WASHINGTON — Alexander Semin insists he isn’t doing anything differently. The playful smirk on his face after his second hat trick of the season suggested otherwise.
Semin scored three goals during a wild third period and added two assists, Alex Ovechkin had a goal and two assists and the Capitals defeated the Lightning 6-3 on Thursday night for their sixth consecutive victory.
“It wasn’t anything special,” Semin said. “I was just going out there and playing like I do every other game.”
Semin recorded four points in the final 15:27.
With the score tied at 2, Semin converted on a power play with 15:27 left, knuckling a shot from between the circles past Lightning goalie Dan Ellis. With 9:14 remaining, Semin one-timed a pass from Nicklas Backstrom pass for his team-high 11th goal and a two-goal lead.
After assisting on Ovechkin’s ninth of the season with 4:52 left, Semin added an empty-net goal with 16 seconds remaining.
“He’s a sniper out there,” Backstrom said of Semin. “He can score. I haven’t seen Alex play as well as he is right now.”
Tampa Bay captain Vincent Lecavalier broke his hand in the first period, returned to play through the second and finally exited when he couldn’t grip his stick without pain. Capitals coach Bruce Boucher said Lecavalier, who has three goals and six assists, will miss three to four weeks with a nondisplaced fracture.
“He’s a warrior, this guy. I’m impressed,” Boucher said.
