Caps fight for win

The Toronto Maple Leafs were hoping to make their three-game trip through the Southeast Division a six-point endeavor, putting them solidly back in the playoff hunt instead of hanging on by a thread.

Instead of six, the Maple Leafs will get half that many after they were soundly beaten by Washington last night 4-1, a loss that followed a shootout defeat at Tampa Bay.

“That was our best, likely our best overall game of the season,” said coach Glen Hanlon, who doesn’t know hour-to-hour who will be available to play because of injuries. “Our coverage in the defensive zone was good. I thought we had more control of the puck than we have had a lot of other nights so we ended up taking a less amount of penalties.”

There were a multitude of mistakes or miscalculations by Toronto, not the least of which was underestimating an improving albeit undermanned Washington club and then going after Alex Ovechkin.

“I didn’t want to see our guy — the guy — get a blocker in the face,” said goalie Olie Kolzig, who charged from one end of the ice to the other when Ovechkin suddenly found himself with two Maple Leafs on top of him. One of the two was Toronto goalie Ed Belfour.

“Nothing happened, I just went down there to take care of our superstar,” Kolzig said. “It was a fun game to play in, actually. Everybody seems to get pumped up just that little bit extra when we play against them. I’ve got a lot of respect for Eddie Belfour.”

There were two outbreaks of nastiness during the game and Ovechkin, who was unavailable for comment last night despite several requests, was involved in both, mainly because he was the object of the Maple Leaf’s attention. He was assessed three minor penalties, a career high, but just being on the ice was enough to throw Toronto off its game. Maple Leafs defenseman Bryan McCabe, his team’s leading scorer, had trouble chasing the swift, elusive rookie around the ice.

“Alex, the big kid that he is, he takes care of himself and when guys try to hit him, it’s almost a mistake because he sometimes runs right over them,” said Chris Clark, who had a goal and an assist. The team announced during the middle of the third period that the right wing had signed a two-year contract extension.

The Caps were playing with their usual crazy-quilt lineup, including three players who were called up from the minors yesterday, so the team would have something approaching a full roster. One of those who made the trip from Hershey was defenseman Mike Green who scored his first NHL goal.

“I wanted to jump over the glass but I couldn’t so I just stayed composed,” the normally composed Green said. “It was a good feeling.”

Brooks Laich, who started this season in Hershey, got the game-winner early in the second. Ben Clymer, who had his second two-point night of the season, added a goal halfway through the third and Clark scored the clincher.

Kolzig might have had a shutout but he only got a piece of Mats Sundin’s shot 15 minutes into the first. Toronto’s lead lasted just 21 seconds, when Green tied it.

Notes — Former Washington captain Ken Klee, now a defender for Toronto, injured an ankle in the first period and did not return. … The Caps were without three regulars — center Jeff Halpern (back), right wing Matt Bradley (foot) and defenseman Steve Eminger (ankle). None are expected back for tonight’s game in Tampa, Fla. The Caps’ total of man-games lost to injury is at 131 for the season. … Right wing Eric Fehr and defenseman Dave Steckel and Green were recalled from Hershey for the game. It was Fehr’s second NHL game and Steckel’s third.