Super Weekend For Ovechkin And The Capitals

Alex Ovechkin celebrates 3rd period goal vs Red Wings with Jeff Schultz.
January 31, 2009 Photo by Nick Wass / Associated Press

This past weekend went very well for Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. The Caps are flying high. Maybe not not as high as Michael Phelps, but in a better way, after winning both Saturday's and Sunday's games.

On Saturday, Washington hosted the Detroit Red Wings for a 12:30 PM game and handed last year's Stanley Cup Champions their fifth straight loss. Alex Ovechkin scored two third period goals in the span of 1:16, the second while on a power play. Ovechkin now leads the NHL with 18 third period goals and is tied for second place with 7 game winners. Viktor Kozlov also scored in the first period, and defenseman Mike Green got his 14th of the season in the second, giving the Capitals a 4-2 victory. Washington showed no signs of letting up in the final two minutes of the game, even after being called for three straight penalties and facing a 6 on 3 Detroit power play for part of that time. Jose Theodore stopped 27 of the Red Wings 29 shots on goal, making his record in goal 18-9-2. Tom Poti skated for 20:38 and blocked five shots in a much welcomed return. He had missed 15 games due to a groin problem.

After Saturday's win versus the Red Wings, the Caps kept their foot on the gas and mowed down the Ottawa Senators by a score of 7-4 on Sunday in another 12:30 PM game. Brent Johnson made 34 saves in net, giving him a 12-6-2 record, with a 2.81 GAA and .908 Sv% in 21 games this season. Johnny is now 9-0-1 at home. Mike Green started the Capitals scoring in the first period, getting his 15th goal of the season while on the power play, just three seconds off the draw. He also had three assists on the day and leads the league's defenseman in scoring. Less than a minute after Green's goal, the Capitals got another quick PPG, when Ovechkin buried one just four seconds of the draw. Ovechkin would go on to score two more goals (35 and 36) in the second period for a hat trick. Ovie now has seven career hat tricks. Also scoring in the second, Eric Fehr got his 4th goal and Alexander Semin his 19th of the season. Nicklas Backstrom capped off the win with a 155+ ft shot on an empty net from the slot in front of Washington's goal, giving him his 13th.

A review of this past weekend is a pleasure for Washington Capitals fans. The Capitals (68 points) moved back ahead of the New Jersey Devils (67 points) in the standings with the four point weekend. Guess who the Caps face next? Yeah, they head to Jersey, where they'll try to hang on to second place in the Eastern Conference on Tuesday night.