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National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Washington 4, Florida 3
When: 7:30 PM ET, Saturday, April 6, 2013
Where: BB&T Center, Sunrise, Florida
Referees: Brad Meier, Justin St. Pierre
Linesmen: Steve Barton, Matt MacPherson
Attendance: 16886


Capitals 4, Panthers 3: Captain Alex Ovechkin recorded his 12th career hat trick - and second this season - and Braden Holtby turned aside 27 shots as visiting Washington posted its seventh win in nine games (7-1-1).

Mike Ribeiro scored and set up a goal and Nicklas Backstrom notched three assists for the Capitals, who are even in points with Winnipeg - but hold the tiebreaker with two games in hand. The Jets skated to a 4-1 triumph over Philadelphia earlier on Saturday.

Tomas Kopecky scored twice - with the latter tally coming with 33 seconds remaining in the third period as Jacob Markstrom (27 saves) was pulled for an extra attacker. Peter Mueller also scored for cellar-dwelling Florida, which saw its season-high three-game winning streak come to an end.

Ovechkin opened the scoring with 4:15 remaining in the first period after converting a backdoor feed. Ribeiro cleaned up a loose puck following a point shot by defenseman Mike Green to double the scoring just 43 seconds into the second period. Ovechkin was credited with an assist.

Ovechkin solved Markstrom again 1:41 later to give Washington a 3-0 lead and completed his first hat trick since Feb. 23 by converting a tic-tac-toe play with 5:38 remaining in the session. Ovechkin has 13 goals in his last 11 contests.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Ovechkin has torched the Panthers, recording 61 points (30 goals, 31 assists) in 47 career contests. The Russian standout scored in Washington's 5-0 victory on Feb. 9, added a goal and an assist in the Capitals' 6-5 victory three nights later and collected a goal and two assists in a 7-1 rout on March 7. ... Washington LW Martin Erat exited the contest after he was slammed into the boards by Florida D Erik Gudbranson during the first period. Gudbranson received a five-minute major for boarding and a game misconduct. ... Florida C Nick Bjugstad made his NHL debut and had one shot on goal in 13:04 of ice time.

Top Game Performances
 
Washington   Florida
Alexander Ovechkin 4 Points Tomas Kopecky 2
Alexander Ovechkin 3 Goals Tomas Kopecky 2
Nicklas Backstrom 3 Assists Shawn Matthias 2
Alexander Ovechkin 2 Power Play Goals Peter Mueller 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Braden Holtby .900 Save Percentage Jacob Markstrom .871
Braden Holtby 27 Saves Jacob Markstrom 27
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Washington 31 4 3-5 1-2 9 29
Florida 30 3 1-2 2-5 26 26
Upcoming Games
  • Florida will play their next game at home against Ottawa. The Panthers have a W/L % of .333 after a win and .280 after a loss.
  • Washington will play their next game at home against Tampa Bay. The Capitals have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .526 after a loss.