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Tuesday, Oct. 31 8:00pm ET
Caps snap Wings' six-game win streak | |||||
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WASHINGTON (AP) -- Richard Zednik didn't enjoy sitting around and contemplating his four-game suspension when he could have been helping the Washington Capitals' struggling offense. Zednik, playing in his second game since returning from his suspension, scored three goals as the Capitals beat Detroit 6-2 Tuesday night, halting the Red Wings' six-game winning streak. "It's just one game, just one night," he said. "Hopefully, when you play hard, the goals will come. But it feels good." Zednik's first career hat trick helped Washington end an 0-2-2 winless streak with its first home victory over Detroit since Jan. 30, 1994. The Capitals were 0-6-1 in their last seven home games against Detroit. Capitals coach Ron Wilson said Zednik was motivated by his banishment as a result of a cross-check delivered against Colorado's Adam Foote on Oct. 17. "Zed is still upset he was suspended (and) we are, too," Wilson said. "It was nice that line really clicked. Zed could have had five or six goals tonight." Boyd Devereaux and Martin Lapointe scored for the Red Wings, who allowed only 10 goals during the winning streak. "We couldn't contain anybody behind the net. We lost the faceoffs," Detroit coach Scotty Bowman said. "That's generally what happens when you're not playing well and that's what happened." Jeff Halpern, Sylvain Cote and Joe Sacco also scored for the Capitals and Peter Bondra had three assists. The victory, in the Capitals' 13th game, was only the second of the season for Washington, which hadn't gone this deep into a season without two victories since starting the 1981-82 season 1-14-1. Halpern's third goal of the season gave Washington a 1-0 lead 12:37 in. From the left circle, Halpern collected a centering pass from Ulf Dahlen and scored on a wrist shot. The lead lasted only 2:08, with Devereaux tying it after being sprung on a nice pass from Chris Chelios. Devereaux's low shot from the left circle squirted through goalie Olaf Kolzig's legs. Zednik restored the lead for good from in front of the crease with 2:02 left in the first period. It was Zednik's second goal of the season and his first since Oct. 7. Cote and Zednik scored on slap shots 1:38 apart in the second period to stretch the lead to 4-1. Cote scored on a blast from the left point, weaving a shot through a maze of players and beating Detroit goalie Chris Osgood over the right shoulder at 12:19. Zednik notched his 50th career goal from the left circle after getting a stride on Steve Duchesne in a rush down left wing. Zednik completed his hat trick 7:19 into the third period, reaching out to deflect a feed from Bondra. He barely missed a fourth goal with 10 minutes remaining, ricocheting a long slap shot off the left post. "Give credit to Zed because he finished the chances tonight," Bondra said. "All we had to do was throw the puck out there and he found it." Lapointe converted Brent Gilchrist's rebound with 5:24 left for his team-leading seventh goal. Sacco made it 6-2 with 2:01 to go. Game notesRed Wings D Larry Murphy, who is a team-worst minus-5, was a healthy scratch for the first time this season. Murphy needs one point for 1,200 in his career. ... Capitals D Ken Klee, recovering from wrist surgery, missed his fifth straight game. ... Halpern has goals in consecutive games. ... Adam Oates assisted on Zednik's second goal, picking up his 902nd career assist and moving into sole possession of 11th place on the career list. ... Washington is 1-4-3 in games played on Halloween. | ALSO SEE NHL Scoreboard Detroit Clubhouse Washington Clubhouse RECAPS Carolina 6 Tampa Bay 5
Washington 6 AUDIO/VIDEO   Sylvain Cote rips the shot past Chris Osgood off the face off.avi: 736 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 Peter Bondra sets up Richard Zednik for the goal.avi: 1091 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 Boyd Devereaux wrists a shot past Olaf Kolzig.avi: 1222 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 Jeff Halpern puts the Ulf Dahlen feed past Chris Osgood.avi: 1222 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 | |||||