Originally published October 27, 2007 at 12:00 AM | Page modified October 27, 2007 at 2:01 AM

NHL | Luongo, Canucks beat Caps again

Canucks coach Alain Vigneault was getting a bit nervous while watching Alex Ovechkin try to rally the Washington Capitals to a victory. Perhaps Vigneault forgot for a...

By The Associated Press

NHL scoreboard

WASHINGTON — Canucks coach Alain Vigneault was getting a bit nervous while watching Alex Ovechkin try to rally the Washington Capitals to a victory.

Perhaps Vigneault forgot for a moment one salient fact: His goalie, Roberto Luongo, simply doesn't lose to the Capitals.

Luongo extended his winning streak against Washington to 10 games by making 26 saves Friday night, and Taylor Pyatt scored twice, leading Vancouver to a 3-2 victory.

Ovechkin trimmed a two-goal deficit in half on a power play with about 1 ½ minutes left, then nearly set up the tying goal after another Canucks penalty with 77 seconds to go.

"When he decides to turn it up, he's one of the top three in the league — and he turned it on at the end," Vigneault said. "It was tough to watch from our bench."

There was a scary moment in the final minute, when Ovechkin's slap shot caught Capitals captain Chris Clark in the head. Clark dropped to the ice and left a small puddle of blood, before skating off with some assistance. He got stitches in his left ear after the game, the Capitals said.

Washington lost for the fifth time in six games, while Vancouver snapped a two-game losing streak and improved to 4-2 on the road.

Notes

• Kris Draper, a winner of three Stanley Cups with the Red Wings, signed a three-year extension that averages $1.6 million per season.

The 36-year-old Draper has five goals through the first 10 games of his 14th season with Detroit.

• RW Dustin Brown, playing his fourth NHL season at just 22, agreed to a six-year extension believed to be worth around $19 million with the Los Angeles Kings, putting him under contract through the 2013-14 season.

• Avalanche D Jordan Leopold will have wrist surgery and be sidelined about two months.

In other Avalanche news, coach Joel Quenneville picked up his 400th career victory in Colorado's 3-2 victory over Calgary.

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