"When another defensive breakdown led to a scramble around Michal Neuvirth and Washington's goal late in the second period, Mike Green dived toward the net, where he covered the puck in the crease and swept it away. It was emblematic of much of the Capitals' play in a 4-2, season-opening loss to the Thrashers: haphazard and too little too late. But this particular play led to an automatic penalty shot and an extra opportunity for Atlanta, which was already dominating much of the game. Atlanta second-year left wing Evander Kane proceeded to squeeze a shot between Neuvirth's left pad and arm for a two-goal lead from which the Capitals would never recover. But the deficit was predominantly self-inflicted as Washington fell Friday at Philips Arena, snapping an eight-game winning streak over Atlanta. The defeat also marked the first time the Capitals, who return home to face New Jersey on Saturday at Verizon Center, have lost to the Thrashers since a 5-1 setback on March 16, 2009. "They just outworked us," Capitals Coach Bruce Boudreau said. "You get rewarded when you outwork teams, and they outworked us so they got rewarded. I think [the Capitals are] old enough that they know they need to play better in order to succeed. It's not like . . . it's their first game together. It's one game. [Saturday] we'll be at home and we'll be ready." Early in the first period, there was a scary moment when Atlanta goaltender Ondrej Pavelec lost consciousness and fell backward on to the ice just 2 minutes 25 seconds into the contest. Play was in the opposite end when the incident occurred, and his collapse did not appear to be caused by any contact from a player or the puck. Pavelec, 23, was taken to a local hospital for further evaluations where he eventually regained consciousness and his vital signs returned to normal. According to a Thrashers news release, he was "awake, alert and asking about the score of the game" by the end of the second period. Concern for the Czech goalie helped fuel Atlanta players that much more against a Capitals team that defeated them in all six meetings last season. " Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/08/AR2010100807280.html
