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Capitals remain red-hot after defeating Senators

Braden Holtby, Karl Alzner

Washington Capitals goalie Braden Holtby (70) celebrates with defenseman Karl Alzner (27) after they defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 in an NHL hockey game Saturday, Dec. 12, 2015, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

AP

The Washington Capitals have increased their lead atop the Eastern Conference after hanging on to defeat the Ottawa Senators by a score of 2-1 on Wednesday.

The Capitals’ victory spoiled the return of Hamburglar, Ottawa’s goalie Andrew Hammond, who hadn’t played for the NHL club since Nov. 12 and had come back after a brief conditioning stint in the minors.

Hammond didn’t look bad in his return. He made 23 saves on 25 shots. The only problem for Hammond was the goalie at the other end, Braden Holtby, who had yet another solid night, allowing only one goal on 27 shots faced. The Capitals have now won three in a row. In each of those three games, they’ve held their opponents to just one goal.

The Capitals had a two-goal lead in the third period when forward Tom Wilson was given a match penalty for a hit on Curtis Lazar with less than five minutes remaining in regulation.

With Wilson having been sent to the dressing room early, the Senators cut into Washington’s lead on Bobby Ryan’s 10th goal of the season. However, Ottawa couldn’t complete the comeback and has now lost four of its last six games.