Ovechkin’s Goal Lifts Capitals Over Rangers

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The New York Sun

WASHINGTON – The Washington Capitals’ youth movement is beginning to pay dividends.


For the first time in nearly 19 years, two Capitals – Steve Eminger and Petr Sykora – scored the first goal of their NHL careers in the same game during Washington’s 3-2 victory over the Rangers yesterday.


Rookie Alex Ovechkin, the Capitals’ leading scorer with five points, provided the winner on a power play at 9:03 of the third period. After Washington killed its first two penalties of the period, Ovechkin scored his third goal of the young season while the Capitals had a two-man advantage. He gathered the rebound of Jamie Heward’s shot in front of the net and slipped a wrist shot past goaltender Kevin Weekes.


“I saw the puck come to me and I thought: ‘Oh, my God, the puck [is coming] to me, I must shoot it,’ ” Ovechkin said.


Defender Darius Kasparaitis shouldered the blame for putting the Rangers two men down when he was penalized for interference.


“I cost us the game,” Kasparaitis said. “It’s been almost every game where I leave with a five-on-three. That has to change.”


Goaltender Olie Kolzig stopped 30 of 32 shots to earn the victory for Washington, which has played four games in six days.


Jason Ward gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead midway in the second period with his second goal of the year off an assist by Marcel Hossa. Ward slipped a wrist shot behind Kolzig, who has allowed 17 goals in four games.


Former Capital Jaromir Jagr scored his team-leading third goal on the Rangers’ first power play early in the second period. Jagr put in a slap shot from the right circle off assists from Tom Poti and Michael Nylander.


***


FLORIDA 3, ISLANDERS 1 Roberto Luongo is using his stick, his glove, and now even his face to keep shots out of the net.


Luongo made 29 saves yesterday, including a penalty-shot stop in the third period, and earned his first non-shutout win of the season in the Florida Panthers’ 3-1 victory over the Islanders.


The former first-round pick of the Islanders was sharp early, making one save when he sprawled across the crease to deny Jason Blake with his stick and another off a shot that struck him in the mask by his chin.


With the Islanders already ahead 1-0 and on a power play in the final minute of the period, rookie defenseman Tomi Pettinen let go a hard shot that hit Luongo flush and knocked him onto his stomach.


“I was a little stung, but after a couple of minutes I was okay,” Luongo said.


He was better than that, stopping all 18 New York shots the rest of the way. Luongo has turned aside 119 of 122 shots in Florida’s first four games and was chosen yesterday as the NHL’s defensive player of the week.


The Panthers didn’t score more than twice in a game before Monday and it took an empty-netter to get to three.


Kristian Huselius and Chris Gratton scored 4:31 apart in the second period to give Florida a rare early lead and Rostislav Olesz sealed Florida’s .500 road trip with 34.3 seconds left when he scored his first NHL goal on his 20th birthday.


Luongo’s biggest test came with 14:34 left when Miroslav Satan was given a penalty shot after he was hooked on a breakaway by former Islanders defenseman Branislav Mezei. But Satan’s low shot was steered away by Luongo’s stick.


“When he goes down, there’s nothing there, so I thought I could get the shot in there quickly,” Satan said. “Unfortunately, he’s too quick. I felt responsible for this game. I think I should have put it in.”


DiPietro made 20 saves and Satan scored the Islanders’ only goal.


The New York Sun

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