The latest three game stretch for the Capitals has to leave fans smiling. After finally beating Dwayne Roloson and the Southeast division leading Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday, the Caps put together a solid overall performance against rival Pittsburgh. Yes, they were blanked by San Jose a few nights later, but the Sharks have been on an absolute tear as of late, going 9-0-1 in their past ten games. Wins against their Eastern Conference foes closed the gap in the Southeast divisional race, with the Caps now sitting only three points back.

After being shut out twice already this season by Roloson, Washington had a vintage offensive night, winning 5-2. Both Alex Ovechkin and Nick Backstrom came through with four point nights as the team lit the lamp five times, only the second time they’ve done that in the past 29 games. Last season Washington scored five or more goals in 26 games. Semyon Varlamov rebounded from an early goal to stop 23 out of the 25 shots the Lightning threw at him and along with the aid of defensemen John Carlson and Karl Alzner, shut down league leading scorer Steven Stamkos as well as his line mate Martin St. Louis (second in the league in assists).

Then there was the big game before the really big game on Sunday. The Pittsburgh Penguins, despite being without stars Sidney Crosby (concussion) and Evgeni Malkin (torn ACL and MCL), have been playing well in their absences, winning seven of their past ten games. The Caps however, put together a dominant team performance in one of the finest games they’ve played all season in taking down Pittsburgh 3-0. The goalie see-saw continues, as Michael Neuvirth was given the start and did not disappoint, shutting out the Pens, the first time a Caps goalie has shutout Pittsburgh in the regular season in two decades. Brooks Laich, Marcus Johansson and Mike Knuble added goals for Washington as they won a hard hitting game. Caps fans were in for a scary moment when near the end of the second period, defenseman Mike Green took a Brooks Orpik slap shot to the side of the head, dropping the All-Star to the ice as blood poured from the laceration. Green sat out Tuesday’s game against San Jose, but isn’t expected to miss anymore time beyond that.

While Green was unavailable for Washington as they hosted the Sharks, the team did welcome back Alex Semin, who had missed the previous 12 games with a lower body injury. His impact was immediately felt when in the opening period his shot on Sharks goalie Antii Niemi squirted through the goalie’s pads and sat directly behind the net minder. Fortunately for Niemi, the linesman bailed him out with a premature whistle that cancelled a sure Caps goal. Washington was never able to find the back of the net, going down 2-0 to the white hot Sharks who, after a lackadaisical first half of the season have positioned themselves as the fourth seed in the Western conference. Neuvirth remained strong in goal, turning away 34 of the 36 shots he saw on the night.

Washington now must prepare for a road stretch that sends them out west. The Western conference has not been kind to the guys in red this season, as they have gone 3-5-1 against teams in the opposing conference. The Caps don’t return to the Verizon Center until Feb. 25, when they will take on the New York Rangers.