Alexander Ovechkin brought the Washington Capitals’ home-opener crowd to their feet three times on Saturday night: twice with goals, including the eventual game-winner in their 5-2 triumph over the Carolina Hurricanes, and once when he was face-down on the ice, writhing in pain as those fans shot up from their seats and held their collective breath.

With 5 minutes, 20 seconds left in the game, Ovechkin delivered a punishing check in the offensive zone on Carolina’s Eric Staal, sending him to the ice near the far boards. Hurricanes defenseman Tim Gleason skated over and attempted to lay out Ovechkin, who moved away but not before his knee collided with Gleason’s leg. A melee ensued while a trainer checked on the star winger. Ovechkin eventually got to his skates and left the ice while hunched over, treating his leg tenderly. But Ovechkin being Ovechkin, he returned to the ice moments later for a Washington power play.

After the game, Ovechkin acknowledged that the situation could have been far worse. "I’m lucky. They were playing unfair," he said.

Ovechkin broke three sticks in the first period against the Hurricanes, and was taking shots from literally every angle he could in the second. His wrist-shot that beat Cam Ward at 8:04 of the third period was the game-winning goal.

But Ovechkin wasn’t the only Alexander who starred in the opener.

SEMIN’S TRICK

Before the season, Capitals owner Ted Leonsis predicted that Alexander Semin would have a breakthrough season in his second stint with the team — that the Russian winger was bigger and better than he was in 2004.

So far, Ted’s a soothsayer: Semin’s first NHL hat trick propelled Washington to victory, giving the Capitals an offensive spark they sorely lacked in their season-opening loss to the Rangers.

"First game in New York, I think, was just not our day," said Ovechkin. "In the third period, we dominate the Stanley Cup champions [tonight]."

Semin’s emergence as an offensive threat could have enormous implications for Ovechkin’s top line. "Alex and Dainius [Zubrus] have always played against a top checking line every single game, and it gets wearing because you get the best defensemen from every single team," said captain Chris Clark, who returned to the top line after an experimental Ovechkin-Zubrus-Zednik line failed to click in MSG. "Now, we might not see the best defensemen with Semin’s line [working]."

After the victory, Coach Glen Hanlon was counting his blessings that Alex and Alex would continue their offensive dominance throughout the season.

"I thank God at night for having a great wife, and I say a quiet prayer for having those two guys on the team," he said, with a laugh.

PREGAME FESTIVITIES

The Capitals’ opening night bells and whistles were well orchestrated, with video projected directly on the ice.

And smoke machines. Gotta have smoke machines.

Giant photos of the Capitol dome morphed into the Capitals logo. Several players — Olie Kolzig, Brian Sutherby, Chris Clark and Alex Ovechkin among them — were spotlighted as different chapters of a ever-growing legend: their photos in one zone and video highlights running on another part of the ice. The montage ended with a rink-long photo collage of Capitals fans, including one holding a homemade Stanley Cup with "Let’s Go Caps" written on the front. One could only wonder the date on which that picture was snapped…

A video opening featured a dozen Caps led by Ovechkin in a "Reservoir Caps" slow-mo walking scene, followed by a snazzy collection of quick-cuts that looked so striking and menacing it may have been the first time this writer was willing to accept that the all-black jerseys weren’t so traditionally offensive after all.

The player introductions were next. A large screen with the team logo projected on it had a door that opened and closed for each player to skate through when his name was called. This naturally led to a moment of levity when defenseman John Erskine’s name was called, the door slid open, and the scratched player never appeared. Laughter ensued.

Perhaps it was because his was one of the last names announced, but Kolzig’s ovation from the crowd was simply deafening — even louder than Ovechkin’s.

Kolzig had a quietly good game: giving up a bad goal, but making all the saves he needed to make to keep Washington close before the Capitals took over.

THE SCORING

WASHINGTON GOAL (1st Period, 12:38): ALEXANDER SEMIN (2), ASSISTED BY CHRIS CLARK (2).

Semin’s second goal in two games. He skated in one-on-one with defenseman Anton Babchuk, and used him a screen to fire off a shot. Ward was giving him five-hole, but couldn’t close it fast enough — getting a piece of the puck before it trickled in. It’s a quintessential Semin tally: using his speed to turn Clark’s pass into an offensive chance, and then putting the puck in the net. It’s also something painfully missing from last year’s team: the ability for a player not named Ovechkin to individually create offense and relive some of the pressure on him to do so. That No. 8 had his best shift of the night at that point after Semin’s goal is no coincidence.

1-1 CAROLINA PP GOAL (2nd Period, 1:40): ANDREW LADD (1), ASSISTED BY TIM GLEASON (1) AND JUSTIN WILLIAMS (2).

With Zubrus in the box for tripping, Tim Gleason’s shot from the point was deflected by Ladd past Kolzig. No pressure from the Capitals on the shooter, and the Hurricanes had both Ladd and Brind’Amour sniffing around the crease.

2-1 CAROLINA GOAL (2nd Period, 5:21): NICLAS WALLIN (1), ASSISTED BY SCOTT WALKER (1) AND ERIC BELANGER (1)

Wow, did Kolzig want this one back. He didn’t move until Wallin’s shot was in the top corner of the net. Kolzig swung his stick like a baseball bat in disgust as the Hurricanes celebrated. Pretty shot, but one that Kolzig could have deflected.

WASHINGTON GOAL (2nd Period, 9:11): ALEXANDER SEMIN 2 (3), ASSISTED BY BRIAN POTHIER (2) AND RICO FATA (1)

On delayed penalty against the Hurricanes. Pothier — who played a smart, confident offensive game — kept the puck at the right point, passed it on to Semin, who waited…and waited…and waited before firing a missile over Ward’s left shoulder to tie the game. Hardly a screen outside of the Carolina defender, so it was another Semin solo effort.

Hanlon noted that the team got a major boost in the second period from the Brian Sutherby-Brooks Laich-Donald Brashear line, which sparked the team with a ferocious fore-checking shift. "The first shift turned the momentum. I thought that was a real key for us," he said.

3-2 WASHINGTON GOAL (3rd Period, 8:04): ALEXANDER OVECHKIN (1), ASSISTED BY CHRIS CLARK 2 (3).

Clark and Ovechkin make a good defensive play near the top of their defensive zone, and are off on a two-on-three break. Clark dishes to Ovechkin near the offensive blue line, two defenders follow him near the right boards. A quick wrister from Ovechkin beats Ward high, and his celebration is a mixture of genuine jubilation and palpable relief after a frustrating two periods.

4-2 WASHINGTON PP GOAL (3rd Period, 13:03) ALEXANDER OVECHKIN (1), ASSISTED BY BRIAN POTHIER 2 (3) AND DAINIUS ZUBRUS (1)

Pothier’s right point shot was deflected by Ovechkin about 12 feet in front of Ward as Gleason meekly tried to move him out of scoring position. Perhaps the best the Capitals’ power play has looked this season, and partially because of the match-up with Carolina. Clark said after the game that the Hurricanes tend to collapse everyone towards the net on the kill. "We knew our defensemen would be open, so we tried to the get the pucks to them as often as possible."

5-2 WASHINGTON 2-MAN PP GOAL (3rd Period, 17:13) ALEXANDER SEMIN 3 (4), ASSISTED BY KRIS BEECH (2) AND BRIAN POTHIER 3 (3)

Carolina fell apart near the end of the game, with Erik Cole taking a slashing penalty while the Hurricanes were already a man down and Staal following with an unsportsmanlike penalty. On a 5-on-3 power play, Pothier sent a right-point pass to Beech, who was on Ward’s left. Beech zipped the puck through the crease, either hoping for a deflection or for Semin on the left side of the crease. He found Semin, and Semin roofed it for his first career hat trick in 54 NHL games.

With 42 seconds left in the tilt, Donald Brashear got into a truncated brawl with Carolina’s Scott Walker: one of those scuffles where the referees refuse to clear space for a proper slugfest and there’s actually no fighting penalties assessed.

It was actually lot like the Hurricanes in this game, who looked like they were in for a fight until the Capitals proved them punchless in the third period.

UP NEXT

The Capitals are off until Thursday, Oct. 12, when they travel to Minnesota for an 8 p.m. game against the Wild. The next home game is Saturday, Oct. 14, against Atlanta at 7 p.m. The Capitals will honor Ovechkin’s Calder Trophy win with a pregame ceremony.