Ovechkin's Magic Still Isn't Enough

Superstar's Two Goals Gives Him Back-to-Back 40 Goal Seasons
Atlanta Thrashers 4, Washington Capitals 2
Boxscore
Monday, March 12th 2007
(Photo Courtesy of Dave Sanford/Getty Images)

Alex Ovechkin provided the team with some much needed offensive excitement that has been hard to come by lately. He single handedly kept the Capitals in the game by flying around the ice and creating havoc for the Thrashers defense.

His first goal was a result of just charging the net and making something happen. Niclas Havelid knocked the puck away from him on his way to the goal, but the puck somehow found it's way into the back of the net.

Ovechkin's second of the night came as he was trying to set up Kris Beech in front of the Thrashers net. The puck deflected off the skate of defenseman Andy Sutton and over the glove of goaltender Kari Lehtonen. With 41 goals on the season now, a repeat of last years 50 plus seems as though it could be reachable.

Atlanta put the game away at the 9:35 mark of the third period when they restored their 2 goal advantage thanks to Ilya Kovalchuk's 37th goal of the season. He was able to beat Frederic Cassivi through the five hole as the Caps' backup gave up his only goal of the game after replacing Brent Johnson at the start of the final period.

Johnson was hurt while attempting to stop Atlanta's 3rd goal of the night in the second period. A Steve Eminger turnover directly led to the Keith Tkachuk marker thanks to a nice feed by Eric Boulton.

The loss was Washington's 8th straight as the team still has not won since the trading deadline passed and the team moved it's #1 center Danius Zubrus. They hope to get Olie Kolzig back at the end of week in either Thursday night's game at Boston, or Friday night's game at home against Toronto.

Game Notes:

Jiri Novotny only won 5 of 16 faceoffs as he saw most of his ice time centering the team's first line.... Ovechkin continues to lead the team in ice time as he recorded 25:33.... Atlanta's win improved their record to 5-0-2 against the Caps this season and moved them into sole possession of first place in the Southeast Division.

Caps Shutout Again

Offense Fails to Produce for the Second Straight Game
Carolina Hurricanes 3, Washington Capitals 0
Boxscore
Friday, March 9th 2007
(Photo Courtesy of Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

Traditionally when these two teams get together the games have been high scoring. In fact coming into tonight's contest they have combined for an average of 7 goals per game. But that was not the case tonight as good goaltending, along with solid defensive play by both teams led to a low scoring and uneventful evening.

Andrew Ladd finally broke the scoreless battle 1:42 into the second period after the Capitals failed to clear a loose puck in front of their own net. A couple of whacks later and Ladd had his 8th goal of the season.

The game stayed 1-0 until midway point of the final period when a Donald Brashear turnover in his own zone directly resulted in Justin Williams putting the game away as he snapped a snot into the top left corner of the net. The two goal Carolina lead was more than enough for Cam Ward who stopped 25 shots on his way to his second career regular season shutout.

The bright point on the night for the Capitals was the performance of goaltender Brent Johnson who stopped 42 shots despite falling to 5-12-6 on the year after taking the loss. Johnson has possibly 2 or 3 games remaining as the number one goaltender before Olie Kolzig makes his return.

The Caps welcomed Chris Clark and Boyd Gordon back to the lineup and they, combined with winger Brooks Laich, did a nice job playing the role of the shutdown line. Each time Hurricanes' coach Peter Laviolette sent out their top line it was Gordon's line that was called on. They did their job as only Laich finished with a negative plus/minus rating.

Washington now has 48 hours to try to turn things around and find some line combinations that can produce offensively before they travel to New York on Saturday to take on the Islanders. They have 14 games remaining and still find themselves needing ten points in the standings to match their total of 70 last year.

Game Notes:

Steve Eminger and Brian Muir were the healthy scratches.

Caps/Lightning Preview

Tampa Bay Lightning (36-25-4, 76 points)
at
Washington Capitals (24-29-11, 59 points)

Television: Comcast SportsNet
Radio: Sportstalk 980-AM
Gametime: 7:00 PM


The newest member of the Washington Capitals roster arrived early this morning and practiced with the team at the Kettler Capitals Iceplex. Jiri Novotny, who has been sidelined recently with a high ankle sprain, announced after practice that he is ready to play and will make his debut tonight as the Caps welcome their divisional foe the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Verizon Center.

Where he will play is anyone's guess. In practice he centered a line that included Brooks Laich and his fellow countryman from the Czech Republic, Tomas Fleichmann. But that plan could change many times before and after the puck drops tonight, as the trade of the team's number one center, Danius Zubrus, has shuffled all the lines around.

Alex Ovechkin will be looking to prove that following Tuesday night's game in which he had a season high 4 points, he has put his slump behind him. It couldn't come at a better time for the team that will need him to step up his game after losing two of their better scores, in Zubrus and Zednik, at the trade deadline.

Tonight's game marks the start of a six game road streak for the Lightning. They are coming off of a 1-1-1 homestand in which they lost their last game in overtime to the Dallas Stars. Still, they post one of the best records in the NHL over the last 23 games with a mark of 17-4-2. And they've won 4 out of 5 games against the Caps this season.

Washington will need to have a repeat performance of their offense outburst against the Panthers Tuesday night if they want to be able to keep up with this high powered team. Vincent Lecavalier leads the league in goals with 41, with his teammate Martin St. Louis not too far behind with 38.

Goaltender Brent Johnson will have to be on top of his game if the Caps will have any chance in this one.

Devils Lull Caps into Submission

This Time Bounces Go the Devils Way as Teams Split Weekend Home-and-Home Series

New Jersey Devils 3, Washington Capitals 2
Boxscore
(Photo Courtesy of Greg Fiume/Getty Images)


After yesterday's disappointing loss at home, the Devils made sure they established their style of play in today's game. And they accomplished that to perfection, using their neural zone trap and sound defensive positioning to lull their opponents and everyone in the Verizon Center to sleep.

The home team was able to strike first however, taking a 1-0 lead after a John Erskine shot from the point deflected off a Devils defenceman right to the front of the net, where Brooks Laich snapped it home into the wide open net. The goal by the fourth line winger was Laich's 7th of the season and 1st since his demotion from the second line center position.

The 22-year old Zach Parise was able to strike back for the Devils just 5:34 into the second period, taking a nice feed from the left corner by Travis Zajac and beating goaltender Brent Johnson five-hole along the ice from point blank range. The play followed a couple of unsuccessful attempts by the Caps to clear the defensive zone.

In the third period the Devils were the recipients of a couple bounces. They struck early again, this time just 1:37 in as a Brian Rafalski shot from the point hit traffic and front and bounced directly to Zajac for the easy goal.

At the 9:13 mark, Alex Ovechkin was able to answer and tie the game at two after he used defenseman Paul Martin as a screen and wristed a shot high off of goaltender Scott Clemmensen and in. It was Ovechkin's 1st goal in his last 6 games, giving him 35 now on the season and hopefully putting his slump behind him.

But the Capitals were not able to celebrate for long, as only 35 seconds later Brian Pothier was called for a questionable tripping penalty after a diving poke check to the right of the net dislodged the puck from the Devils forward, but also sent him to the ice. The Devils capitalized with the extra man and tallied the game winning goal on another lucky bounce, as a Jamie Langenbrunner shot deflected off of Johnson's right shoulder high into the air and somehow found the back of the net. It was Langenbrunner's 20th goal of the season as he sent the Devils back to New Jersey victorious.

After seeing the Devils in action it's not hard to see why despite their success on the ice, they fail to draw crowds at the Meadowlands. Their style of play is just so boring, and while the lack of energy from the fans may have been somewhat attributed to the bad weather on the trip in, it was more a result of the slow play because of their defensive approach.

Game Notes:

Brent Johnson had another solid game in net, keeping his team in the game with a number a quality stops on his way to 26 saves on the afternoon.... In what might have been their final game with the Caps, Danius Zubrus won 10 of 11 faceoffs and Richard Zednik notched a secondary assist on Laich's opening goal.... Scott Clemmensen gave Martin Brodeur the day off and stopped 23 shots in the Devils win.

Caps/Devils Preview

Washington Capitals (23-28-10, 56 points)
at
New Jersey Devils (38-17-6, 82 points)

Television: Comcast SportsNet
Radio: Sportstalk 980-AM
Gametime: 1:00 PM ET

It's the first of a home and home afternoon series this weekend as the Caps travel to the Garden State to take on Martin Brodeur and the Atlantic Division leaders.

Again Washington will face arguably one of the hottest teams in the league at the moment as the Devils are 9-3-1 in 13 games since the All-Star break. They are also 19-4-3 in their last 26 games and 26-8-5 in their last 39. At home this season they have an outstanding mark of 22-6-4. Why did I just throw all of those numbers at you? Because all of this means that the Caps will have to play some of their best hockey if they wish to come out of either contest this weekend with two points.

The Caps bring a 1-12-1 record in their last 14 road games into today's contest. The key will be a good start and hopefully some lucky bounces that can get this team on the board first, giving them the confidence they have surely lacked in recent outings. A repeat opening of their last road game in Montreal, where the Caps took 7 penalties and allowed 3 power play goals in the first period, and they will be in for a long and ugly weekend.

While it's hard to believe given the results this past week, goaltender Brent Johnson has filled in admirably for the injured Olie Kolzig recording a 2.65 goals against average and a .908 save percentage in the last four games.

If nothing else today's game will be another chance for Alex Ovechkin to try and break out of the current funk he is in. He has 0 points in his last 4 games and just 1 goal and 1 assist in his last 9. They will need him to find a way to contribute as the team will be without it's captain and first line right winger Chris Clark for the next 7 to 10 days with a shoulder sprain. In his place, Tomas Fleichmann was recalled from Hershey and should get the opportunity to step right into the Capitals top line. The speedy Czech winger has 20 goals and 27 assists so far this season in 43 games at the AHL level.

Caps Blow Lead, Fall in Shootout Again

Caps Are Now 1-8 on the Season in Shootouts As Cheechoo Nets Game Winner
San Jose Sharks 3, Washington Capitals 2 F/SO
Boxscore
(Photo Courtesy of Haraz N. Ghanbari/AP)

It was another heartbreaking loss as for the second consecutive night the Capitals failed to take advantage of a team that was struggling heading into the matchup. San Jose had lost three straight and, like the Caps, were having trouble scoring as of late. But the Sharks were able to overcome a strong start by Washington and, despite falling behind 2-0, were able to overcome the deficit to defeat the Capitals 3-2 in the shootout.

Even though Washington had played just 24 hours earlier in Montreal, while San Jose was relaxing in DC waiting for them, the Caps were able to get the jump on the Sharks. After a 10 minute feeling out period where neither team recorded a shot on goal, Shaone Morrisonn was able to tally the first goal of the game. He retrieved the rebound off of a right pad save by Sharks goaltender Evgeni Nabokov following a Matt Bradley shot from the right boards. With Jonathan Cheechoo screening his own goalie while attempting to block his shot, Morrisonn fired a slap shot over Nabokov's blocker for his 2nd goal of the season and a 1-0 lead.

The Caps would make it 2-0 just 49 seconds later as Brian Sutherby deposited a loose puck in front of the net for his 5th goal of the season and his second in as many nights.

San Jose would cut the lead in half before the end of the period as Patrick Rissmiller finished off a 2 on 1 break and a nice feed from former Capital Mike Grier. It was Rissmiller's first goal in his last 10 games and his 5th of the season.

The second period was pretty much a stalemate as neither team produced any quality scoring chances until the end of the period, when the Caps had a little bit of a flurry while on the power play.

The Sharks would use their potent power play, which is ranked second in the NHL in goals behind only the Pittsburgh Penguins, to pull even in the third following a hooking penalty to Eric Fehr. A Joe Pavelski shot from the left circle caused a free for all in front that saw Matthew Carle finally stuff the puck home after hitting the post on a his first stuff attempt. The goal would send the game to overtime as neither team could tally the rest of the way.

The extra frame saw Nabokov deny Richard Zednik on a semi-breakaway opportunity and Matt Pettinger as well after he made a nice curl and drag move around a defenseman. So once again the Caps found themselves in a shootout situation.

It started out well this time as a successful try by Matt Pettinger on a nice snap shot gave Caps fans hope that maybe they could finally pull one of these games out. But that would not be the case again as consecutive goals by Joe Pavelski and Jonathan Cheechoo would seal their fate and send the Capitals home frustrated with another shootout loss.

Ron Wilson returned to Washington and remained undefeated against his former club, improving his record to 4-0 since his departure from the Capitals organization. It was also the 10th straight win for the Sharks over the Capitals who have not beaten San Jose since February 20th, 1999. The streak is the longest losing streak against any NHL team for the Caps.

Game Notes:

Kris Beech dressed for the first time in 10 games as he took Brooks Laich spot on the second line. Laich joined Ben Clymer and Steve Eminger as the healthy scratches.... Brian Pothier led the team in ice time with 28:44 and blocked shots with 4.... Brent Johnson had another solid game stopping 33 of 35 shots on the night.... Alex Ovechkin was kept off the scoreboard again, including a shootout attempt, and now has just 1 goal and 1 assist in his last 9 games.... Chris Clark left the game in the third period after a shoulder on shoulder hit in the offensive zone. You have to wonder how bad the injury is considering how he finished his shift after breaking his jaw and losing half of his teeth earlier in the year.... The Hershey Bears also blew a 2-0 lead in their game against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. However they were able to respond and win their shootout thanks to goals from Mike Green and Alexandre Giroux to go along with a clean sheet by goaltender Maxime Daigneault.... The Sharks had to play without Patrick Marleau who was a late scratch due to food poisoning.

Poor Special Teams Play Dooms Caps in Montreal

Capitals Fall For the 7th Straight Time on the Road
Montreal Canadians 5, Washington Capitals 3
Boxscore
(Photo Courtesy of Ian Barrett/AP)

If the Capitals were going to find a way to snap out of their current road funk, this was the game to do it. The Montreal Canadians had lost 4 straight games at home, and found out today that they'll be playing the rest of the regular season without their All-Star goaltender Cristobal Huet.

But that didn't seem to matter tonight, and once again the Caps played an atrocious first period that saw them having to play from behind. They took penalty after penalty and the Canadians made them pay. With the help of 2 goals by Christopher Higgins and 1 goal by Michael Ryder, Montreal converted on 3 of 7 power play opportunities to take a 3-0 lead into the first intermission.

From the second period on the Caps looked like a completely different team. Their hard work shut down the Canadians attack and allowed them to generate an offensive attack for the first time in the game. Just 2:06 into the period, a slap shot from the point by defenseman Jamie Heward was tipped home by Brian Sutherby, past Montreal's rookie goaltender Jaroslav Halak, for his 4th goal of the season. It was Sutherby's first goal since January 9th.

Washington kept the pressure on and with the same lineup still on the ice they scored again 30 seconds later. For the second time Heward ripped a slap shot from the point, this time it was deflected off Maxim Lapierre's stick and through Halak's five hole to get the Caps right back in the game, 3-2.

Late in the period the Capitals special teams let them down again. This time though it was while they were on the power play, as Montreal notched their league leading 16th short handed goal of the season. Michael Ryder tallied his 2nd goal of the game and 19th on the year when he made a nice curl and drag move around Alexander Semin, who was forced into a defensive position because he plays the point with the extra man, and snapped a shot past Brent Johnson. Semin would atone for his defensive mistake on the same power play. He took a pass from Heward in the neutral zone and maneuvered his way up the ice, around defenseman Sheldon Souray, and roofed a shot off of the upper right corner in what was a beautiful one man effort. It was Semin's 31st goal of the season and gave his team some hope heading into the 3rd period as they once again only trailed by one, 4-3.

But the Caps could not get any closer and managed only 4 shots in the final period. A Garth Murray empty netter sealed their fate with 58 seconds to go as the Caps road record fell to 1-12-1 in their last 14 games.

It was a physical game from the start. Multiple scrums ensued after the whistles as Canadians' captain Saku Koivu was involved throughout the night. In the first period he and Milan Jurcina had a shoving match behind the Capitals net. Later in the third period Koivu and Matt Pettinger were both handed matching roughing minors after exchanging blows.

During the course of the game two Caps players left the ice with blood dripping from their face. Alexander Perezhogin elbowed Shoane Morrisonn in the first period and Matt Bradley was hit with a high stick by Christopher Higgins before a faceoff in the third period. Each player returned to action after receiving some medical care and their attackers were both given double minors for drawing blood.

The Caps will have a short time to recover from this game as they will host the San Jose Sharks Wednesday night at the Verizon Center. The team announced that all upper deck tickets can be purchased for 50% off of the normal price for this game only. The offer is limited to the first 500 orders.

Game Notes:

Kris Beech, Ben Clymer, and Steve Eminger were again the healthy scratches.... The Caps could only muster 18 shots on Halak as he won his second consecutive start of his NHL career.... Jamie Heward was originally credited with two goals on the night, but his first goal was later awarded to Sutherby. He would've had the fastest two goals in Capitals history for a defenseman.... Alex Ovechkin was shut out again and now has just 1 goal and 1 assist in his last 8 games.

Caps/Lightning Preview

Washington Capitals (23-26-8, 54 points)
at
Tampa Bay Lightning (32-24-2, 66 points)

Television: Comcast Sports Net
Radio: Sportstalk 980-AM
Gametime: 7:30 PM ET


The Capitals lineup will have a different feel as they start a three game road trip in Tampa Thursday night. After longtime franchise goaltender Olie Kolzig was injured in Monday's practice, Brent Johnson will try to fill the slack until he can return.

And when will Kolzig return? There seems to be some debate over that issue. It has been reported that he has a partial tear in the MCL in his left knee, and if true the original report of him missing only three weeks might be wishful thinking at best. If the team becomes mathematically eliminated at some point from the playoff race, it might be in their best interest to shut him down for the season and not risk rushing him back. This could also be a big opportunity for Johnson to reestablish his game.

Brian Pothier and John Erskine accompanied the team on their trip and it appears that Pothier will dress for Thursday's game. He has been taken off of the injured reserve and listed in the lineup by the NHL. Erskine also seems ready to return anytime and if he doesn't appear in Tampa he could very well return for Sunday's game in Pittsburgh. Their returns will result in some roster moves as one or two players will be sent back to Hershey. Those roster moves have been heavily debated by fans over the last few days and the assumption is that anyone of the following: Schultz, Green, Nycholat, or Beech could be the ones to go.

This game could represent the Caps last chance to make a run at the playoffs. Since they last played in their 5-2 loss against the Rangers Saturday night, they have seen Florida move in front of them again putting Washington in last place in the Southeast Division and 14 in the Eastern Conference. They now stand 10 points behind the Montreal Canadians for the 8th and final playoff spot.

Brashear Re-Signs, Kolzig Hurt

It was a good news, bad news day for the Capitals.

The good, being that enforcer Donald Brashear will be returning next season after signing a 1-year $1.1 million contract. After signing with the team last summer, he has fit right in providing the team with veteran leadership and a physical presence on the ice. In 52 games he has 2 goals and 5 assists along with 125 penalty minutes to go along with an even plus/minus rating.

The bad, being that the team will be without goaltender Olie Kolzig for at least the next three weeks after injuring himself in practice today. According to Tarik El-Bashir of the Washington Post, Kolzig hurt himself while moving laterally during a 2 on 1 breakaway drill early in practice.

The injury will give backup Brent Johnson the opportunity to get his game back into form. He has had a couple of minor injuries during the last month or so, limiting his playing time. Johnson has yet to display the spectacular outings he was accustomed to having in spot duty last season, recording a record of 4-7-3 with a goals against average of 3.86 and an .885 save percentage.

Frederic Cassivi should be recalled from Hershey and could see a few starts in net as well. He has been outstanding at the AHL level leading the Bears to the Calder Cup last season. Cassivi had just returned to action after suffering a broken collar bone in a game on December 23rd. So far this season he has a record of 15-7-4 with a 2.55 goals against average and a .916 save percentage in 28 games.

The Capitals will practice again tomorrow at their practice facility in Ballston before departing for the Sunshine state and a matchup with the Tampa Bay Lightning Thursday night.

Capitals Practice Recap

As I arrived to the Kettler Capitals Iceplex around 10:40 am, about 20 minutes before practice was scheduled to begin, Brian Pothier, Brian Muir, and John Erskine were on the ice participating in conditioning drills. They looked as though they were moving around fairly well. Muir and Erskine would stay out for half of the team practice, while Pothier returned to the locker room before practice began.

(Photo by Allen Popels/www.CapitalFanatic.com)

The lines for today remained as usual:

Red - Ovechkin, Zubrus, Clark, plus Beech
Teal - Pettinger, Gordon, Zednik
Black - Semin, Laich, Fehr, plus Bradley
Yellow - Brashear, Sutherby, Clymer, plus Muir and Erskine
White - Green, Jurcina, Nycholat, Schultz, Eminger, and Heward
Goaltenders - Kolzig, Johnson

Shaone Morrisonn was the only regular not at practice today. No word as to why.

Frederic Cassivi was also missing from practice, meaning he was probably sent down to Hershey for their home game tonight against the Portland Pirates. He could always be recalled again before Thursday's game with the Kings.

Practice started today with a simple dump and chase defensive drill where the object was to collect the loose puck and clear the zone. This was followed by an off the boards outlet drill that led to breakaway opportunities on goal. There were a couple variations to this drill that included cross ice outlet passes. The emphasis of the beginning of the practice seemed to be speed, as players were skating at full tempo.

Three on ones followed and the ice was divided in half to limit the breakout to only half the ice. During this drill Matt Bradley had a nice goal beating Brent Johnson with a glove side shot that rang off the post and in.

A three on two drill was next that involved a quick counter attack by the forward line following a turnover at center ice. The drill really was a five on two situation as a defensive pair backed up the forward line.

The last team drill of the practice involved a two on one drill that started from the offensive corner. Quick moves and passes were the key here to beat the one defenseman and get a shot away. The drill seemed to end on a little 22 on 0 as the entire team bunched around the net. The guys looked as though they were having a good time there.

As some players started to leave the ice, Johnson and Kolzig got in some work. On one side of the ice there was a rapid fire drill where each player shot five pucks consecutively on Johnson. And on the other side, Kolzig was involved in a drill where there was a shot from the slot while about four other players crowded around the net. The play would continue until either they scored or Kolzig secured the puck.

Brent Johnson seemed to be getting through practice okay until these extra drills. He really looked like he was hurting and would spent lots of time keeled over and shaking his head. We all know the Caps unwillingness to disclose injuries as they described Johnson's current injury as a "body" injury. From the way he was laboring though, my guess would be that it's a groin problem.

That's all from today. Tarik El-Bashir of the Washington Post was on hand as was Capitals General Manager George McPhee.

Offense is Offensive

Improved Defensive Performance Spoiled as Caps are Shutout for the Third Time This Season
Pittsburgh Penguins 2, Washington Capitals 0
Boxscore
(Photo courtesy of Keith Srakocic/AP)


Whether it was the presence of a newly acquired defenseman in Milan Jurcina, or a determination to refocus on playing traditional Capitals' hockey, the Caps played their most complete game of the season defensively. They shut down the NHL's leading point scorer in Sidney Crosby and the leading Calder Trophy favorite in Evgeni Malkin, keeping them both off the scoreboard and denying them any significant opportunities.

Jurcina made his debut with the Washington Capitals today and made himself right at home, pairing up with former Providence Bruins teammate Shaone Morrisson. He wasted no time making an impact stopping Sidney Crosby as he attempted to go coast to coast just four minutes in. Crosby maneuvered his way around three Capitals players, but a Jurcina pokecheck stopped him from moving in on Kolzig.

Unlike previous games where the team has struggled out of the gate, the Capitals controlled the action early on recording 8 of the games first 9 shots. Six minutes in, Chris Clark had the best scoring chance with two point blank shots in front of Fleury on the power play. During the same man advantage, Alex Ovechkin served the Penguins notice that the Caps were here to play when he drilled Maxime Talbot in the open ice as he had his head down while trying to clear the puck out of his defensive zone. After taking a moment to regain his senses, Talbot headed off to the locker room for repairs. He did return later in the game.

The middle of the second period set the tone for the remainder of the game. Moments after a Steve Eminger shot rang off the post, Ronald Petrovicky beat Kolzig on a weak shot as he entered the offensive zone on a 2 on 2 situation. He faked a slap shot then squeezed a wrist shot between Kolzig's glove and right pad. The goal was an unassisted marker for Petrovicky's 2nd of the season.

That goal would be all Pittsburgh would need as despite the Caps outshooting the Penguins 30-20, they were unable to penetrate goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. He stopped all 30 of those shots for his 4th shutout of the season, improving his record to 24-12-6. The key to Fleury's success was his ability to control the first shot from the Capitals and prevent any rebounds.

Rookie Jordan Staal put the game away with 37 seconds to go as he scored an empty net goal to make it 2-0.

The shutout meant an end to Alex Ovechkin's career high point scoring streak at 13 games. It was an uncharacteristic game for Ovechkin who did not record his first shot of the game until the 7 and a half minute mark of the third period.

The loss was the Caps fifth out of their last six games overall and tenth of their last eleven on the road, dropping their record to 21-25-7. The Penguins extended their winning streak to six games and improved to 25-17-8.

Game Notes:

Milan Jurcina's debut meant Lawrence Nycholat was a healthy scratch for the first time since his recall from Hershey on December 23rd. He had been slumping as of late, recording a -7 defensive rating in his last five games.... Daren Machesney backed up Kolzig for the second consecutive game as Brent Johnson remained out with a "body" injury(?).... The loss means the Caps are now 3-17-1 in the last 21 regular season games at Pittsburgh.... The Caps were shut out for the first time since a 5-0 loss at Carolina November 9th.... The 20 shots allowed by Washington was their fewest of the season.... A Boston win at Carolina tonight would drop the Caps to 14th in the conference.

Ottawa feels more like Florida

Streak Continues as Caps Drop Their Sixth Consecutive Road Game, And Lose Defenseman Mike Green
Ottawa Senators 5, Washington Capitals 2
Boxscore

A new climate nor a new country could snap the Capitals out of their current slide as they brought their sloppy play with them from Florida. The Caps kept pace with the swift footed Senators for most of the game, but suffered from mental lapses that led to Ottawa's goals.
Brent Johnson was solid at times keeping the game from getting out of hand, but allowed a couple soft goals in key situations. With the Caps trailing 1-0, Johnson seemed to freeze the puck following a routine save, but the puck would never find his glove and squeezed through his pads to a waiting Mike Comrie who slammed the gift home for the 2-0 lead. The other soft goal occurred midway through the second period with an assist from an unlucky bounce off the Scotiabank Palace end boards right into the front of the Caps net where Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson converted for the short-handed goal, and a 3-1 lead. The newly aquired center Comrie would then put the game out reach a minute later scoring on a wrist shot for his second of the game and the 4-1 lead.
The Capitals' highlights of the game came from Steve Eminger who recorded his first goal of the season, snapping a 41 game goal scoring drought dating back to last season, on a nice hustle play from Boyd Gordon. Alex Ovechkin also got credited with an assist on the play extending his goal scoring streak to 7 games. Earlier in the game Chris Clark scored his 17th goal of the season on a short-handed goal at the end of the first period that pulled the Caps to within one 2-1.
The news got even worse for the Caps after the game as they learned that Mike Green could soon join fellow defenseman John Erskine and Bryan Muir on the injured reserve list pending the results of the x-rays taken on his left leg. Green was injured while blocking a shot towards the end of the first period. He hobbled to the bench, then even returned for a shift at the beginning of the second period before leaving the game for good. The injury could not come at a worse time for the Caps who are thin on defense to begin with. Now they could be looking at calling up another defenseman before Thursday night's game at Carolina. In all likely hood that man would be Jeff Schultz who made his NHL debut earlier in the season with the Caps.

Caps/Senators Preview

Washington Capitals (19-19-7)
at
Ottawa Senators (26-19-2)

TV: Comcast SportsNet
Radio: Sportstalk 980-AM
Gametime: 7:30 PM

The Caps will try to end a five game losing streak tonight when they take on the Ottawa Senators from Scotiabank Place. They will have a tough challenge as Ottawa comes into the game as one of the NHL's hottest teams with a 9-1-1 record in their last 11 games. Their run includes them riding a four game winning streak heading into tonight's contest, outscoring their opponents by a 25-10 margin during that span. With centers Jason Spezza and Mike Fisher currently sidelined with knee injuries, wingers Danny Heatley and Daniel Alfredsson have more than picked up the slack. Heatley comes into the game with 8 goals and 15 points in his last 6 games, also recording a plus 13 +/-. Alfredsson, who had started the season off slowly which lead to trade talks of the Senators' captain, has turned his season around as of late and silenced his critics recording 4 goals and 12 points to go along with a plus 11 +/- during his last 4 games.
Brent Johnson will get the start tonight, his first since that forgettable game in Buffalo on December 26th last month. In that game he lasted only the first 7 minutes and 30 seconds of the first period, allowing 4 goals on 6 shots before being replaced by Olaf Kolzig.
In an interesting move yesterday in practice Glen Hanlon moved Donald Brashear to right wing on the second scoring line that includes the Caps hottest player left wing Alexander Semin, who enters the game on a career high five game goal scoring streak, and Center Kris Beech. This will provide the team with a more physical presence and hopefully allow Brashear to open up some more space for the play making Semin.
It will be an important game that only for the Caps mentally, to rebound from the thrashing given them by the Panthers Saturday night, but also in the standings. Depending on the outcome of the Carolina/Florida game, the Caps could find themselves in a tie for last in the Southeast Division should they loose.
As reported from Tarik El-Bashir, Alexander Ovechkin could be sporting a new visor tonight. Besides being "way cool", Tarik describes it as tinted with a blue iridium coating like you would find on a pair of Oakley sunglasses. It should be interesting to see the reaction he gets when he decides to wear it. His mirror-like visor was voted down last season by NHL general managers by a 29-1 vote.