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Capitals-Panthers Preview

Jan 13, 2010 - 7:08 AM By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO STATS Writer

Washington (27-12-6) at Florida (18-20-7), 7:30 p.m. EDT

Alex Ovechkin may find himself at the forefront of anything involving the Washington Capitals, but their scoring depth is the best in the NHL. The Florida Panthers know all about it.

The Capitals will try to beat the Panthers for the fourth consecutive time Wednesday night in Florida, and this time Ovechkin will be in uniform when the Southeast Division rivals meet.

Ovechkin is tied with Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby for third in the league with 56 points, while his 27 goals rank fourth.

The left wing had two assists in Tuesday's 7-4 loss at Tampa Bay, but found himself in the spotlight for a different reason as Washington (27-12-6) saw its three-game win streak halted. The Lightning's Steve Downie took exception to a perceived "dirty" hit with a knee by Ovechkin and challenged him to a fight. Matt Bradley, though, skated in front of the Capitals' captain and fought Downie instead.

The NHL is expected to review Bradley's actions, which earned him four penalty minutes and a game misconduct.

"I dropped my helmet and I dropped my gloves, so I was ready to fight," Ovechkin said. "Brads jumped in to fight for me. He did a great job."

Just as Bradley stepped in to fight for Ovechkin, his teammates are helping to contribute offensively. Ovechkin has scored only one goal in his last five games. He has five assists in his last three.

The Capitals have scored 22 goals in the last five games, with those tallies spread among 11 players. Alexander Semin has led the way during that stretch, scoring five to bring his total to 19 in 2009-10.

Washington's scoring depth has been evident all season. The Capitals, who lead the NHL with 166 goals, boast a league-high nine players with at least 10.

That balance has enabled Washington to win all three of its previous meetings this season with Florida (18-20-7), as 11 Capitals have found the net with five more getting at least one assist. Ovechkin missed each game due to either injury or suspension.

The two-time reigning Hart Trophy winner sat out the last meeting due to a suspension for a kneeing penalty, but Semin came up big with two goals and two assists to lead the Capitals to a 6-2 home win Dec. 3.

Ovechkin, who will be available Wednesday, has 17 goals and 20 assists in 30 games against the Panthers, including 12 goals in 15 matchups in the Sunshine State.

"It can't be any worse than without him," Panthers coach Peter DeBoer said. "They were great against us in the games they played without him. There's not too many coaches around the league that are going to be hoping Ovechkin is in the lineup, but based how we played without him in the lineup we'll take it."

The Panthers were able to take advantage of injury-riddled Ottawa on Saturday, prevailing 3-0 to avoid a winless three-game road trip and earn their third victory in the last nine games. Rostislav Olesz had two goals, matching his total from the previous 17 games.