Caps Can't Protect Lead, Fall in Shootout

While the Capitals did their best in the first period to snap their three-game losing streak by taking a 2-0 lead, Washington couldn't finish off the Devils and ended up dropping a 3-2 shootout decision in front of a sold-out Verizon Center Monday.

The loss is Washington's fourth straight (0-2-2), and despite getting a better effort from their penalty-killers, the power-play failed to score on a 5-on-3 in the third period to put New Jersey away and David Clarkson scored with 6:26 left in regulation to force the extra session.

Mike Green was able to finally put some bad games behind him, notching his first of the campaign, and Mike Knuble scored a goal and an assist to stake the Caps to the early lead. Jose Theodore was also good in net, although he allowed a pair of goals in the shootout that led to the defeat.

The Caps came out strong, and despite being outshot 7-6 in the first period, put together the better chances. Washington took the lead on a strange play, as an Alexander Ovechkin pass went across the ice, deflected off Knuble's skates and right to Green, and who beat Martin Brodeur for a lead 9:06 into the contest.

Knuble then added a marker of his own, as he put on a shot that Brodeur slowed with his stick, but the Devils goalie couldn't get all of it, and it dropped in the net just 5:10 later for a 2-0 lead and the Capitals finished their best 20 minutes in over a week in control of the contest.

However, Brian Rolston got the Devils on the board 8:18 into the second, and despite some decent chances, Washington couldn't get the third goal of the contest to restore its two-goal lead.

The deciding factor in the contest came in the third period when Bryce Salvador was whistled for roughing just 4:05 into the frame, then Brodeur was called for a high-stick just 1:07 later, giving the Capitals a 5-on-3 to really drive a stake in the Devils. But Washington didn't really create any quality chances despite the two-man advantage and couldn't get another goal, and even handed a too-many-men minor just :23 after the Brodeur minor expired, New Jersey held the score at 2-1.

The Devils then started to take control of the latter stages of the third, and a long flurry resulted in Clarkson's equalizer with less than seven minutes to play. New Jersey got a chance for the go-ahead goal when Boyd Gordon was called for slashing just :52 after the tying goal, but the penalty-killers held off the Devils and the two teams headed to overtime.

Washington had a couple of good chances early in the overtime, but Brendan Morrison was whistled for tripping 1:56 into the extra session, and Theodore was called upon to make some spectacular saves to keep the game going, and the Capitals headed to their first shootout of the year.

Nicklas Backstrom scored first to put the Capitals up, but Zach Parise answered on New Jersey's first shot. After Alexander Semin's slap shot was blocked by Brodeur, Jamie Langenbrunner's shot went off the post but then off Theodore's skate to put the Devils up in the shoout, and Brodeur stopped Ovechkin on Washington's last shot for New Jersey's third straight win.

The loss is Washington's fourth straight one-goal defeat, with three of those losses coming to Atlantic Division teams (0-1-2). The Capitals now have two games against Western Conference opponents (San Jose and Nashville) before playing their first divisional contest next Thursday in Atlanta.

While Monday's game was an improvement in some areas, the power play continues to be a problem after the hot start, falling to 6-for-34 overall (17.6 percent) and only 2-for-22 at Verizon Center (9.1 percent). The Devils presented a chance for Washington to really seize the contest late, and the Capitals couldn't produce with the extra-man and had to settle for the single point and were bumped out of the Southeast lead by the Tampa Bay Lightning (2-1-2).

Washington gets two days off before getting a tough test as the San Jose Sharks skate into Chinatown Thursday, a squad that has won two straight heading into tonight's late game in Phoenix.