WASHINGTON The Washington Capitals had won only once in their previous seven games prior to last night and general manager George McPhee was willing to try anything.
Riding up on the elevator before the game, McPhee asked the elevator operator to let him off on the third floor.
" I've got a special box there," he said. Whenever I sit in it, we win.
Last night, with McPhee in his lucky seat, and the Capitals playing without three top forwards -- Jaromir Jagr, Peter Bondra and Dainius Zubrus -- Washington did manage to beat the Calgary Flames, 4-2.
To do it, the Caps used an offensive outburst by defenseman Sergei Gonchar (two goals), a goal by Glen Metropolit and a surging performance from Michael Nylander (one goal, three assists).
Nylander assisted on all three of the other Caps goals and then added a little insurance, by scoring at 15:05 of the third.
Nylander, a center, was acquired in a trade with Chicago on Nov. 1 and has 13 points in his past five games with five goals and eight assists.
"We need to win every game," Nylander said. "Tonight, we wanted to work hard and play smart hockey. We did that and we capitalized on our chances."
A year ago, Gonchar led the NHL as the top scoring defenseman. But this season, Gonchar has been slow to find his scoring touch. When he scored twice last night, it doubled his season goal total.
" I am trying to relax and shoot the puck as much as possible," said Gonchar, about his improved efforts last night. "We knew that if we let them score first it would be tough for us."
The victory lifts the Capitals to 10-11-2, as it enjoys Thanksgiving before returning to MCI Center tomorrow to face Ottawa, the fifth-best team in the Eastern Conference.
Before the game, the team announced that Jagr, who has been bothered by a groin problem, would not play. Zubrus was scratched due to an injured hand, after being slashed during Tuesdays game in Toronto. And Peter Bondra, who has missed two games with back spasms, was placed on injured reserve retroactive to Nov. 21. He will be eligible to return tomorrow night.
If either team had the advantage, the 13,532 fans here might have thought it was Calgary, who at least offered last seasons top goal scorer, Jarome Iginla, who can move like a rocket.
But Caps goalie Olie Kolzig (32 saves) was ready for Iginla, who attacked Kolzig one-on-one twice in the first two periods, only to be stopped cold. The Caps big goalie, allowed two goals -- to Rob Niedermayer and Steve Begin. But after each, in an unusual demonstration of character, the Caps scored to reclaim the two-goal advantage.