The Washington Capitals won their first game of 2012 on Tuesday night, defeating the Calgary Flames at Verizon Center. The Caps managed to kill off three penalties in the final ten minutes of play to hold on for a 3-1 win and improve to 21-15-2. With their fourth win in a row, Washington now jumps into second place in the NHL's Southeast Division.
Just a minute into the game, Alex Ovechkin, the hottest player in the league, ripped a slapshot to beat Miikka Kiprusoff for the early 1-0 lead. Ovechkin was in on the Caps second goal as well, as he simply flipped the puck on net on the power play and Troy Brouwer was able to gain control in front and slip it by Kiprusoff. Dennis Wideman would add the Caps' final goal of the night with less than three minutes remaining in the second period. Along with Ovechkin, star Nicklas Backstrom had a three point night, assisting on each of Washington's goals.
Washington did an excellent job of limiting the offensive chances of a road-weary Calgary squad. The Flames had only 19 shots on goal against Tomas Vokoun as they kept up the pressure on the penalty kill to keep Calgary scoreless in the third.
The Caps will have three days off before they head out west and look to continue the streak on Saturday against the San Jose Sharks.
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