second straight scoring championship, entering play tonight with 106 points (55 goals, 51 assists), trailing Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin by just two points. Ovie has historically performed well at Atlanta's Phillips Arena (14 goals and 11 assists in 14 games), but has been held scoreless in the two games this season.

Washington has won three of its last four games while scoring at least five goals in each victory, so it seems they have regained their scoring touch coming down the stretch. The Caps netted six goals Sunday without Ovechkin, though he did assist on Keith Aucoin's power play goal in the 6-4 victory.

Secondary scoring was the key to Sunday's win, and it was something missing from the team's arsenal through March. Aucoin, Tomas Fleischmann, Michael Nylander and Eric Fehr all scored, in addition to Alexander Semin (31 goals) and Brooks Laich (20 goals).

Fleischmann has 18 goals for the season, but just three since mid-January. He broke a 14-game scoreless drought.

Aucoin, recently recalled from AHL Hershey, has changed the dynamic of the third line since his recall. His smallish stature belies his fierceness in forechecking, and he's brought some much needed energy. His play was rewarded with some power play time in the most recent contest.

Nylander, much maligned all season, perhaps played his finest game all season, playing with a determination that has seemed to be missing for long stretches.

Simeon Varlamov is expected to play tonight, giving Jose Theodore a much-needed day off. Varlamov is auditioning for the chance to back up Theo in the playoffs, as Brent Johnson inches closer to his possible return. Johnson practiced with the team yesterday in full gear and he hopes to be able to contribute come playoff time.

Donald Brashear is listed as doubtful and will probably miss his 12th straight game.

Atlanta is led by Ilya Kovalchuk (42-48-90, minus-12) and Slava Kozlov (26-48-74, minus-11). Johan Hedberg (13-11-3, 3.51, .885) is expected to start in goal.
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SPECIAL TEAMS

WAS: PP-2nd (25.3%, 83/328); PK-19th (80.3%, 74/375)
ATL: PP-12th (19.5%, 66/339); PK-29th (75.6%, 86/352)
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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)

ATL: G Kari Lehtonen (Upper body-Questionable); D Anssi Salmela (Face-Questionable)

Perhaps it was all the penalties. Perhaps it was the general ineptness of Atlanta's defense. It might even have been the two quick power play goals in the first period. But whatever the reason, last night's 4-3 Washington Capitals win over the Atlanta Thrashers didn't seem anywhere near as close as the score would attest to, as the Caps fairly dominated their cellar-swelling division rival.

Atlanta's defense is one of the worst in the NHL, evidenced by allowing the fourth most shots in the league and the highest number of goals allowed, and last night was no exception. In addition to the four goals surrendered, the Caps (39-18-5-83, first in Southeast, second in East) registered 40 shots on goal and controlled the puck for minutes at a time in Atlanta's zone.

For one 15 minutes stretch during the second and third periods, the Thrashers managed just four shots on net, and had seven total in each of the last two periods.

In addition to the shoddy defense work, Atlanta took eight minor penalties, and Washington cashed those in, scoring on three of the eight power plays. Shockingly, Alex Ovechkin was not part of the Caps' goal-scoring parade.

Alexander Semin started the parade with his 23rd of the season just 4:27 into the affair. With Todd White off for hooking, Semin took a pass from Sergei Fedorov just outside the blue line and split two Thrashers before putting a wrist shot top-shelf on Atlanta goalie Kari Lehtonen (36 saves).

Eric Perrin was called for slashing on the goal, so Washington went right back on the power play. Mike Green unleashed a slap shot less than a minute later which trickled through Lehtonen, and Brooks Laich slapped it home as it bounced toward the Atlanta goal for his 15th of the season.

"He [Laich] needs to get to 20 so I forgive him," Green said chuckling.

Atlanta got a power play goal to halve the lead by Ilya Kovalchuk, his 32nd of the season, with Ovechkin off for roughing. Ovie went after Rich Peverley, who hit Ovechkin in the face with his stick as Ovie was maneuvering though the Atlanta zone. Inexplicably there was no call on the play--which looked intentional--and Ovechkin took matters into his own hands.

Green added a power play goal on a laser that beat Kovalchuk high, and Eric Fehr added insurance in the third period. Atlanta got a late goal from Todd White, but Caps rookie goalie Michal Neuvirth, making his first home start, made the lead stand up.

Neuvirth made 21 saves, several on odd-man rushes, for his second victory of the season. "The goaltending looks like it's going to be OK in the future," said Boudreau, who noted that No. 1 goalie Jose Theodore will be in the net for Saturday's game at Eastern Conference-leading Boston.

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SCORESHEET

1ST PERIOD
04:27 Power Play-Alexander Semin (23), Wrist Shot. Assist: Fedorov, Ovechkin
05:20 Power Play-Brooks Laich (15), Tip-In. Assist: Green, Semin
16:11 Power Play-Ilya Kovalchuk (32), Wrist Shot. Assist: White, Kozlov

2ND PERIOD
03:56 Rich Peverley (8), Wrist Shot. Assist: Havelid, Enstrom
12:25 Power Play-Mike Green (23), Slap Shot. Assist: Backstrom, Semin

3RD PERIOD
04:47 Eric Fehr (10), Wrist Shot. Assist: Morrisonn, Steckel
18:03 Short-Todd White (16), Slap Shot. Assist: Kovalchuk, Reasoner

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THREE STARS

1. A. Semin - WAS (Goals: 1, Assists: 2)

2. M. Green - WAS (Goals: 1, Assists: 1)

3. I. Kovalchuk - ATL (Goals: 1, Assists: 1)

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NOTES

Mike Green scored his 16th power play goal of the season, breaking the mark set by Scott Stevens in 1984-85. Green also passed Tomas Vanek of Buffalo for the NHL lead in PP goals this season. With his assist on Green's power play goal, Niklas Backstrom extended his point streak to eight games. Viktor Kozlov returned to the first line after missing nine games with a groin injury. Fehr has seven goals and 12 points in the last 13 games. Michael Nylander and Staffan Kronwall were healthy scratches.

The Washington Capitals (38-18-5-81, first in Southeast) host the Atlanta Thrashers (22-33-6-50, fifth in Southeast) at 7:00 pm from Verizon Center.

The Capitals have split the first four games of a season-high five-game homestand, beating Montreal and Pittsburgh and falling to Colorado and, most recently, Philadelphia Tuesday night 4-2. The Caps held a 2-0 lead against Philly, only to see it evaporate in the span of 3:19 in the third period.

Atlanta beat Colorado at home Tuesday 4-3, but had dropped their previous two games, to Phoenix and San Jose. The Thrashers are 5-4-1 in their last ten games.

Atlanta has some skilled players, led by Ilya Kovalchuk. His 64 points (31 goals, 33 assists, minus-14) are good for 13th in the NHL. Winger Slava Kozlov (18-34-52, minus-16) and center Todd White (15-37-52, minus-10) round out their top three scorers.

The Thrashers have given up 214 goals this season, second-most in the league, and have allowed 18 goals in the last four meetings with Washington. Goalies Kari Lehtonen (12-18-4, 3.15, .908) and Johan Hedberg (7-9-3, 3.61, .884) have been below par this season, and their defensive squad gives up more shots than all but three teams in the league.

Washington expects to get RW Viktor Kozlov back on its first line tonight. The veteran Russian forward has missed nine games with a groin strain and is eager to get back with his linemates Alex Ovechkin and Niklas Backstrom.

"It's been hard," Kozlov told The Washington Post. "I was happy that the team was winning. But at the same time, I want to be on the ice and be part of that winning. But an injury is an injury. You have to heal it."

Rookie goalie Michal Neuvirth will his second career start in goal tonight against Atlanta, giving starter Jose Theodore a break. Staffan Kronwall will be one of the scratches, and if Kozlov plays, another player, most likely a forward, will be scratched as well.
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SPECIAL TEAMS

WAS: PP-3rd (23.8%, 60/252); PK-21st (80.0%, 60/300)
ATL: PP-11th (19.8%, 49/247); PK-29th (74.9%, 65/259)
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INJURIES

WAS: RW Viktor Kozlov (Groin-Probable); G Brent Johnson (Hip-IR); RW Chris Clark (Wrist-IR); D Brian Pothier (Concussion-IR)
ATL: C Jim Slater (Shoulder-IR)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photo by AP.

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THREE STARS

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

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

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

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SCORESHEET

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

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

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NOTES

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

Jose Theodore stopped 15 of 18 shots faced.

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

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

The Washington Capitals (11-7-3-25, first in Southeast Division) host the Atlanta Thrashers (8-10-2-18, third in Southeast Division) from Verizon Center at 7:00 pm ET.

As the team limps home from a five-game road trip that they finished 1-3-1, the theme for tonight's game is David Bowie's "Ch-ch-ch-changes, turn and face the strange", since four new players will be in the Washington line-up this evening. Recalled from Hershey are wingers Chris Bourgue and Graham Mink and defensemen Sami Lepisto and Karl Alzner. All four players will dress and play key roles for the parent club tonight.

This morning, the team placed D Jeff Schultz (broken finger) and RW Chris Clark (broken wirst) on the long-term injury list (LTIR), which means both players must miss at least 10 games, pushing their potential return date into mid-December. By putting the two on LTIR, the Caps received cap space to add the new players.

Schultz and Clark join Sergei Federov, Alexander Semin, Mike Green, Boyd Gordon and John Eskine on the injured list. Most of the others are still labelled "day-to-day", though none participated in the morning skate.

Here are tonight's lines, reported by Capitals Insider:

Ovechkin-Backstrom-Kozlov
Fleischmann-Nylander-Fehr
Bourque-Laich-Bradley
Brashear-Steckel-Mink

Sloan-Poti
Alzner-Jurcina
Lepisto-Morrisonn

Atlanta is led by forwards Slava Kozlov (11-8-19, +1), Ilya Kovalchuk (7-11-18, -2) and Bryan Little (9-9-18, +8). Top goaltender Kari Lehtonen (2-5-2, 3.44, .903) has struggled and is hampered now by a sore back. Johan Hedberg (4-3-0, 3.88, .884) has not provided solid backup either, and the team recalled Ondej Pavelec (2-2-0, 2.33, .913) when Lehtonen went down and the youngster has provided a spark.

Hedberg got the win last night as Atlanta defeated Toronto 6-3. Todd White had two goals in the effort. The Thrashers had lost their previous three games.
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SPECIAL TEAMS

WAS: PP-10th (20.2%, 18-89); PK-24th (79.1%, 23-110)
ATL: PP-15th (18.4%, 16-87); PK-28th (75.0%, 23-92)
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INJURIES (OUT, DBT-doubtful, QUE-Questionable, DTD-Day to day; IR-Injury List)

WAS: C Sergei Fedorov (Ankle-OUT); LW Alexander Semin (Upper body-OUT); D John Erskine (Undisclosed-QUE); C Boyd Gordon (Back-QUE); D Mike Green (Shoulder-OUT); D Jeff Schultz (Finger-OUT); RW Chris Clark (Wrist-OUT); D Brian Pothier (Concussion-OUT)
ATL: C Steve Rucchin (concussion-DBT); D Zach Bogosian (leg-IR_; G Kari Lehtonen Back-QUE)