Das Forum » WASHINGTON (AP) —

Tom Wilson missed Washington’s first 16 games due to a suspension for an illegal check. In the five games since his return http://www.officialkings.com/authentic-adidas-jonathan-quick-jersey , Wilson has shown just how valuable he is to the Capitals.Wilson scored 54 seconds into the contest to set the pace and Washington defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2 Wednesday night for its first three-game winning streak of the season.Andre Burakovsky, Michal Kempny and Devante Smith-Pelly added goals for the defending Stanley Cup champions.This win was easier for the Capitals, whose previous two victories came in overtime. Braden Holtby stopped 37 shots for Washington.Wilson was originally suspended for 20 games for an illegal check to the head of St. Louis forward Oskar Sundqvist in the teams’ preseason finale. That suspension was reduced to 14 games by a neutral arbitrator, but by the time the decision was rendered, Wilson had already missed 16 games.Had the 20-game suspension stood, this would have been Wilson’s first game. Instead, it was his first home game, and he got a loud reception.Wilson, who scored in his first game, upended Chicago goalie Corey Crawford on the way to the goal. Crawford stopped 23 shots. In his previous three games Nate Thompson Jersey , he’d allowed just two goals.“Sometimes when you have to watch some games for a while, you pick up some different things you can add,” Capitals coach Todd Reirden said.“He’s played great since he’s been back, and we’re fortunate to get him back earlier than expected.”Washington has had an uneven start in its defense of the Cup. With Wilson’s suspension and injuries to key players, they’re hoping to get on a roll now.“We’re demanding of each other to get back there,” Wilson said of the team’s quest for back-to-back Stanley Cups.“There was adversity at the beginning of last year,” he said. “That’s how you build a team.”Burakovsky knows how difficult the Capitals’ task is.“Obviously, it was a shorter summer for us and a shorter time to prepare ourselves for the season,” Burakovsky said. “So, just to get back after a year that we had Authentic Oscar Fantenberg Jersey , I think it’s tough to get in and get going right away. So, we’re building our game slowly and tonight I think we did exactly what we wanted.”Brandon Saad and Erik Gustafsson scored for Chicago, which began a streak of seven road games in its next nine contests.Blackhawks coach Jeremy Colliton replaced longtime coach Joel Queeneville on Nov. 6, and the team is 2-3-2 since. Chicago has lost eight straight games in Washington.“I thought the effort was there and we looked like we were going to climb back into it multiple times during the game,” Colliton said. “Some self-inflicted wounds there that made it difficult on the road against a cup winner. That’s kind of the story today.”Kempny whose goal midway through the second period gave Washington a 3-0 lead, was happy his first goal of the season came against his former team.“It feels really nice,” Kempny said. I have to say, it wasn’t an easy game for me to play. I know a lot of guys from Chicago. I was there almost two seasons. . It feels a little bit weird. The first period I was really excited from the game. After the first I was trying a little bit to settle down and keep playing my game and help my team to win.”NOTES: Washington forwards Evegeny Kuznetsov and T.J. Oshie were out with upper body injuries for the third straight game. . Forwards Luke Johnson, Chris Kunitz and D Brandon Manning were all healthy scratches for Chicago for the second straight game. . Capitals F Alex Oveckhin was penalized for slashing in the second period, just his fourth penalty in 21 games. … Washington F Jakub Vrana had two assists Tanner Pearson Jersey , Oveckhin had one.UP NEXT:Blackhawks: Visit Tampa Bay in the second game of a three-game road trip on Friday.Capitals: Host Detroit on Friday afternoon. DETROIT (AP) — Andreas Athanasiou got the Detroit Red Wings‘ offense going, and Jimmy Howard backed it up.Athanasiou scored twice, including a penalty shot, and Jimmy Howard made 40 saves in his 500th game to lead the Red Wings to a 3-2 win over the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night.Frans Nielsen scored to break a 2-2 tie late in the second period.“(Athanasiou) doing what he does best in the first period, Frans burying one in the second, that’s all we needed tonight,” Howard said. “It was nice.”Howard joined Hall of Famer Terry Sawchuk and Chris Osgood as the only goalies to play 500 games with the Red Wings.“I think one of the biggest things is he’s never satisfied. He’s always looking to get even better,” Detroit defenseman Niklas Kronwall said about the 34-year-old Howard. “I don’t know if I’ve seen him play better than he has this season to be honest with you. It’s pretty impressive.”Brady Tkachuk and Matt Duchene scored for Ottawa, and Anders Nilsson stopped 26 shots.“We gave Athanasiou two breaks. So we know you’ve got to two-man that guy. You can’t expect on your own to be able to catch up to him,” Senators coach Guy Boucher said.“We got beat there 1-on-1. There’s no defensive mistake there. It’s just 1-on-1 Jonny Brodzinski Jersey Womens , one’s faster than the other. And then the other one, we left the middle open there a little too long, and he took advantage of it, and he got a penalty shot.”Nielsen got the winner with 3:00 left in the second period. He got his ninth goal, from the bottom of the left circle, by converting a pass from Darren Helm after a turnover by Senators defenseman Dylan DeMelo.Duchene had tied it at 2 with 6:21 left in the second. He skated around Detroit defenseman Jonathan Ericsson and beat Howard for his 26th goal.The Red Wings led 2-1 after the first period.Athanasiou scored his first goal with 9:16 left in the first. He cut in off left wing, skated across the crease and beat Nilsson with a backhand shot.Tkachuk tied it with 3:36 remaining in the opening period when he put in a loose puck from in front. It was Tkachuk’s 13th goal.Athanasiou restored Detroit’s lead when he scored on a penalty shot with 2:18 left in the first. Ottawa defenseman Christian Jaros impeded Athanasiou on a breakaway attempt. It was Athanasiou’s career-high 20th goal and third in two games.NOTES: The Red Wings sent rookie defenseman Dennis Cholowski to AHL Grand Rapids after the game. Cholowski had seven goals and 16 points and was minus-20 in 52 games. He was a healthy scratch for the second consecutive game on Thursday. … Ottawa was without G Craig Anderson (eye) and D Mark Borowiecki (lower-body injury). … The Red Wings lead the NHL with four penalty shot attempts this season. They’ve been successful on two (both by Athanasiou), which ties the Vancouver Canucks for the league lead.UP NEXTSenators: At Winnipeg on Saturday night.Red Wings: At Philadelphia on Saturday night.