The timing could not be better, as Washington has struggled to score goals five-on-five and on the power play on their current four-game slide. The dynamic sniper has practiced two days in a row and feels he is ready to go. Semin will play on the team's second line with Michael Nylander and rookie Nicklas Backstrom.

Clark will play with Alexander Ovechkin and Viktor Kozlov. Clark played with Ovechkin last season when he scored 30 goals and added 24 assists. This is great news for the Washington captain, as he hasn't registered a point yet this season. Wait to see if the line clicks before picking up the veteran.

Semin has been skating on his own for the past week as he continues to rehabilitate his sprained ankle. After practice on Tuesday, Semin will have a better idea as to how close he is to a return. He may be back by next weekend. We will keep you updated on his status.

He may be re-called in time for Wednesday's contest against the Lightning. If he does not return, look for Chris Clark to return to the team's first line alongside Alexander Ovechkin and Viktor Kozlov.

The Capitals are hoping he will be able to play in at least one of the team's three games next week. Get ready to active Semin.

Michael Nylander and Nicklas Backstrom assisted on the goal.

Johnson had the lead after 20 minutes but was scored upon twice in the second period. The backup goaltender now has a 1-2-0 record this season.

Motzko acquitted himself well by assisting on Alexander Ovechkin's goal. Even coach Glen Hanlon marveled at Motzko's predicament, "One minute you are in the minors on the bus to Binghamton and the next you are playing with Ovechkin and Kozlov. That's a great week." Looks like Motzko will be a decent pick-up for the short term.

Tomas Fleischmann later scored for the Capitals to tie the game at two a piece. That was as close as Washington could get before giving up a trio of unanswered goals in the third period. Joe Motzko, Nicklas Backstrom, and Brian Pothier registered assists in the contest.

Washington came back from a 2-0 deficit in the third period to tie the game up at two. Unfortunately for the Capitals, that lasted for roughly three minutes before Kolzig got beat by Bryan Berard.

It is unclear when the winger will return, as he was unable to finish practice on Wednesday due to back pain. Regardless, he should not be on your fantasy roster.

The move allowed the Capitals to recall Jeff Schultz on the roster. Being placed on the injured list is an automatic week off, but the move is retroactive to last week, when Semin was injured. This means that he can be activated at any time, but his return time is murky at best. Keep him benched until otherwise noted.

"I saw him do some really nice things on the power play during a 35-second span and I saw him make some really nice passes," coach Glen Hanlon said. "He's almost [good for] a goal every two days in the American Hockey League. I've talked to [Anaheim Ducks Coach] Randy Carlyle about him, and he says he can play with higher skilled players." Motzko has practiced recently on Washington's top line alongside superstar Alexander Ovechkin.

Semin has missed the past four games with an ankle injury and is not close to returning. He skated for only 15 minutes on Monday before packing it in for the day. Keep him benched until we hear otherwise.

Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Green were credited with the assists on the goal. Green and Alexander Ovechkin scored goals in the third period. Unfortunately it was too little, too late.

After the dust settled, Brent Johnson had faced 53 shots and stopped 46 of them.

He stopped 38 of 41 Ranger shots and was the game's third star. Going into Friday's action, Kolzig was undefeated in two starts with a 0.50 goals against average and a .981 save percentage.

It was a power-play marker in the first period with defensemen Mike Green and Tom Poti drawing the assists. Ovechkin now has two goals and two assists in four games so far this season. The loss to the Rangers was the Capitals' first of the campaign.

Semin missed the club's first game on Friday with the same ankle injury, but returned on Saturday. He tweaked the ankle and has been off the ice since then. The Caps don't play again until Friday, which means that Semin will have four full days to rest up. We will keep you updated on his status as the week progresses.

Viktor Kozlov had already tied the game in second period with a slap shot that got by Rick DiPietro. Alexander Ovechkin, Brian Pothier, and Michael Nylander contributed assists for the victors.