10:30 PM EST
	Capitals	VS		Kings
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LET'S GO, CAPS!

The 29th power play in the league (the Caps) meets the 28th. Hopefully, we'll stay out of the box, though, because they're better at penalty killing.

LaBarbera in goal for the Kings. Yonkman on the 4th line for the Caps.

Jamie Heward on the PP! On the Caps' first shot of the game.

Assists: Ovechkin and Pettinger.

WASHINGTON Capitals

Ovechkin Zubrus Clark
Pettinger Halpern Willsie
Clymer Sutherby Bradley
Laich Cassels Yonkman

Witt Eminger
Heward Muir
Morrisonn Majesky

Kolzig
(Johnson)

***

LOS ANGELES Kings

Roenick Conroy Demitra
Frolov Armstrong Cammalleri
Avery Belanger Brown
Robitaille Giuliano Kostopoulos

Visnovsky Corvo
Norstrom Weaver
Gleason Miller

LaBarbera
(Garon)

Ovechkin and Witt already have 2 hits (Roenick too).

Eminger to the box for holding.

Thundering check by Cammalleri that sent Majesky back to the glass.

Two great saves by Kolzig in front of Roenick!

We definitely need to stay out of the box.

That goal was scored on the PP, with Cassels in the box. Immediately after, Witt to the box, and now Majesky. The Caps are mostly on the PK since the 10:36 mark, and have taken only one shot on goal.

Hanlon takes the opportunity to get a penalty against Demitra for illegal stick. Great.

Morrisonn to the box, and now Robitaille.

3-on-3 hockey! And one more penalty against the Kings: Norstrom.

Faceoff, penalty, faceoff, penalty, zzzzzzzzz...

End of first. Shots are 12-3 Kings, thanks to two shots in the last 7 seconds by Halpern and Willsie, on the PP. The Caps also have 8 missed shots (3 by Ovechkin, 3 by Heward).

The Caps were supposed to start this second period with a 40-second 5-on-4 power play, but Zubrus goes to the box after only 15 seconds.

We're lucky that they have a PP as horrible as ours.

Weaver to the box.

Two counterattacks by the Kings on this PP. Sounds like Cassels had a couple of good shifts, though.

Looks like our 4th line is working hard:

2  08:15 HIT              WSH   EV  21 LAICH
2  08:23 SHOT (*)      WSH   EV  25 CASSELS, Tip-In, 12 ft
2  08:23 HIT              WSH   EV  21 LAICH

The Kings have four lines. It's better if we play four lines too, unlike what we did lately.

PPG for the Kings! 2-1. Avery.

876th penalty of the game. The announcer doesn't have the time to name everyone. Looks like the entire Kings team is in the box, except LaBarbera, alas.

No goal on the 5-on-3 PP. 23 seconds left to the PP... killed.

Giuliano, 2 minutes to the box for high sticking Sutherby. Go, Caps!

Zubrus behind the goal, passes to Ovechkin, wide.

A few attempts, including a good one by Heward, it seems, but still 2-1 Kings.

(Ovechkin wide, Pettinger wide twice, Zubrus twice and Heward... not bad for a team that only had one shot in 19:53 in the first period).

Willsie to the box for hooking.

SUTHERBY SCOOOOOOOOOOORES! SHORT-HANDED! WOW!

2-2.

Assists: Eminger, Witt.

Another turnover, Pettinger denied!

Back to even strength.

It would have been awesome to score two short-handed goals in 16 seconds, LOL!

Caps on the PP. Definitely dominating, now.

Back to "even and full strength."

Great opportunity by the Kings, but they didn't score.

Ovechkin only spent 7 seconds on the PK, but he happened to be on the ice when Sutherby scored.

The last big opportunity under review, but the puck didn't cross the line. Still 2-2.

Kolzig keeping us in the game with Eminger in the box. Back to even strength.

Now, if Ovechkin could fire one in, it would be perfect.

HEWARD SCOOOOOOOOOOOORES!!!!!!!! ON THE PP!

With one minute remaining in the third period ("0:60 Remaining" according to the scoresheet, LOL!).

End of the game. Caps win 3-2! Woohoo!

Assists by Ovechkin again and Zubrus on the last goal.

My three stars:

1. Heward
2. Sutherby
3. Kolzig

Official three stars:

1. Heward
2. Miller
3. Ovechkin

We're 14th in the East, but 13 points away from a playoff spot.

THE CAPS ARE FLYING

Washington Capitals' Dainius Zubrus, of Lithuania, right, takes to the air as Los Angeles Kings' Tim Gleason looks on during the first period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2005, in Los Angeles.
(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Kings' Matias Norstrom, of Sweden, dives for the puck as Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin, of Russia, takes a shot on goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2005, in Los Angeles.
(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Washington Capitals' Brendon Witt, top, collides with Los Angeles Kings' Joe Corvo during the first period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2005, in Los Angeles.
(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Kings' Jeremy Roenick, left, battles for the puck with Washington Capitals' Ivan Majesky, of the Czech Republic, during the first period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2005, in Los Angeles.
(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Heward # 1 Star at NHL.com tonight:

http://www.nhl.com/features/threestars/three_stars.html

I'm up watching the replay (or as much as I can see before heading out to work).

Beautiful goal by Sutherby, à la Ovechkin, really.

Looks like Morrisonn is guilty on the first goal, and Majesky on the second one, but they're power play goals, and Hanlon trusts that pairing: when the Kings pulled their goalie for the last 63 seconds, who was on the ice? Clymer-Sutherby-Bradley, Majesky-Morrisonn (Witt replaced Bradley for the last 20 seconds or so).

I'm still not 100% sold on Morrisonn- not that he's bad, just that he's still got a long way to go (and needs the ice time to do it). Early in the year, when all the Witt bashers were at their peak, Morrisonn was his partner.... now it's Majesky bashers, but the common denominator is still really Morrisonn.

I'll give them 20 more games to really come around and show what they can do- Majesky for the recovery from injury, Morrisonn because he's really just a kid on the ice.