Washington Capitals

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Alex Ovechkin was benched for the last couple of minutes of regulation Tuesday night, but he was on the ice when Nicklas Backstrom scored in overtime to give the Capitals a 5-4 win over the Anaheim Ducks. (Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times)

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Detroit Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom (5) of Sweden controls the puck past Washington Capitals center Jeff Halpern (15) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011, in Washington. (AP Photo/Ann Heisenfelt)

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Nicklas Backstrom (19), left, of the Washington Capitals ties the game at 4-4 at the end of the 3rd period to send the game to overtime against the Anaheim Ducks in NHL Hockey at the Verizon Center, Washington, DC, Tuesday, November 1, 2011. (Andrew Harnik / The Washington Times)

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** FILE ** Mathieu Perreault (85) celebrates as Troy Brouwer (20) of the Washington Capitals scores a goal in the third period against goalie Jonas Hiller (1) of the Anaheim Ducks to bring the score to 3-4 in NHL Hockey at the Verizon Center, Washington, D.C., Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2011. (Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times)

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Cam Fowler (4) of the Anaheim Ducks slides into the wall as Alexander Semin (28) of the Washington Capitals carries the puck up the ice in the second period in NHL Hockey at the Verizon Center, Washington, DC, Tuesday, November 1, 2011. (Andrew Harnik / The Washington Times)

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** FILE ** Alexander Semin (28) of the Washington Capitals fights for the puck against the Anaheim Ducks in NHL Hockey at the Verizon Center, Washington, D.C., Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2011. (Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times)

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Matt Hendricks (26) of the Washington Capitals gets in a fight with Matt Beleskey (39) of the Anaheim Ducks in the first period in NHL Hockey at the Verizon Center, Washington, DC, Tuesday, November 1, 2011. (Andrew Harnik / The Washington Times)

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Capitals fan Chris Voegle, second from left, wears a hat with a goal light as he watches the Washington Capitals warm up before taking on the Anaheim Ducks in NHL Hockey at the Verizon Center, Washington, DC, Tuesday, November 1, 2011. (Andrew Harnik / The Washington Times)

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Washington Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom (19), of Sweden, lunges for the puck against Anaheim Ducks center Nick Bonino (63) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2011, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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Washington Capitals left wing Troy Brouwer (20) battles for the puck in front of the net against Anaheim Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller (1), of Switzerland, and Francois Beauchemin (23) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2011, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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**FILE** Washington Capitals right wing D.J. King (17) fights with New York Islanders left wing Trevor Gillies (14) during the first period of the Capitals' 2-1 home win on Oct. 13, 2010. (Associated Press)

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Washington Capitals centers Brooks Laich (21) and Marcus Johansson (90) battle Detroit Red Wings left wing Justin Abdelkader (right) for the puck during the third period of the Capitals' 7-1 home victory on Oct. 22, 2011. (Associated Press)

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Vancouver Canucks left wing David Booth tries to get a shot past Washington Capitals goalie Michal Neuvirth in Vancouver, British Columbia, (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jonathan Hayward)

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Washington Capitals goalie Tomas Vokoun (29) makes a save against the Vancouver Canucks during the first period of an NHL hockey game at Rogers Arena in Vancouver on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jonathan Hayward)

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Washington Capitals' Sean Collins, Joel Ward, and Jason Chimera celebrate a goal by teammate Karl Alzner (not shown) against the Edmonton Oilers in Edmonton, Alberta, on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2011. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Ian Jackson)

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Washington Capitals' Alexander Semin is tied for the team-high in penalty minutes with 18. (Associated Press/The Canadian Press)

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Edmonton Oilers' Shawn Horcoff celebrates what ended up as the game-winning goal against the Washington Capitals by teammate Jordan Eberle in the second period on the power play. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Ian Jackson)

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Washington Capitals goalie Tomas Vokoun allowed two goals on 19 shots in the loss against the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night. (Associated Press/The Canadian Press)

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Washington Capitals' Jeff Halpern often provides the gritty work in the corners and along the boards - which is especially important on the penalty kill. (Associated Press)

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Goaltender Michal Neuvirth (30) of the Washington Capitals during warm ups in preseason hockey at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC, Monday, September 26, 2011. (Andrew Harnik / The Washington Times)