Ovie's goal, Theodore's saves doom Flyers

Alex Ovechkin notched his 48th goal of the season and Jose Theodore made 35 saves to lead Washington over Philadelphia, 2-1, at Wachovia Center.

Brooks Laich had the other goal for the Capitals, who have won two in a row overall as well as their last five road games.

Mike Knuble scored for the Flyers, who had won three of four coming in. Despite the loss, Martin Biron was strong in net with 28 stops.

Laich's deflection of an Ovechkin shot put the Caps on the board while on the power play with 4:03 left in the first period.

Knuble tipped in a quick lead pass by Mike Richards to tie the game with 8:28 to play in the second, but Ovechkin converted an Alexander Semin pass for a 2-1 lead with 2:41 remaining.

The visitors could have taken a 3-1 lead roughly 6 1/2 minutes into the third period, but Michael Nylander was called for goaltender interference just as the puck hit the back of the net.

A little more than a minute later, the Flyers had a potential tying goal nullified when Knuble was sent off for burying a Caps forward in the slot as a point shot whizzed past Theodore.

Biron was strong from that point on, making multiple key saves after Flyers turnovers inside their own zone, including three on Ovechkin in the final five minutes as the star forward tried almost singlehandedly to put the game away in Washington's favor.

However, Theodore was equal down the stretch as well. He made stops on Danny Briere and Simon Gagne in the final five minutes, then shut the door inside the final minute with Biron pulled for an extra attacker.

Game Notes

The clubs split the season series, 2-2-0...Briere returned to the lineup after missing two games with his persistent groin injury, played more than 12 minutes and registered one shot...The Caps recalled forward Alexandre Giroux from Hershey of the AHL...Both teams hit the ice next on Saturday, with Philadelphia finishing its five-game homestand by welcoming the Rangers and Washington hosting Carolina.