9-of-14 shooting, using a variety of low-post moves and jump h

WASHINGTON -- For nearly four years, Washington Capitals fans have watched video clips of Evgeny Kuznetsov playing in Russia and imagined what he could do in the NHL. On Friday night, Kuznetsov began compiling the North American version of his greatest hits -- posting three assists for his first NHL points in the Capitals 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks. Kuznetsov assisted during a power play as countryman Alex Ovechkin finished with a slap shot for his NHL-leading 45th goal. Less than five minutes later, Kuznetsov faked a slap shot from the wing and fed the puck to Tom Wilson for his third goal. In the third period, Kuznetsov started a sequence that led to Mike Green putting the Capitals ahead for good with 9:41 left. Green scored with a slap shot off a feed from Nicklas Backstrom from behind the net. "(Kuznetsov) did a great job battling down the corner and keeping control of the puck," said Green, who scored his ninth goal. "He made a great play to Nicky, and I noticed when Nicky was wheeling the net that he saw me before he even looked up." It was the third NHL game for Kuznetsov, the Capitals first-round pick in the 2010 draft. He signed with Washington last week after five years in Russias Kontinental Hockey League. "You get your first point on the power play, which is kind of an easy point, but it still counts," Washington coach Adam Oates said. "You get your juices going. Great play on the second goal, and then protecting the puck on a cycle (on the third goal), which is kind of something you dont necessarily expect." Kuznetsov played on Washingtons fourth line with fellow rookie Wilson and Jay Beagle, who contributed an assist. "He is such a creative player and a lot of fun to play with," Wilson said. "The first couple of games he wasnt sure, and hes really finding his groove. Hopefully we can have some chemistry for years to come." Kuznetsovs performance helped the Capitals forget the 12th time this season theyve blown a two-goal advantage. Washington led 3-1 early in the third period before Shawn Matthias and Nicklas Jensen scored for Vancouver to tie it. The goal by Jensen, a rookie playing in his sixth game, was the first of his NHL career. "I just felt we were just going to keep on coming," Vancouver coach John Tortorella said. "Theyve given up some leads here. We got that third one, I thought we were just going to take off. We had some chances." Vancouver outshot Washington 41-21, but the Capitals killed all seven Canucks power plays. Jaroslav Halak made 38 saves in his fourth start with the Capitals. "He had a fantastic night," Oates said. "We left him hanging." Jordan Schroeder scored Vancouvers first goal, and Chris Higgins and Christopher Tanev both had two assists. Eddie Lack stopped 17 shots as Vancouver fell to 3-12-1 in its last 16 games. "Its frustrating. I thought we played really well all game," Matthias said. "To tie it up there and let that happen, its upsetting." The night got off to a difficult start for the Canucks, whose bus broke down. Players then took cabs to the arena. Joel Ward opened the scoring for Washington, but the second period belonged to Kuznetsov. "Hes sort of got that young mentality where you know youre not afraid to make a play and do these things that youre capable of," Green said. "Hes going to be a great player." NOTES: The Canucks learned on Friday they will be without C Ryan Kesler for two weeks. Kesler, who leads the team with 22 goals, injured his knee in a 3-2 shootout victory on Wednesday over Winnipeg. ... The International Olympic Committee ruled that Backstrom wasnt at fault for his positive drug test before the gold-medal game at the Olympics, in which he didnt play, and he will receive the silver medal he earned with Sweden. Cheap Nike Zoom Shoes . -- The Oakland Raiders expect to have starting right tackle Tony Pashos back for Sundays game against the Houston Texans. Cheap Nike Zoom Shoes China . Levante, which had lost five straight including a Copa del Rey game last weekend, fell behind at its Ciutat de Valencia stadium when Ionut Sapanura opened the scoring for Elche in the 26th minute. http://www.cheapnikezoom.com/ . Jeff Carter had two goals and an assist as the Kings stretched their streak to seven wins in a row with a 4-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday. Nike Zoom Clearance .com) - The 12th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes continue a four-game homestand at Value City Arena on Wednesday night when they face off against the High Point Panthers in a non-conference matchup. Cheap Nike Zoom Shoes Free Shipping . -- Downcast before the final game of what had been a difficult road trip, the Ottawa Senators found a way to dig out a little momentum in the desert before heading home. CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Al Jefferson and the Charlotte Bobcats cant help but sneak a peek at the Eastern Conference standings every now and again. "I would be great to get in that sixth spot," Jefferson said. The reasoning if obvious: It would help the Bobcats avoid a potential first-round playoff series with Indiana or Miami. For now, the Bobcats are the seventh seed in the East, but theyre gaining ground. Charlotte took a big step on Wednesday night with Jefferson scoring 35 points and Kemba Walker adding a double-double in a 116-111 overtime victory over the Brooklyn Nets. The win pulled the Bobcats within 1/2 games of sixth-seeded Washington, which lost Wednesday night to Phoenix, and three games behind the fifth-seeded Nets. "I think if we continue to win games everything will take care of itself, everything will work out," Jefferson said. "At this point we should be happy and blessed to be in any (playoff) spot." Walker had 20 points and 12 assists, and Chris Douglas-Roberts added 16 points, including two big jump shots in overtime. Deron Williams finished with 29 points for Brooklyn after scoring 18 in the first quarter. Joe Johnson had 18. Josh McRoberts put the Bobcats ahead for good in overtime when he cut to the basket, received a pass from Jefferson and twisted his body in midair for a reverse dunk in traffic, bringing the crowd to its feet. Douglas-Roberts and Johnson traded 3-pointers before Walker hit a 19-footer over Williams to push the lead to 114-111. Shaun Livingston missed a driving layup with 35 seconds left and the Bobcats got the ball. McRoberts was blocked on the ensuing possession, but Douglas-Roberts tracked down the loose ball and made a 20-footer from the left wing to push the lead to five and seal the victory. "I thought the defence was great, but in the end, we come up with a blocked shot, the ball bounces, and you know CDR, he makes a shot with the shot clock winding down and so everybody executed," Nets coach Jason Kidd said. "The ball just bounced their way tonight." Williams tied the game with 26.8 seconds left in regulation when he knocked down a 20-footer from the left wing. The Bobcats had a chance to win the game at the end of regulation, but the ball slipped out of Walkers hands as time expired.dddddddddddd Douglas-Roberts joined the Bobcats in December from the NBA Developmental League and has been a reliable contributor during the teams playoff push. He saw extra minutes off the bench with Gary Neal out with an ankle injury. "Im very confident when Im on the floor and I go in there knowing I have to contribute for this team," Douglas-Roberts said. Williams set a career-high with 57 points in this same building against the Bobcats on March 4, 2012. And early on he looked like he was aiming to better the mark. Despite missing the morning shootaround with an illness, he made seven of his first eight shots, including four 3-pointers to finish with 18 points in the first quarter. The Bobcats, who have surrendered 62 points to Carmelo Anthony and 61 points to LeBron James this season, seemed intent not to allow that to happen again. They shaded their coverage to Williams in the second quarter and he was limited to only two more points before halftime. In the meantime, Jefferson was starting to heat up, scoring 22 points in the first half on 9-of-14 shooting, using a variety of low-post moves and jump hooks. "We gave him some easy ones early," Brooklyns Mason Plumlee said. "... You cant give a great scorer easy buckets early." Brooklyns Jorge Gutierrez was ejected from the game with 6:42 left in the fourth quarter after a flagrant two foul against Cody Zeller. Zeller grabbed an offensive rebound and Gutierrez came down hard with both hands on Zellers shoulders, sending the 7-footer crashing to the hardwood. "I watched the replay and it looked pretty bad -- but that wasnt my intention to do that," Gutierrez said. "Coach always says Nothing easy. Make them earn it on the free throw line. I was just trying to do a hard play." NOTES: The Bobcats are 12-7 since the All-Star break. ... Grammy Award winner Nelly took in the game from a courtside seat. ... The Bobcats and Wells Fargo gave away a new home to former Marine Josh Morgan during the first half of the game as part of the Military Warriors Support Foundation. Morgan was injured in Afghanistan. ' ' '