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Ovechkin, Capitals look to bounce back against Panthers

Feb 7, 2009 - 12:45 PM Florida (25-18-8) at Washington (33-16-4), 7:00 p.m. EST

WASHINGTON (Ticker) -- Now that Alex Ovechkin has his milestone out of the way, the reigning Hart Trophy winner can help his team find the winning touch again.

Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals look to get back on track when they host the Florida Panthers on Saturday.

A three-time All-Star, Ovechkin recorded his 200th career goal Thursday but it was not enough to prevent a 5-4 loss to the Los Angeles Kings.

Defenseman Mike Green scored twice, Alexander Semin also tallied and Nicklas Backstrom registered a pair of assists for Washington, which saw its three-game winning streak come to an end despite posting a 22-5 advantage in shots during the third period.

The 23-year-old Ovechkin has scored the most goals of any player in the NHL since 2005-06. Atlanta Thrashers captain Ilya Kovalchuk is second with 167.

Meanwhile, Florida is 9-2-3 since January 1 and has earned points in 12 of its last 14 games.

Richard Zednik scored a goal and set up another as the Panthers edged the New York Islanders, 3-2, on Thursday.

All-Star Jay Bouwmeester and fellow defenseman Karlis Skrastins also tallied while blue-liner Bryan McCabe notched two assists for the Panthers, who won for the fourth time in five contests.

Tomas Vokoun, who started for the 11th time in 12 games, stopped 20 shots despite suffering from the flu.