Stamkos Ends Slump but Ovechkin Trumps in Caps Comeback

Dude's a stick wizard.

Even in a city that hosts Wizards, Alex Ovechkin's magic is the most spellbinding of all.

Not that Tampa Bay needed reminding. They would've been happy just taking anyone's word for it.

But there they were, nursing a 3-2 lead, with their best defenseman on guard against the rushin' Russian.

However, when Ovie shows and goes, the lamp's getting lit:

That masterpiece -- his second of the evening -- capped the Caps' comeback from a 3-0 deficit that ultimately became a 5-3 victory and stretched their Metropolitan Division lead over the New York Rangers -- 5-2 losers in Winnipeg -- to six points:

Ovechkin's heroics stole the thunder from Lightning captain Steven Stamkos, who'd been playing like a Maple Leaf amid all the speculation he was imminently going to be one. After a 10-game dry spell, dude finally found twine:

Aside from that, last season's Stanley Cup finalists continue to sputter along at a virtual .500 clip, mired on the wrong side of the East's playoff divide.

Washington, on the other hand, can only hope to extend this sort of form all the way through spring. So far, they've handled the autumn grind admirably. That obviously includes this game, in which the league's top goalie to date, Braden Holtby, was chased.

They're getting performance from the entire roster.

However, none are as flashy or complete as Ovechkin.