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Ovechkin Keeps Scoring, Caps Keep Winning
Alex Ovechkin, left, Mike Green enjoy a rare win in Buffalo. Ovechkin leads the league in goals.
(By Rick Stewart -- Getty Images)
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Ovechkin certainly gets it. He has six tallies in the past three games.
"I can't say any more," Boudreau said of Ovechkin, except "holy smokes, he's not bad."
Ovechkin's previous high for goals in a season was 52, set in 2005-06, the year he captured the Calder Trophy as the NHL's rookie of the year.
Against the Sabres, Ovechkin clinched the win with 6 minutes 41 seconds remaining. After taking a pass through the neutral zone from Viktor Kozlov, Ovechkin blasted into the Sabres' zone and whipped a wrist shot through Ryan Miller (20 saves) to make it 3-1. Kozlov had two primary assists.
After scoring, Ovechkin pumped both arms in the air as he taunted the fans, who apparently have not forgiven the 22-year-old Russian for his previous run-ins with former Sabre Daniel Briere.
Kolzig, meantime, was solid in place of the injured Cristobal Huet, who left Monday's 10-2 win over Boston after the second period with back spasms. Huet could start Saturday in Boston, Boudreau said.
Kolzig turned aside eight shots in the first period, which ended with the Capitals ahead 1-0 on Ovechkin's milestone goal.
Backstrom threaded a pass from deep in the Washington zone through Sabres and onto the stick of Ovechkin, who had sneaked to the Buffalo blueline. Ovechkin snagged the pass, dragged Miller across the crease, then stuffed a forehand shot underneath the goalie, who was making his 21st consecutive start.
After a wide-open first seven minutes of the second period, Ales Kotalik, from the blueline, blasted a power-play slap shot through the pads of Kolzig, who was screened by Thomas Vanek to tie the score 1-1.
But the Capitals came right back 50 seconds later. Ovechkin spun around Sabres winger Steve Bernier as Bernier skated the puck out of the Buffalo zone. It wound up going back in off the stick of Bernier -- that's why offsides was not called -- and right to Kozlov, who sent a saucer pass to Backstrom.
The 20-year-old rookie slipped the puck between Miller's pads to make it 2-1 at 13:27.
"We didn't give them too many chances, Olie played good, the whole team played good," Backstrom said. "It was really a team win."
