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WASHINGTON (Ticker) -- Daniel Alfredsson scored twice and Martin Havlat added a goal and three assists as the Ottawa Senators remained the hottest team in the Eastern Conference with a 6-2 victory over the Washington Capitals. Alfredsson, who registered his ninth and 10th goals, tallied in the first period, before capping the scoring for the Senators with 6:10 remaining in the contest. Ottawa stretched its unbeaten streak to nine games (7-0-2) and has not lost since dropping consecutive games on November 8-9. "We beat them in everything - skating, defense, everything," Havlat said. "I think we're a better team. We didn't make any mistakes except one or two." The Senators were frustrated by New York Islanders' goaltender Chris Osgood in Wednesday's 2-2 tie, but they had no such problems against Washington's Olaf Kolzig. "We played very well offensively and defensively, and Kolzig made some big saves along the way," Ottawa coach Jacques Martin said. "I credit our forwards for applying themselves." Chris Neil opened the scoring with his first goal of the season just 85 seconds into the game before Alfredsson made it 2-0 with 93 seconds left in the first period. Ottawa's Marian Hossa registered the only goal in the second period before rookie Jason Spezza, Havlat and Alfredsson tallied in the third for the Senators. Martin pointed to the play of the Senators' youngsters, especially the 19-year-old Spezza, who was the second overall pick in the 2001 draft. "The organization has done a great job scouting young players," he said. "It's really helped our organization and they're really coming through now. Jason's getting much better as the season goes along. He's a great offensive player." "I'm feeling much better," Spezza said. "My confidence is really growing and the team's playing great. Tonight was a great win for us." The Senators cashed in on all three of their power-play opportunities, while the Capitals were 0-for-3 with the man advantage. "We hadn't been especially good (on the power play) in past games, but we finally did a good job tonight," Havlat said. "It (penalty killing) starts with clearing the puck," Washington coach Bruce Cassidy said. "We had our chances. You've got to clear the puck. We need to spend less time in our own end." The Capitals were held scoreless until Michael Nylander scored his fourth goal in as many games to make it 4-1 at 9:58 of the final period. Washington's locker room was closed to the media following the game, but Cassidy minced no words. "I'm singling out every guy who wears the uniform," he said. "If we blocked more shots, we wouldn't get so exposed. I can't remember the last time a guy came off the ice holding his leg after blocking a shot." "I don't see Ottawa as a team full of 6-5, 240-pound guys," Cassidy added. "They're a skilled team. We should be able to physically confront the Ottawa Senators and we didn't do it." Washington rookie Brian Sutherby scored his first career NHL goal with 5:34 remaining to complete the scoring. Patrick Lalime recorded 21 saves for the Senators, while Kolzig stopped 28 shots. |
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