Washington Capitals

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Goalie Tomas Vokoun's appearance in relief of Michal Neuvirth on Monday night was his first action for the Washington Capitals in almost two weeks. (AP Photo)

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Buffalo Sabres' Drew Stafford (21) scrambles for the puck with Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin (8) during the first period of an NHL game in Buffalo, N.Y., Monday, Dec. 26, 2011. (AP Photo/David Duprey)

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**FILE** Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson (The Washington Times)

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New Jersey Devils' Patrik Elias, left, of the Czech Republic, scores past Washington Capitals goaltender Michal Neuvirth during a shootout of an NHL hockey game Friday, Dec. 23, 2011, in Newark, N.J. The Devils won 4-3 in a shootout. The Caps are 6-9-1 away from home and have struggled because they've started slowly. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

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Washington Capitals' Jason Chimera, right, scores a goal to tie the game --- his second of the night --- as New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur, and Mark Fayne (29) look on during the third period Friday, Dec. 23, 2011 in Newark, N.J. The Devils defeated the Capitals 4-3 in a shootout, and Chimera now leads the Capitals with 13 goals. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

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Washington Capitals goaltender Michal Neuvirth was beaten in the shootout by Patrik Elias (shown) and Ilya Kovalchuk, but he made 25 saves during the game's 65 minutes. The Devils ultimately won 4-3 in a shootout. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

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New Jersey Devils' Alexander Urbom scores a goal as Washington Capitals goaltender Michal Neuvirth, can't make the save and Dmitri Orlov and Alex Ovechkin defend during the second period Friday, Dec. 23, 2011, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

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Washington Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom celebrates his goal during the first period against the Nashville Predators, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2011, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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Washington Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom celebrates his goal during the first period against the Nashville Predators on Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2011, in Washington. The Caps won 4-1. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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Washington Capitals left wing Alexander Semin celebrates his goal with Marcus Johansson in Washington. The Capitals won 4-1. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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Washington Capitals right wing Mike Knuble acknowledges the crowd during a pregame ceremony to mark his 1,000th NHL game before a matchup against the Nashville Predators on Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2011, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) celebrates his goal with teammate Karl Alzner (27) during the first period of an NHL game against the Nashville Predators, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2011, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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Washington Capitals 20-year-old defenseman Dmitry Orlov has five assists in his first 18 NHL games. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

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Washington Capitals veteran forward Mike Knuble was a healthy scratch on Thursday against the Winnipeg Jets. It was the first time he's been scratched for performance reasons since the 2002-03 season. (Associated Press)

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Colorado Avalanche left wing Cody McLeod (55) lands a punch to Washington Capitals left wing Matt Hendricks (26) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

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Colorado Avalanche center Brad Malone (42) knocks Washington Capitals left wing Troy Brouwer (20) off his skates during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

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Colorado Avalanche center Brad Malone (42) knocks Washington Capitals left wing Troy Brouwer (20) off his skates during the first period Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011, in Denver. The Caps fell 2-1. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

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Colorado Avalanche right wing Milan Hejduk (23) congratulates teammate Erik Johnson (6) after Johnson scored a goal against the Washington Capitals during the second period Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

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Washington Capitals goaltender Michal Neuvirth (30) and Nicklas Backstrom (19) stop Winnipeg Jets forward Chris Thorburn (22) during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Winnipeg on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, John Woods)

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Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis notified season-ticket holders in an email Wednesday night that ticket prices would be increased next year. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)