Capitals Cruise 4-1 as Ovechkin Nets 2; Theodore Injured

It had been a few games since Alex Ovechkin had found the back of the net, and the Capitals record was showing it. Winless in their last four, the Washington Capitals needed to right the ship but were facing a tough opponent in Western Conference powerhouse, San Jose.  The Capitals hadn't beaten the Sharks in nearly ten years (0-10-1 in that stretch), Alex Ovechkin had never scored against Sharks' netminder Evgeni Nabokov, and Alex Semin had never registered a point against the Sharks.  In an attempt to jumpstart the team's offense, Capitals' Head Coach Bruce Boudreau shuffled the lines, pairing Ovechkin with Brendan Morrison and Mike Knuble, and moving Nick Backstrom to center Alex Semin and Brooks Laich.

When the first period ended, things were not looking good for Washington.  Even though the Capitals had converted on a 5-3 power play, the Sharks had killed off four other penalties and Benn Ferriero turned a Capitals' defensive letdown into a game tying goal.  The Sharks came out flying in the second, drawing a penalty 32 seconds into the period.  The Capitals were able to kill off the power play, and a few minutes later, Alex Ovechkin once again demonstrated why he is the best player in the NHL.  Barreling towards the net, once from the right wing and once from the left, Ovechkin scored twice  just 28 seconds apart, both on assists from Knuble and Morrison, to completely change the flow and momentum of the game.  The Sharks', visibly deflated, played a listless third period, and Washington tightened up defensively to close the door, something that Coach Boudreau had been insisting that the team needed to do after blowing leads in several games earlier this year.

The only blemish on the night for the Capitals was that starting netminder, Jose Theodore, left the game after the first period with back spasms.  Semyon Varlamov, who came on in relief, stopped all 15 shots he faced.  If Theodore were to miss an extended period of time, look for Michal Neuvirth to be recalled from Hershey.  

With his two goals tonight, Ovechkin vaults over teammate Alexander Semin (who had a goal as well) into the NHL goal-scoring lead with seven goals on the year.