Ovechkin's 4 Goals Lift Capitals to Upset

Ovechkin's playing status was not determined until game time. Thirteen Capitals forwards, in fact, took the warmup just in case.

But he decided he would play. And did he ever.

Ovechkin put five shots on net in 21 minutes 21 seconds of ice time.

"I can't remember when I scored four goals in a game," he said. "It's a great feeling."

Nylander added: "He's an amazing player. He works hard. He has a tremendous passion for scoring goals. He shoots from anywhere. He plays like this every game."

Washington was dominant in the first period, out-shooting the Senators 11-2 and outscoring them 2-1 as the home fans voiced their displeasure on several occasions.

Semin put the Capitals ahead 1-0 only 61 seconds into the game after a Senators mix-up behind the goal. Ovechkin stretched the lead to 2-0 at 4:45 with his 12th power-play goal, blasting the puck past Martin Gerber (22 saves) between the pads.

Ottawa didn't notch its first shot on Kolzig until 11:34. Until that point, Kolzig's only save had been on shot that had been accidentally directed on net by a teammate.

But moments later, the Senators cut the Capitals' lead to 2-1 thanks to a power-play goal on a fluky bounce. Alfredsson's pass through the slot hit Boyd Gordon's stick, fluttered up in the air, then nipped defenseman Tom Poti's glove as he attempted to bat it away. The puck landed behind Kolzig and sneaked over the line at 12:13.

Ovechkin finished a two-on-one with Poti early in the second period to put the Capitals ahead 3-1 and Nylander made it 4-1 when he tapped in a power-play crossing pass from Backstrom.

Alfredsson scored on a penalty shot after being hauled down by Mike Green midway through the period, but Backstrom restored the Capitals' three-goal lead with 2.6 seconds remaining in the period when he fired the puck off the end boards, then tapped it past Gerber to send Washington into the third with a three-goal cushion.

Then things got crazy. But thanks to Ovechkin's pair of goals in the final 6:14, the Capitals were able to laugh after being outscored 4-3 in the third period.

"When you preach defensive hockey, that's exactly what you want," Boudreau cracked, "is a game like that."

Capitals Notes: Right wing Chris Clark missed his 14th consecutive game with a strained groin muscle. In all, the captain has missed 22 of the team's 39 games because of injuries. . . . Winger Matt Pettinger and defensemen Steve Eminger and John Erskine were healthy scratches.