Washington Capitals

The police officers who make up the Maryland Law hockey team play weekend games against fellow officers, military groups or firefighters. This Saturday, the last game of the season, they take to the ice against retired professional players. In a game organized as a benefit for a fellow officer who was sidelined from the Baltimore County force as a result of line-of-duty injury, Maryland Law will face off against the Washington Capitals Alumni, retirees who can still skate a good game.

Washington - -Wednesday night began with the Verizon Center pulsating to "Let's Go Caps," chanted by a capacity crowd at an eardrum-splitting decibel level. But by the time the game had reached the halfway mark, the building was motionless and silent, filled with stunned fans who couldn't believe what was unfolding. Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals were behind five goals to their most reviled rival en route to a humbling 6-2 defeat in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

WASHINGTON - Sergei Fedorov scored with 4:59 remaining, rifling a shot past goaltender Henrik Lundqvist to send the Washington Capitals to a 2-1 victory over the New York Rangers in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals Tuesday night. The victory catapulted the Capitals into the second round for the first time since 1998, when Fedorov's Detroit Red Wings swept Washington out of the Stanley Cup finals. "Experience sometimes pays off, and [Fedorov] knew what he had to do and when to do it," said coach Bruce Boudreau, whose team became the 21st to rally from a 3-1 series deficit.

The fortunes of the Washington Capitals might mean little to many sports fans in Baltimore, other than NHL enthusiasts, but the lesson of their season should not be lost on anyone who follows this town's teams - especially the Orioles. Incredibly, the Capitals won the Southeast Division over the weekend, which helped them land the No. 3 playoff seed in the Eastern Conference. The Caps accomplished this after finishing last in the division in the past two seasons and seemed to be on their way to a post-lockout hat trick through the first quarter of the current campaign.

NHL Panthers @Capitals 7 P.M. [CSN] Too much college basketball these days? Couldn't care less who's in the Final Four? Try this for a change: The Washington Capitals, winners of six straight and 10 of their past 11 games, can take another step toward the playoffs when they play host to the woeful Florida Panthers. The Caps' Alex Ovechkin has 65 goals, breaking Luc Robitaille's NHL record for goals by a left wing in a season.

NHL Flames@Capitals 7 P.M. [CSN, CSN+] The story line is that the Washington Capitals were in the midst of a surprising playoff run when they ran into a brick wall over the weekend, losing close games to the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins. The Caps need this one badly if they hope to have any shot at qualifying for the playoffs.

Wizards@Bulls 8 P.M. [ESPN, 50] This is not a stellar night for live sports. You have this game between mediocre Washington and pretty crummy Chicago, or the improving but still mediocre Washington Capitals against a good New Jersey Devils team starting at 7 p.m. on Comcast SportsNet. I'm tempted to watch the Arena Football League preview at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2. They start bouncing off the walls this weekend.

Alex Ovechkin agreed to a 13-year, $124 million contract extension yesterday with the Washington Capitals, working out the details himself in negotiations with owner Ted Leonsis and general manager George McPhee. The Russian star, 22, was in the final season of a three-year, entry-level deal. Ovechkin has led the Capitals in scoring in each of his seasons. He entered yesterday tied for second place in the NHL with 32 goals, helping Washington surge from the league's worst record to the fringe of the playoff race.

WASHINGTON -- The Washington Capitals got two goals, from Donald Brashear and David Steckel in the third period, and Olie Kolzig made 18 saves in a 2-1 victory over the Colorado Avalanche last night. The game was scoreless until Brashear scored 2:51 into the third period. Matt Bradley skated from behind the net and directed a pass to Brooks Laich, whose shot from the left circle was tipped past Jose Theodore by Brashear. With 3:59 left, Steckel tapped the puck off a Colorado defender and past an out-of-position Theodore, who made 21 saves, for a 2-0 lead.

WASHINGTON -- Guillaume Latendresse scored two goals and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Washington Capitals, 5-2, last night. Latendresse had the fourth two-goal game of his NHL career - the second this month. He has nine goals this season. His first of the game gave Montreal a 1-0 lead. He tapped in a pass from Saku Koivu at 18:15 of the first period - 13 seconds after Capitals defenseman Tom Poti went off for hooking. Latendresse's second goal gave the Canadiens a 3-1 lead with 2:54 left in the second period.