It’s not every day that you’ll find a DC sports team favored to win much of anything. Although it’s America’s capital and the place where most major decisions are made, it’s certainly not a city considered to be prime in the realm of sport. No one’s really sure why, but DC teams always fail to impress.

In the big four sports—baseball, basketball, football, hockey—Washington DC has four well-known teams. MLS is out, so DC United, although it still has a relatively large fan base, doesn’t quite make the national radar.

Speaking of national – DC’s baseball squad, the Washington Nationals, are also out for the time being. Although they’ll probably get Strasburg back next year, the fact remains that we’re now in the League Championships, and the Nationals long missed the playoffs.

Then you have the Wizards in the NBA. The Washington Wizards, although able to compete with the big boys when healthy, habitually underachieve in a way that makes you want to pull your hair out. Now they have Wall, a (mentally) healthy Arenas, and a real opportunity to make up some ground. Things are looking better.

But don’t go crazy just yet. Betting on the Wizards to make the playoffs is about the same as playing online craps. It’s just too much of a gamble. The Eastern Conference in the NBA, with the Celtics, Heat, Bulls, Magic and Hawks, is just too strong.

So, there are three of Washington’s squads on the nowhere list.

Next up we have the Redskins. This storied NFL franchise is revamped and ready for big things with McNabb at the helm and Mike Shanahan coaching. The ‘Skins’ defense is tougher, their offense is more explosive, and they seem to be playing with more focus.

Here we have a DC team with a solid chance of doing well. They’re favored to make the playoffs which, for all intents and purposes, will be a big success for the McNabb/Shanahan combo in its first season. But a Wild Card round is really as far as the team is expected to go. So in the big picture, mark a Washington parade off the list.

You don’t need to be a player at the best online casinos to know that 5:1 (20%) is pretty bad odds for most games. For sports, however, 5:1 is a really high number, and the Washington Capitals, the cream of the NHL crop, are currently 5:1 to go to and win the Stanley Cup Finals.

The Caps had their best season last year, although falling short, and only the Chicago Blackhawks are even remotely close to Washington in the odds polls at this early juncture. They scored more goals by far than any squad last season, and they’re looking strong again through the early going.

Out of every franchise in DC, the Capitals are undoubtedly the best right now.

The better team won. Sidney Crosby got it started appropriately enough with a power play goal from where else but in front rebounding home a Sergei Gonchar shot. Eight seconds later when grinder Craig Adams tallied his first career postseason goal off a horrible Washington breakdown, that foretold a long night for Alex Ovechkin and the Caps who were just outclassed by a better Pens team 6-2 in the nation’s capital.

How bad a beatdown was it? The Caps had an egregious 11 giveaways after one period yet only trailed by two thanks to rookie netminder Simeon Varlamov. However, that didn’t stop the Pens all out attack from chasing the poor 21 year-old Russian with veteran Bill Guerin and defenseman Kris Letang scoring 1:44 apart before the 2:15 mark of period two.

By then with Jose Theodore in, it was fairly obvious that the home club just wasn’t right and wouldn’t be able to overcome their defensive deficiencies. In particular, Alex Semin and Mike Green had nightmarish games each turning the puck over four times while finishing a combined minus-five. Both players failed miserably in this series and will now get all summer to contemplate what went so wrong.

Jordan Staal scored the Pens’ fifth straight from in front setup by Miro Satan, who actually showed more of a pulse than the aforementioned MIA Cap stars. He had two assists finishing the series with four helpers. Not bad.

Of course, Ovechkin tried all game to lift his sagging team but it just wasn’t to be. Yes. He scored a gift wraparound into an open net following the only real mistake Marc-Andre Fleury made. But by then, his eighth goal of the series came unassisted cutting it to 5-1 with 21:51 left in their season.

Perhaps the turning point came early when the Great 8 got a breakaway getting past Rob Scuderi but Fleury didn’t go for the deke making a great lightning like glove save to deny the league’s Rocket Richard winner. Soon after, Shaone Morrisonn took an unnecessary slashing penalty which Crosby converted. Then Adams scored going five-hole on Varlamov stunning the sea of red. The Caps never recovered getting outshot 16-5.

They just were never in it. Crosby setup Guerin, who beat Varlamov with a clean unscreened wrister from the right wing 28 seconds into the second. Then Evgeni Malkin dished across for Letang, who was a star in this series netting his third goal. It was his overtime winner in Game 3 that gave the Pens enough life to rally back from a 0-2 deficit victimizing the Caps again for a third consecutive time. They’ve only lost one series to them in eight.

So, a great series had a small conclusion without any drama. I can only recall the year the Red Wings won the Cup in 2002 when Patrick Roy laid an egg against Dominik Hasek following his Game 6 gaffe that the Avs never recovered from. I think the score was something like 8 7-0. Well, I was close.

It was a sad way for it to end. Fittingly, with the Caps shorthanded trailing by four early in the third, Ovechkin was out for a rare PK shift. With the team pressing shorthanded, Green foolishly forced a pass back instead of shooting. Then Ovie tried to make a move and Crosby cleanly stripped him and walked in on a clean breakaway from the red line faking before opening Theodore’s five-hole. It was the Pens’ captain’s series matching eighth goal of the series. He was every bit as brilliant as Ovechkin finishing with 13 points. Sure. Maybe AO had 14 but who cares? His team lost. Not his fault. But hey. It’s a team oriented game.

After the handshake between the two stars, Crosby gave credit to his team’s D which was very underrated in this series. Letang played well as did Rob Scuderi and Hal Gill, who each saw plenty of Ovechkin. Even Mark Eaton contributed in both ends and Brooks Orpik played his traditional physical style. In the end, the Pens’ superior blueline was too much for the Capitals to overcome. It was nice to see Gonchar comeback and play netting an assist on Crosby’s opener which set the tone. And during the handshake, there was Ovechkin talking with his fellow countryman about the knee on knee collision. It looked like an apology. You could tell the respect they had for each other.

The Caps did try hard the rest of the period but only got a hardworking goal from the gritty Brooks Laich, who combined with Tomas Fleischmann. But 6-2 was as close as they would get with the Pens shutting it down the rest of the way.

Credit the Cap fans who remained for sending their team off the right way with cheers and chants of, “Let’s Go Caps, Let’s Go Caps, Let’s Go Caps!!!!!” It had to be extremely difficult to know their team would once again fall short against an old Patrick nemesis. But they did themselves proud standing and saluting their team who did likewise at the bitter end.

And so this epic battle has come to an end. Now, the Pens await the Carolina-Boston winner in another Game 7. Hopefully, that will be a little more competitive.

Here are the Pens in their second straight Conference Final though. A pretty darn good accomplishment considering where they were when Michel Therrien got axed. Dan Bylsma’s done a great job. But so too were the deadline moves for Guerin, Chris Kunitz and even Adams, who improved to 3-0 in Game 7′s. He was on the 2006 Stanley Cup champion Hurricanes. So go figure that he’d save his first ever postseason goal for tonight helping crush Cap hopes.

With it now finished, there’s little doubt who the leading candidate for the Conn Smythe is. That would be Sid The Kid who’s played unbelievably leading by example. Some say he scores all his goals from in tight. So, they’re not as flashy as Ovie. But they all count the same. And last I checked, going to the net is required to score in crunchtime. I still don’t like Crosby when he gripes to the refs but the man has played great this Spring. Let’s give credit where it’s due.

Funny but in some aspects, he reminds me of a better Zach Parise with more skill. Doesn’t Parise score most of his goals from in close? Pretty much. And he’s solidified himself as a top six forward.

And so, Crosby’s Pens live to play another day. Who will it be? We’ll know sometime tomorrow night.

In almost 24 hours, the second season will get started for John Tortorella’s Rangers when they visit superstar Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals in D.C.  If they did what was required by winning the final three to earn a fourth straight trip to the postseason and the East’s No.7 seed, then by no means will they be favorites against an explosive offense led by the game’s best player.

What the Rangers will attempt is to neutralize Ovechkin attacking a suspect D and veteran goalie Jose Theodore as much as possible, utilizing the more aggressive style that helped salvage a disappointing season. They should be able to score in this series and will call upon Henrik Lundqvist to come up with the momentum turning saves. If they get the goaltending, then perhaps an upset could be in the cards.

Let’s take a look at how the old Patrick Division rivals- who haven’t met in the playoffs since 1994 when the Blueshirts ousted the Caps in five games Conference Semis en route to a Stanley Cup- stack up:

FORWARDS-It’s pretty obvious that the high powered Capitals should have a decided edge boasting league leading finisher Ovechkin (56 goals, 110 Pts) along with super soph Nicklas Backstrom (22-66-88), Alex Semin (34 goals, 79 Pts, +25) and roving defenseman Mike Green (31-42-73, +24 in 68 GP), who basically is an extra threat who must be contained. Their secondary scorers shouldn’t be underestimated either featuring Brooks Laich (23 G), Tomas Fleischmann (19 G), Viktor Kozlov (41 Pts), Eric Fehr (12 G) along with the proven Sergei Fedorov (22 assists) and Michael Nylander (24 A). All this explains why Washington finished third in offense behind only Detroit and Boston.

Conversely, the Rangers had the third worst offense totaling only 200 goals excluding the shootout. It will take a total team effort. Their best players must perform which means Scott Gomez (16-42-58, 7 GW) must elevate his game off a disappointing second year on Broadway. Nik Zherdev (23-35-58) was up and down all season and awfully quiet down the stretch. That can’t happen. Chris Drury (22-34-56, 10 PPG) came on the final month but missed the final game and didn’t practice. He must be healthy. Nik Antropov (7-6-13 in 18 GP) has been a solid contributor whose size and skill have been a welcome sight. Top finisher Markus Naslund (24 goals) did little until the last week. Is that a good sign? Expect the Blueshirts to get contributions from Ryan Callahan (22 goals, SHG, +7), Sean Avery (12 Pts in 18 GP, 34 PIM) and rejuvenated soph Brandon Dubinsky (13 G, 28 A, 7 GW). Each must get involved physically.

Edge: Capitals

DEFENSE-Green (25:45 TOI) headlines a group that is solid but unspectacular. That includes former Ranger ‘fan fave’ Tom Poti (13 Pts, 28 PIM in 52 GP), who gets important minutes (21:08) as does Jeff Schultz (19:45). Milan Jurcina and John Erskine provided physicality and Shaone Morrisonn can move the puck. Bruce Boudreau will rely on Green a ton in all situations. They can be attacked.

A huge storyline to this series is how Marc Staal (15 Pts, 64 PIM, 21:07) will fare against Ovechkin. Tortorella has used the former 2005 No.1 pick along with partner Dan Girardi (18 helpers, 53 PIM, 21:31) as a shutdown pair. Both will need to be physical on Ovechkin limiting time and space. It will be trial by fire. Wade Redden (23 assists, 51 PIM, -5) has been a nightmare but does log crucial minutes (22:20). Michal Rozsival (8-22-30, 3 PPG, 22:30) has looked better since returning playing more steady which must continue. It would also help if he shot the puck. Paul Mara (5-16-21, 94 PIM  in 76 GP) quietly was the Rangers’ best defenseman and Derek Morris (8 A, 4 PPA, +3 in 18 GP) has been a good pickup showing the ability to make good reads along with smart outlets. He also has a rocket from the point.

Edge: Rangers

GOALIES-Washington GM George McPhee gambled on Theodore to replace Cristobal Huet. The one-time Hart/Vezina winner has been alright posting a 32-17-5 record along with a 2.87 GAA, .900 save percentage plus two shutouts. On most teams, those mediocre numbers wouldn’t be good enough. But on a high scoring run and gun team, it has. He’ll be asked to make timely saves in this series. Will he be up to the challenge? He’s the wild card in the series.

Henrik Lundqvist was an NHL All-Star for the first time establishing a new career high in wins (38) while putting up solid numbers across the board (2.43 GAA, .916 Sv Pct, 3 SHO) on a lowscoring team. It’s true enough he wasn’t always consistent but enters playing his best hockey of the season. He’ll have to be in tip top form and might need to steal a couple of games. This will be a huge test.

Edge: Rangers

Special Teams-Special teams are always important at this time of year. The good teams execute cashing in on opponents’ mistakes. This series pits the No.2 rated power play (Wsh-25.2) against the top ranked penalty kill (NYR-87.8 percent). Even though the tandem of Blair Betts and Freddy Sjostom are as good as it gets, it’s still advisable for Tort’s club to stay disciplined. The Caps have many weapons which is why it might be wise. The Ranger PK can attack having scored nine shorthanded goals and the Cap PP did give up 11 during the season.

As for the Ranger powerless play, they’ve driven fans nuts all year placing second to last converting at only a 13.9 clip. If there’s an area the coach must get untracked to win this series, it’s the man-advantage. They also allowed the second most shorthanded goals (14) in the league with just Calgary (15) worse. The encouraging news is they haven’t permitted one since the coaching change. Washington’s PK was middle of the pack (80.6 percent-tied 17th) but scored seven SHG.

Edge: Even

Coaches-Boudreau is in his second year and has guided the Caps to two consecutive Southeast Division Titles. He’s certainly done an admirable job turning this team into one of the better ones in the league. He can motivate. The question is what did he learn from last year’s first round ouster to the Flyers?

Tortorella boasts experience having been behind the Tampa Bay bench when they won the Cup in 2004. He’s fiery and demands a lot out of his players. If someone doesn’t perform, Tort won’t be afraid to bench them. He will doubleshift the players who are going and tinker with lines when things aren’t working. Can he outfox Boudreau?

Edge: Even

Intangibles-The Capitals believe they’re better than a year ago and ready to make some noise. So, there’s some pressure to deliver. Losing again in the first round would be a bitter pill to swallow following such a good season. The Rangers will also be expected to perform under Tort, who doesn’t take to losing well. Still, the pressure really isn’t on them in this series which might work to their advantage.

Edge: Rangers

Prediction-In assessing this series, it becomes clear that it’s basically offense against defense. Well, really the goaltending of Lundqvist to be exact. The Ranger blueline looks to have an edge. It might all depend on if the forwards score enough or what kind of series develops. A wide open one favors Ovechkin’s club. But a tighter series where defense and timely saves could factor in would bode well for the Blueshirts. They also haven’t performed well on the road winning just four times in the final 19. Plus the Caps went 29-9-3 at Verizon Center. Washington has never been kind to the Rangers. Due to that, it seems like almost too many things have to break right for them to pull it off.

Capitals in 7

NEWARK, NJ – The party lasted a little too long, and the hangover set in Tuesday night for the New Jersey Devils. Riding the high of an eight-game winning streak, the Devils ran out of gas against the quicker Washington Capitals, losing 5-2 in regulation.

Despite Captain Jamie Langenbrunner’s best effort to revive the team, by scoring a short handed goal in the opening moments of the third period to get the Devils within one, Washington was able to shut down the rest of the team. The NHL’s first star for the month of January scored his seventh goal in four games, but for the first time in that streak did not net the game-winner.

“For whatever reason, we weren’t sharp and our battle level wasn’t as good as it has been,” Langenbrunner said.

New Jersey was hampered by penalties at inopportune moments. Shortly after Langenbrunner’s goal, Mike Rupp was called for goalie interference when he led a breakaway and was tripped up in the crease. Rupp slid into Washington goalie Josè Thèodore before bouncing into the boards.

The Capitals, who had scored two of their earlier goals on the power play, took advantage of the extra skater again. Michael Nylander scored his second goal of the game at 10:59 in the third period, extending Washington’s lead to 4-2 by putting the puck between Scott Clemmensen’s legs.

“I thought we were getting a little bit of momentum there, but the call on Rupper wasn’t that hard and it’s a tough play, but our PK, we didn’t do our job tonight,” explained Langenbrunner.

Washington added an empty-net goal with 1:10 left to seal the 5-2 victory.

Coach Brent Sutter had mixed up some of the lines during morning skate, moving Brendan Shanahan onto a line with John Madden and Brian Rolston. The lines took the ice in the modified state, but it only lasted into the second period.

Despite maintaining offensive pressure, the Devils could not create many scoring opportunities in the first period.

“I just think we didn’t have any lines going no matter who you put together. The first period was just really slow and we didn’t create anything, we didn’t do anything, we just stood around and watched them play hockey,” explained Madden.

Washington scored their two power play goals in the first nine minutes of the game. Mike Green took a cross-ice pass from Alexander Semin and put it past Clemmensen 5:58 into the first period. Alex Ovechkin assisted.

Ovechkin assisted again nearly three minutes later, when he sent a pass to Brooks Laich in the crease, and Laich caught Clemmensen on the opposite side of the net.
“We got down 2-0 pretty early once again, we were still fighting, it’s just they had that little step on us all night long, pretty much, and that was the difference, I thought,” Clemmensen said.

Brian Rolston notched a goal for the Devils’ power play unit in the second period. With a 5-on-3 advantage, Zach Parise sent the puck from the corner up to Patrick Elias at the blue line. Elias then pushed the puck over to Rolston in between the circles. Rolston took one stride to his right and ripped a shot that slid under Thèodore.

New Jersey’s power play unit has scored in each of the last three games, and is now 4-7 in 5-on-3 opportunities this season.

The Devils go on the road Friday for a game in Atlanta, and then turn around and come home to play the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday. Because of the Rangers’ shootout loss Tuesday night, New Jersey remains four points ahead of the Blueshirts for the Atlantic Division lead.

Read more on the New Jersey Devils at http://www.devilsmademedoit.com, the only independent blog with locker room access.

UNIONDALE, NY- Alex Ovechkin usually makes highlight films thanks to offensive rushes that fulminate into highlight-worthy plays. Yet the NHL’s reigning MVP and scoring champion is also capable of destroying teams with subtle actions.

Before centerman Nicklas Backstrom takes an offensive zone faceoff, Ovechkin deftly lines up directly behind the circle, waiting to unleash a lightning-fast snapshot off a clean draw. But Ovechkin can also score at any point on the ice, evidenced by his two-goal performance, including the overtime game-winning tally, in Washington’s 2-1 overtime victory over the Islanders earlier in the week.

Ovechkin is just in his fourth season but will likely reach 200 career goals in the next month. The 23-year-old winger has the potential to threaten some of the league’s most heralded scoring record. After notching goals No. 30 and 31to move past Philadelphia’s Jeff Carter for the top mark. It was the first time all season the Art Ross winner sat alone atop the leader board, though Ovechkin said he didn’t mind giving the competition a chance 47 games into the season.

“It’s happened,” he deadpanned. “I give a chance to a different guy.”

Ovechkin and Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby are the NHL’s two most marketable stars. The Islanders can also take some solace in the fact that the Capitals finished 23-46-10 for a dismal 49 points in 2003-04. Washington won the No. 1 overall pick and selected Ovechkin, and the 6-2, 212-pound forward galvanized the franchise and lead the Capitals to the playoffs last season.

His goal totals in the first three seasons: 52, 46 and 65. Ovechkin is on pace to surpass the 50-goal mark at a time when there have been just 10 50-goal seasons from 2004-06 (including two from Ovechkin). One player can turn a lackluster club with no direction into a must-see event and contender in the conference.

“I don’t want to put myself on top of anybody,” Ovechkin said. “I just try and do the best that I can and try to help the team to win. I play hard all the time. No matter what happens, I just try, try, try and never give up.”

The Islanders have a chance to potentially select a player like that this spring in John Tavares. If the Isles, which enter the All-Star break 13-29-5 and eight points away from the second-worst team, win the draft lottery, the reeling team could finally have an impact scorer to put people in the seats and possibly even keep the Islanders in Uniondale.

While it takes more than adding one great player to morph into a championship contender, Washington coach Bruce Boudreau said a player like Ovechkin makes everyone else better.

“He raises the bar in that he wants everyone else to play as hard as him,” Boudreau said. “You watch how hard he plays, how can you not want to play with that intensity and passion every night when he’s doing that?”

Yann Danis started the season as the starter for Bridgeport in the AHL. He stepped into the starting role following injuries to Rick DiPietro and Joey MacDonald and was burned twice by Ovechkin. The first goal was a laser from the left point and the second was an easy one-timer off Alexander Semin’s centering pass during an overtime power play.

Danis was making just his 14^th career appearance, though experienced goalies have talked about the need to account for impact players like Ovechkin every second they are on the ice, which can open up room for other scorers and add a different dimension to the offense.

“You can definitely see why he scores a lot of goals,” Danis said. “He’s got a good shot, quick release and very skilled. You have to steady ready when he’s on the ice, that’s for sure.”

Capitals goaltender Jose Theodore saw the Hart Trophy winner score an overtime goal to beat the Islanders at the Coliseum Dec. 16. When asked if Ovechkin has a comfort level playing a hapless opponent in an old arena, the netminder didn’t hesitate to respond.

“There are a lot of buildings he likes to play in,” said Theodore, who posted 27 saves for his 200th career victory.

Ovechkin is still two years away from being able to rent a car at a reasonable price. Yet he already joined Hall of Famer Mike Gartner and perennial All-Star Peter Bondra has the only Capitals with four-straight 30-goal seasons.

Once timid and unsure of himself as a rookie off the ice, Ovechkin now speaks fluent English. Standing inside the visiting dressing room at Nassau Coliseum, Ovechkin spoke with a gold chain of his uniform No. 8 around his neck. He will play in his third All-Star game this weekend in Montreal and has the Capitals in contention for a second straight Southeast Division crown.

It seems everything is coming easy for Ovechkin, who unlike DiPietro, is living up to his huge contract. Ovechkin signed a 13-year, $124 million contract that is shorter than DiPietro’s 15-year pact but nearly twice the size in salary. Considering he has a whopping 194 goals, 175 points and 369 points in just 291 games, and so far the Capitals seem to be getting a bargain.

“Sometimes I have lucky bounces and luck goals,” Ovechkin said. “But you know, goals are goals. Sometimes my teammates give me great passes.”

UNIONDALE, NY-Injuries and a sputtering offense continues to exacerbate problems in a dismal Islanders season. But for all the organization’s talk about a youth movement, the club was able to see what a young, home-grown star really looks like.

Alex Ovechkin continued the Islanders misery, scoring both of Washington’s goals in a 2-1 overtime victory for the Capitals in a Monday matinee contest. The Islanders continued to be winless in 2009 but picked up a point for the first time in January thanks to Kyle Okposo’s tying power play goal 12:18 into the third period.

Okposo was just one of the many young players who spent time in AHL this season or 2007-08, though Washington seems to be doing just fine going young. The 23-year-old Ovechkin is the reigning Art Ross trophy winner as the NHL’s leading scorer and notched goals 30 and 31, including the game-winner off Alexander Semin’s one-time feed 1:46 into overtime. Ovechkin has cracked the 30-goal plateau in his first four seasons.

“It was a sick pass,” said Ovechkin, who also scored a game-winning overtime goal at the Coliseum in December. “I thought he gave it to me a little earlier, but it’s Semin, so he created opportunities for me to score goals.

“They played hard and played a physical game against us. I think we were kind of sleepy and didn’t play our best game today. But it’s always fun when you win the game, especially in overtime.”

Islanders fans might want to look away instead of processing the numbers. Take your pick: 0-7-1 record this month, a 2-17-3 mark in the last 22 games and 0-3-1 in the past four home contests. Don’t forget 29 points, which is the league’s lowest total by eight points.

Yann Danis started the season as the third string goalie but made his third straight start filling in after injuries to Rick DiPietro and Joey MacDonald. Danis was making his 14th NHL experience and looked shaky early in the opening period.

Brendan Witt’s roughing penalty put the Capitals on the power play. Washington took advantage, working along the blue line to find open space. Mike Green slide a hard pass to Ovechkin, who fired a one-time shot from the top of the left circle past Danis for a power play goal 6:35.

It marked Ovechkin’s fourth straight 30-goal season. He joins elite company in Capitals history. Only Peter Bondra and Mike Gartner accomplished at least four consecutive 30-goal seasons in the franchise’s history.

Danis settled down, turning aside 36 shots. He still dropped to 0-6 this year and is looking for his first NHL win since 2005. The Islanders have scored just one goal in four straight games, making it tough for any goalie to succeed.

“I’m feeling a lot more comfortable as I play in more games,” Danis said. “I felt good.”

Okposo finally ended the Isles pointless streak at seven. Nicklas Backstrom put the home team on the power play and Ovechkin turned it into a 5-on-3 situation four seconds later when he lifted a clearing attempt over the glass for a delay of game penalty.

Mike Comrie kept the play alive with a good keep at far left blue line, sending it to Mark Streit at the other point. The All-Star defenseman sent it down to Frans Nielsen, who fired a hard pass across the crease to an open Okposo.

The winger added his sixth goal, firing a one-time shot from point-blank range to tie it at 1 with 7:42 left after Washington’s Jeff Schultz couldn’t get over in time to stop the pass and Jose Theodore was late getting over.

“In three out of the four games, we were right in there,” Okposo said. “We outplayed teams at times. We just haven’t been able to get the breaks but our chance will come.”

Theodore made 27 saves. Danis outplayed his counterpart for the most part, making 20 saves in the second and third period. He nearly made one mistake with 14:32 left in the third and Caps nursing the 1-0 lead. Okposo broke his stick on a power play attempt and Danis raced far out of the net to clear the puck. Instead, his weak pass went right to a streaking Ovechkin stick blade.

The perennial All-Star couldn’t capitalize, sending a shot at the vacant net’s right side. Danis enjoyed a fortuitous bounce, gloving the puck while diving pack to the crease. Danis started the season as the Sound Tigers starting goalie. Thrust into the spotlight, the 27-year-old has played well in allowing just seven goals in his three starts, though coach Scott Gordon was not willing to give his netminder a pass for his mistakes.

“Obviously, he made some pretty good saves,” Gordon said. “I have concerns about the first goal going through him, and also the puck play that almost resulted in an empty-netter. Right now he’s got an opportunity and he’s got to make the most of it.”

There was some controversy regarding the Capitals overtime power play goal. Ovechkin drew a slashing penalty on Witt in neutral ice. Ovechkin said the reason for the infraction was simple.

“He broke my stick,” Ovechkin said. “That’s why it [the minor penalty] was called.”

Witt disagreed.

“I didn’t break it,” he said. “I’m not that strong to do it with one hand.”

Regardless, the penalty set up a 4-on-3 because of the overtime rules, and Ovechkin found the open net 21 seconds later. That goal moved him one past Philadelphia’s Jeff Carter for the league lead.

Cristobal Huet only faced 18 shots, but he stopped all of them shutting out the Devils 4-0 at the Prudential Center.

The Devils had three days off after Tuesday’s overtime loss to Carolina, but you wouldn’t have known it by the way they played. The Devils lacked energy and creativity and they made life very easy for the Capitals new netminder.

“I’d say it’s an ideal start,” said Huet. “We can’t stop here because we have a tough schedule ahead, but we got a good team win.”

After a scoreless first, Mike Green scored on the power play by walking in from the point and one-timing an offering from Alexander Semin into the back of the net. The tally was Green’s 17th of the season.

Viktor Kozlov scored very early in the third period taking a cross-ice pass from Alexander Ovechkin at the left circle and firing a wrist shot over Brodeur’s shoulder to make it 2-0.

Semin made it 3-0 on another cross-ice pass this one coming from Tom Poti. With Patrik Elias off for four minutes for high sticking, Poti sent the pass to Semin who one-timed it through Brodeur for his 20th marker of the season.

Enforcer Donald Brashear closed out the scoring firing a rebound upstairs with three minutes left in the game.

Perhaps the most distressing statistic was the Devils only getting two shots on goal in the final frame.

“We were not a very good hockey team the last two periods. Tonight was a reflection of the last two games. We lost a lot of battles tonight” said Coach Brent Sutter.

“We played well early on, but we just couldn’t match what they were bringing offensively,” said Brodeur. “We had a hard time handling their speed and we made it pretty easy for them.”

Newcomer Bryce Salvador was solid for the most part in his Devils debut. He appeared nervous at times, which he admitted to, but also at times looked to be the best blueliner suited up for New Jersey.

“Yeah, I was a little nervous, you know, first game, but I was ready to go,” said Salvador. “The bottom line is, it’s crunch time. Teams are going to bring their best game every night and everyone wants to beat the Devils. We’re at the top, but that doesn’t mean anything, because they’ll be bringing their “A” game every night.”

Notes: Salvador took the spot of Sheldon Brookbank alongside Andy Greene. Vitaly Vishnevski and Karel Rachunek were the other healthy scratches. Tonight’s win gave the Capitals their first 30-win season since 2002-2003. Matt Cooke was also acquired at Tuesday’s deadline, but he did not suit up for Washington, he was scratched along with John Erskine and Quintin Laing.