New York (11-4-1) at Washington (6-4-2) 7:00 pm. EST
WASHINGTON (Ticker) -- Alex Ovechkin is in a major slump, but
the Washington Capitals haven't suffered terribly thanks to
another Alex.
Alexander Semin looks to continue his hot streak on Saturday
when the Capitals host the New York Rangers.
The reigning Hart Trophy winner, Ovechkin has gone a career-high
eight games without a goal. The Capitals have managed to tread
water without their best player scoring, going 3-3-2 in that
span.
Ovechkin did assist on all three goals in Thursday's dramatic,
3-2, win over Carolina, including Semin's game-winner with 10.9
seconds left.
The 24-year-old Russian is proving that the Capitals are more
than a one-man show. Semin's two goals against the Hurricanes -
which were scored with under three minutes to play - gave him 10
in 12 games. He has been especially good at home, posting seven
tallies and leading the club to a 4-0-1 mark here.
That is bad news for the Rangers, who are 3-2-11 in Washington
since 2000.
New York hasn't had any problem finding the net this year, as
five players have at least five goals. Chris Drury recorded his
second career hat trick and Henrik Lundqvist stopped 36 shots as
the Rangers posted a 5-2 victory over Tampa Bay on Thursday.
Lundqvist, who improved to 9-3-1 with a 2.00 goals-against
average, is 7-2-1 with a 2.52 GAA in 10 starts against
Washington.