Denver, CO (Sports Network) - Olaf Kolzig stopped 45 shots to help the
Washington Capitals to a 5-3 victory over the Colorado Avalanche at Pepsi
Center.
Alexander Ovechkin and Dainius Zubrus each scored goals for the Capitals, who
snapped a two-game slide.
Andrew Brunette had two goals and an assist and Peter Budaj stopped 25-of-29
shots for the Avalanche, who had won three of their last four games coming
into the game.
Joe Sakic finished with a goal and an assist in the game. His assist on
Colorado's first goal gave him 1,500 points in his career, making him the 11th
player in NHL history to reach that plateau. Also, he is the sixth player to
reach 1,500 points for one franchise.
"It was neat to get it out of the way," said Sakic. "Sure wish it was from a
win. I did not think I would be playing 18 years, I am fortunate to have
played with some great players. When you are near the end I think you savor it
more."
The Capitals grabbed a 1-0 lead 53 seconds into the game when Chris Clark
smacked a bouncing puck in the slot over the left pad of Budaj for his third
goal of the season.
The Avalanche, though, tied the game at the 11:33 mark of the opening 20
minutes. Sakic brought the puck into the zone and from the right circle
dropped the puck to Marek Svatos at the right point. Svatos cranked a slap
shot that Kolzig made a save on, but the rebound went into the slot and
Brunette knocked it in for his fourth goal of the season.
Washington scored twice in the second stanza to assume a 3-1 lead.
Mike Green brought the puck into the Colorado end, fought off a checker and
went from the backhand to the forehand and slid the puck past the left pad of
Budaj at the 8:52 mark of the period.
"I cut across through the middle and I noticed the puck was still on my
stick," said Green. "I broke in and found the net. It gave us a little bit of
juice for the rest of the game."
On the power play, Ovechkin had the puck at the left circle and wristed a
laser shot that squeezed between Budaj's right side and the left goalpost with
9:30 left in the period.
Colorado cut its deficit to 3-2 when Svatos slid the puck under the sticks of
two defenders to Sakic at the low left circle and Sakic's sharp wrister went
between the pads of Kolzig just 1:42 into the third.
Washington, though, regained its two-goal advantage less than two minutes
later when Zubrus muscled the puck out of the deep right boards, brought the
puck out front and slid it between the pads of Budaj.
Ovechkin was awarded a penalty shot with 8:02 left in the period when he was
hooked by Ken Klee on a breakaway. Ovechkin skated in and from the low slot
flicked a wrister, but the shot missed the net.
Skating 6-on-4 with a power play and the net empty, Colorado cut the score to
4-3 when Brunette smacked in a rebound with 2:35 to play.
However ,Matt Bradley's empty-net goal with 36 seconds to play sealed the
victory for Washington.
