Hockey

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Ovechkin back on the ice, and scoresheet

By: Staff Writer

18/11/2009 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

NEW YORK -- Alex Ovechkin gave the Washington Capitals a jolt simply by returning to the lineup. Matt Bradley delivered the jump they needed with a bloody fight and a big third-period goal.

Ovechkin scored in his first game back from a two-week absence, and Bradley rebounded from a messy brawl to lift the Capitals to a 4-2 victory over the New York Rangers on Tuesday night.

"It's always nice when you get hurt and you come back and you score in the first period on your first shot," Ovechkin said. "You feel pretty good about yourself. After that I feel pretty cool. I was not afraid to take some hits and go battle."

With Washington down 1-0 and being outplayed by New York in the opening minutes of the game, Bradley took on Aaron Voros in a lengthy bout in which both players doled out haymakers. When it was done, Bradley skated off with blood covering his face and went to get six stitches over his left eye.

"If you're ever going to get into a fight at the time, I think that might've been one of them," Bradley said. "It didn't bother me. I could feel the blood coming, but there is no pain or anything. It's just one of those things that is more annoying than anything. You have to go in and get stitches and you have to miss five minutes.

The injuries didn't affect him when he knocked the puck away from Wade Redden and raced up ice on a break. Matt Gilroy couldn't deny him from behind, and Bradley beat Henrik Lundqvist with a rising shot to the glove side for his fourth of the season.

-- The Associated Press

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition November 18, 2009 C3

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