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Semin, Capitals take on Thrashers at home

Oct 14, 2006 - 3:31 PM Atlanta (3-1-1) at Washington (1-1-1) 7:00 pm EDT

WASHINGTON (Ticker) -- Alexander Semin was not expected to lead the Washington Capitals in goals, not to mention the entire NHL.

Semin will look to continue his offensive outburst as he leads the Capitals against the Atlanta Thrashers at the Verizon Center on Saturday.

A second-year left wing, Semin leads the league with five goals - one ahead of five other players. On a team with star left wing Alexander Ovechkin, the 22-year-old Semin has been the story.

He recorded his first career hat trick in a 5-2 victory over the defending-Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes last Saturday. Semin had 10 goals and 12 assists in 52 games last season.

In its last contest on Thursday, Washington suffered a 3-2 shootout loss to the Minnesota Wild. Semin was turned away by goaltender Manny Fernandez to open the second round of the shootout and Mikko Koivu beat goalie Brent Johnson to give the Wild the advantage.

The Thrashers also suffered a tough defeat in their last game on Friday. Ray Whitney scored with one-half of a second remaining to lift the Hurricanes to a thrilling 4-3 triumph over Atlanta.

The Thrashers erased a three-goal deficit in the game, storming back to forge a 3-3 tie. Jon Sim scored twice over a span of 22 seconds in the middle session and Bobby Holik tallied with 5:21 left in the third to complete the comeback.

Atlanta was 5-1-2 against Washington last season.