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Byfuglien scores winner as Jets take down Caps

Mar 17, 2012 - 5:52 AM Winnipeg, MB (Sports Network) - Dustin Byfuglien scored the game-winner midway through the third period, as the Winnipeg Jets took down the Washington Capitals, 3-2, in a key Southeast Division battle.

Andrew Ladd and Nik Antropov also lit the lamp for the Jets, who have won four of six and now sit two points behind the Capitals in both the division and Eastern Conference standings.

Ondrej Pavelec made 20 saves for Winnipeg, which improved to 23-10-4 at home this season.

"It was a heck of a game; it was very much all that it made out to be...it was a playoff style game," Winnipeg head coach Claude Noel said. "It would have been a sad game to lose. We had some good chances and held them off pretty good. It was everything we could do to win the game."

Brooks Laich and Mathieu Perreault scored for the Capitals, who sit eighth in the East with 78 points.

Tomas Vokoun made 25 saves for Washington, which had a four-game winning streak snapped.

Ladd got the scoring started at the 11:08 mark of the first period. Ladd's initial shot from the slot hit off a Washington player, but he gathered the loose puck and put a backhander past Vokoun.

Just 22 seconds later, Laich deflected a Marcus Johansson shot past Pavelec to make it 1-1.

Antropov's backhander with 3:50 left in the middle stanza made it 2-1 Winnipeg.

Perreault's power-play goal just 27 seconds in the third tied the game again. His shot from the bottom of the left circle got past Pavelec.

Byfuglien scored the go-ahead goal for the Jets at the 9:21 mark. Evander Kane carried the puck down the left side to the goal line. He then threw the puck in front and Byfuglien chipped the puck past Vokoun.

Washington had a great chance to tie the game when Winnipeg's Ron Hainsey was sent to the penalty box with 2:22 left. The Capitals pulled Vokoun for a 6- on-4 advantage, but failed to score.

"We came back in the second period pretty well. We scored the first goal right away but again it was one of those games where who scores the third goal wins. It was still a tough loss," Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin said.

Game Notes

The Jets have taken three of five from the Capitals this season...Washington defenseman Mike Green returned to the lineup after serving a three-game suspension...The Jets went 0-for-6 on the power play, while the Capitals went 1-for-3 on the man advantage.