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Ovechkin, Semin lead Capitals past Maple Leafs

Dec 24, 2006 - 5:30 AM TORONTO (Ticker) -- It is becoming increasingly difficult to keep Alex Ovechkin off the scoreboard for long.

Ovechkin netted his 24th goal and Alexander Semin added a goal and an assist as the Washington Capitals scored three power-play tallies in the second period en route to a 3-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Last season's Calder Trophy winner, Ovechkin was held without a point in Friday's loss to the New Jersey Devils after collecting seven goals and 11 assists in his previous eight contests.

However, Ovechkin opened the scoring with 7:59 left in the second period when he knocked in a rebound of Semin's pass in front past goaltender Andrew Raycroft.

"The first goal was a little bit lucky because (Semin) goes to the net and shoots the puck and I have a rebound," Ovechkin said.

Just 88 seconds later after Toronto captain Mats Sundin was called for holding, Semin doubled the margin with a wrister from the high slot that beat Raycroft to the glove side for his 15th tally.

"(Semin) seemed focused tonight because there was so much emphasis and so much media hype with (Ovechkin) coming in," Capitals coach Glen Hanlon said. "Semin just kind of quietly goes about his business and puts on his own little highlight reel. We've seen this now for 36 games and we're quite happy with his play."

The Capitals again struck with the man advantage with 1:33 left in the session as Dainius Zubrus scored his 14th goal on the doorstep off the left goalpost after Ovechkin's feed for a 3-0 lead.

"I thought the one goal by Zubrus was pretty much a singlehanded effort and not something so much as execution on the power play," Hanlon said. "After that, it was kind of what we're been waiting for here. We've just been hovering around the pack (converting power plays)."

After scoring on a penalty shot at 3:16 of the third period, Sundin recorded his fourth multi-goal game of the season just 14 seconds later, beating netminer Olaf Kolzig to the short side.

"I didn't think it was a penalty shot," Kolzig said. "(Sundin) made a pretty good move and got a good chance off. I don't know what (referee Paul Devorski) saw, but figured it was 3-0 and let's give the home crowd something to cheer about."

"We had a lot of chances," Sundin said. "I thought we played pretty strong in the third (period). Still, though, we win three games in a row and now we've lost three in a row. To give all that back is obviously very frustrating."

Kolzig made 35 saves and raised his record to 6-2-1 in his last nine starts for the Capitals.

"We probably didn't play our best hockey in the first period, but I thought in the second period, we did a better job," Kolzig said. "Obviously, we got a 3-0 lead and then it was a case of Toronto being embarrassed in their own building."

Raycroft stopped 24 shots and slipped to 14-12-3 for Toronto, which lost its third consecutive game.

"I thought we played 50 minutes of pretty spirited hockey," Maple Leafs coach Paul Maurice said. "But being in the box for those three power-play goals was tough. We skated well for a big bulk of the game. We just couldn't finish."