Tyler Sloan News

Got an idea for the Leafs? Log on for Damien Cox's live chat Monday at noon at www.thestar.com/sports . T he plan was to suffocate Alex Ovechkin.

About 10,000 fans turned out at the Air Canada Centre for the Leafs' morning skate, free of charge.

The Leafs have more than just an awful game to overcome tonight when they face the Washington Capitals.

"Hershey Corner," as Jay Beagle affectionately dubbed it, is the fastest-growing community in the Washington Capitals' dressing room.

Washington superstar Alex Ovechkin is getting closer to returning to the lineup, but the odds of seeing him play Friday night against Minnesota or Saturday in New Jersey remain fairly long.

The Washington Capitals are going to struggle to win games without Alex Ovechkin if they continue to end up with more penalties in the offensive zone than goals.

Capitals goalie JosA© Theodore makes one of his 28 saves on 29 shots in a win to start a weekend home-and-home against the Panthers.

Jose Theodore stopped 28 shots, Brian Pothier had a goal and two assists and the Washington Capitals beat the Florida Panthers 4-1 on Friday night to break a three-game losing streak.

Since drafting Alex Ovechkin first overall in 2004, the Capitals haven't had much success when he has been unable to take the ice.

Nicklas Bergfors scored two power-play goals 3:13 apart in the third period to break open a tie game and send the New Jersey Devils to a 3-2 victory over the Alex Ovechkin-less Washington Capitals on Wednesday night.

The New Jersey Devils got their first break at home this season when the Washington Capitals scratched injured Alex Ovechkin from the lineup.

Walk into the Washington Capitals dressing room at Kettler Capitals Iceplex and you won't find a single player feeling sorry for himself or his team. The Capitals may have to play without the two-time reigning league MVP, Alex Ovechkin, for a little while, but they aren't about to panic.

Instead, Washington is eager to prove that it can not only survive, but win, with its marquee player watching from the press box beginning Wednesday night against the New Jersey Devils.

'Take some nachos, Coke and enjoy the game,' Ovechkin said with a laugh when asked about traveling with the team despite being injured. 'Hopefully guys gonna win.'

Swine flu is seeping into NHL locker rooms, and the Washington Capitals are now on the list of the teams dealing with the virus.

Washington Capitals left wing Quintin Laing has received a diagnosis of H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu, a team official confirmed Wednesday.

Laing, who was sent home upon arriving at the team's Arlington practice facility Tuesday morning and missed his first game of the season that night, is taking anti-virus drug Tamiflu and resting, a team spokesman said. He is being kept isolated from his wife and two infant sons and won't return to the team until he is symptom-free in an effort to prevent the spread of the flu, which has become a concern nationally for sports leagues in both the amateur and professional ranks.

Alexander Semin returned from a two-game absence with a tiebreaking goal and an assist, Jose Theodore stopped Darroll Powe's penalty shot later in the third period, and the Washington Capitals beat the Philadelphia Flyers 4-2 Tuesday.

Sixth-grader Lajai Kirkpatrick, 11, gets a lesson in hockey stick- and puck-handling from Washington Capitals defensive player Tyler Sloan at Greenbelt Elementary School on Monday.

The Washington Capitals loaned center Michael Nylander to Grand Rapids of the AHL this week, in an attempt to find some playing time for the 37-year-old Swede.A To what result, at this point, is anyone's guess.

Bruce Boudreau is happy with the performance of his new assistant coach, Bob Woods.

The Washington Capitals earned a point in the standings, but their performance against the New Jersey Devils did little to quell concerns about their ability to hold on to a late lead or stay out of the penalty box at critical times.

The Capitals lost their fourth straight game Monday at Verizon Center, 3-2, in a shootout after blowing a one-goal lead with less than seven minutes left to play, then giving the Devils a power play in overtime.

'Even though we have a fairly veteran team, it's learning how to win again,' Coach Bruce Boudreau said. 'When you've got it, instead of thinking, 'Uh-oh, what's going to happen, what's going to go wrong?' You're thinking, 'No problem, we're going to win it.' That's the mind-set a little bit right now. So it would be good to eventually win a game again.'

Alex Ovechkin has accumulated one of the game's greatest collections of highlights and already owns a trophy case full of major awards. But even he was at a loss when asked to explain such a sublime start to his fifth professional season.

'Thank God, I've had a little bit luck,' the Washington Capitals' star left winger said. 'And when I score goals, guys give me nice assists.'

After notching two goals and an assist in Tuesday's 6-5 overtime loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, Ovechkin became the first player in 27 years to score at least three points in the first three games of the season, joining Hall of Famers Guy Lafleur and Peter Stastny. It also marked the first time in Ovechkin's career that he has scored three points in three straight games.