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Senators-Capitals Preview

Mar 29, 2010 - 5:20 PM By MIKE LIPKA STATS Writer

Ottawa (41-30-5) at Washington (49-15-11), 7:00 p.m. EDT

Four consecutive victories have the streaky Ottawa Senators gaining confidence as they move closer to locking up a postseason berth.

A slight slip-up may be causing the Washington Capitals - or at least their fans - to feel a bit apprehensive.

The NHL-leading Capitals heard some boos after a rare home loss over the weekend, but they have since clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference and will try to bounce back Tuesday night against visiting Ottawa.

Washington (49-15-11) is a few wins from securing its first Presidents' Trophy, but the Capitals were outscored 4-0 in the first period of a 5-3 loss to visiting Calgary on Sunday - their second straight defeat.

"You just put that one behind you and live for the next day," forward Mike Knuble said. "It's no indication of anything. It's just one of those games you're probably due for. It's probably good for us at this point."

Some of Washington's fans didn't agree, expressing their displeasure even though the Capitals are 27-5-4 at home.

"When you've lost four out of 35 at home, give the guys at break," coach Bruce Boudreau said. "I could see it if we were doing this on a regular basis."

The crowd had been hoping to watch the Capitals clinch the East title for the first time in franchise history, but that didn't happen until later Sunday when New Jersey lost at Philadelphia.

Washington has a five-point lead and a game in hand on San Jose in the race for the NHL's best record, and performances like Sunday's have been uncommon.

Jose Theodore was chased after allowing three goals on 10 shots in 10:34, although he remained 17-0-2 in his last 20 appearances because Semyon Varlamov gave up the winner.

Alex Ovechkin had a goal and an assist to clinch his third straight 100-point season. With 46 goals, he trails Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby by one for the league lead.

Ottawa has had problems containing the Capitals' high-powered offense during recent visits to Washington.

The Senators are 2-1-0 overall against the Capitals this season and have held Washington's league-leading power play without a goal in eight chances. However, Ottawa has allowed 37 goals - nine by Ovechkin - while losing seven straight at the Verizon Center.

The Senators (41-30-5) have been no strangers to streaks lately. They won 11 in a row from Jan. 14 to Feb. 4, but have lost five straight twice in 2010.

The Senators gave up four goals while winning their last four and have a firm grip on fifth place in the East. They are all but certain to return to the playoffs after their run of 11 consecutive postseason appearances was snapped in 2008-09.

"We can match up against anybody I think," captain Daniel Alfredsson said. "We know how close it is and how close a (playoff) series will be, but we feel that if we can continue here all the way to the playoffs, we can do some damage."

Ottawa still has some offensive issues. Veteran Alex Kovalev has no points in 11 games since the Olympic break, while Milan Michalek and Filip Kuba are out with injuries. Michalek is tied for the team lead with 22 goals and Kuba is the club's top-scoring defenseman.

Goaltending has helped compensate, with Brian Elliott stopping 116 of 120 shots in the Senators' last four games. He has gone 17-6-0 with a 2.09 goals-against average in his last 25 outings.

Despite a 4.13 GAA, Elliott is 3-0-0 in four starts against Washington.