Thrashers’ Ondrej Pavelec turns back Capitals

Ondrej Pavelec stopped 45 shots, Andrew Ladd and Rich Peverley each had a goal and an assist, and the Atlanta Thrashers beat the Capitals, 3-1, on Saturday night to snap a nine-game losing streak in Washington.

It was the seventh win in eight games for the Thrashers, a run that began with Pavelec shutting out Washington in Atlanta on Nov. 19. The Thrashers are 3-1-1 against the Capitals after going 0-6 against their Southeast Division rivals last season.

Alex Ovechkin’s goal-scoring drought ended at nine games, which tied a career high, but the Capitals fell to 12-2-1 at home with their first loss against Atlanta at Verizon Center since February 2008.

Washington went 0 for 5 on the power play.

Ovechkin scored with 49 seconds left in the second period, beating Pavelec with a slap shot from the left circle to bring the Capitals to 2-1. A cross-ice pass from Alexander Semin set up Ovechkin’s 11th goal.

But Ladd made it 3-1 at 2:27 of the third period, scoring on the power play against goalie Semyon Varlamov.

Pavelec made the lead stand up. He turned aside 20 of 21 shots in the second period and added 11 saves over the final 20 minutes.

The Thrashers went up, 1-0, at 7:57 of the second period when Peverley won a faceoff in his end, then got in position to deflect in a shot by Dustin Byfuglien.

Less than two minutes later, Atlanta’s Alexander Burmistrov scored on a shot over Varlamov’s shoulder.