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Beninati: The Two Alex's Lead The Way

By Joe Beninati
Capitals Play-By-Play

It was entertaining, it was nerve-racking, and in the end it was a satisfying shootout victory for the Caps. Mike Green told us before the game that the team's intention was to bring back home the simple stuff that worked so well on the road against Nashville and Philadelphia.  Those things include keeping your composure and being patient in the face of adversity. For half the game the Caps did a solid job of putting those elements to work, but then they got seduced into a run-and-gun, wide open offensive showcase, and it backfired against them, as they watched a 4-2 lead dissolve in the last 22 minutes of the contest.

Jose Theodore put on a fabulous display of goaltending in the overtime period. He made a half-dozen saves while the Caps were short handed in OT, including an awesome glove save on Joni Pitkanen from 25 feet.

The Caps power-play was back to it's lethal self again this evening. This is the sixth time this year they have scored three power-play goals in a game. The players will tell you it's not something they want to be overly reliant upon, but if it's going to keep producing like this, few people will complain.

Alex Ovechkin put himself on the verge of more Caps history tonight. His next marker will make him the first Cap ever to score 50 or more goals in a season three different times.

Alex Semin was once again the biggest threat to the Carolina Hurricanes. In his six seasons in the NHL, Semin has riddled the 'Canes like no other team in the league. He has scored at least one goal in eight straight games against them. He has at least one point against them in 11 straight head-to-head meetings. He's been particularly vicious against them this winter.

Semin and Ovechkin put the finishing touches on the shootout win with forehand shots that broke through Cam Ward. When Green, Backstrom, and the two Alex's combine for all the goals in a game it usually works out in Washington's favor.  Tonight they escaped. That Carolina team has some serious fire power and they made it very interesting.  Keep your fingers crossed for more good things ahead with the next five games on the road.

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