Senators spank Capitals with 11-goal effort

WASHINGTON -- Jaromir Jagr's return to the Washington Capitals' lineup was upstaged by a record-setting performance by the streaking Ottawa Senators.

Marian Hossa had two goals and two assists during a five-goal first period as the Senators routed the Capitals 11-5 on Tuesday night, setting a club record for goals scored in their franchise-best seventh consecutive victory.

"I think we surprised them -- especially in the first period. We had a quick start," said Hossa. "We hadn't gotten off to quick starts lately."

Daniel Alfredsson had three goals and Shawn McEachern had a pair for the Senators.

Ottawa victimized goaltender Olaf Kolzig for five goals on 14 shots in the opening period, scoring on three of their first six shots by the time 7:07 had elapsed.

"What do you want me to say?" Kolzig said. "Take this game and throw it in the trash. It would take too long to analyze this thing. It was just a bad game ... If we sat here and moped and let it destroy us, then the season would be over."

Jagr, who had missed four games with a strained right knee, could not prevent the Caps from slipping to 1-6-1 in eight games. He assisted on Sylvain Cote's third-period goal.

The 11 goals were the most in the Senators' 10-year existence.

The record for most goals scored by one team is 16 by Montreal in a 16-3 victory over Quebec in 1920. The most goals scored in a game by both teams is 21, last accomplished in Edmonton's 12-9 victory over Chicago in 1985.

Radek Bonk, Todd White, Chris Neil and Martin Havlat also tallied for Ottawa. Karel Rachunek had a career-high four assists.

Sergei Gonchar scored twice and Chris Simon once for Washington. Matt Pettinger notched his first career NHL goal for the Capitals, who had not given up 11 goals since losing 11-3 in Edmonton on Nov. 2, 1983.

Ottawa coach Jacques Martin said his team wanted to establish early momentum and take advantage of a slumping Capitals team working with a patchwork defensive lineup.

"We thought they would be desperate tonight because it's a situation where they're slipping," Martin said. "So we wanted to come out hard and go right at them and the guys responded."

McEachern gave the Senators a 1-0 lead 1:19 into the game, converting a right-wing pass from Hossa. With Simon off for elbowing, Hossa scored his first goal in six games on a shot from Kolzig's left that caromed in off Gonchar's left arm at 3:53.

Hossa's seventh goal of the year, a sweeping backhander off McEachern's rebound, made it 3-0.

After a fluke goal by Gonchar -- whose dump pass along the right-wing boards nicked the glass and took a weird bounce past goalie Jani Hurme at 8:53 -- Alfredsson and Bonk tallied 49 seconds apart.

With Washington unable to convert on a four-minute power play, Alfredsson beat Kolzig on a shorthanded breakaway at 18:22. Bonk scored from the right circle, taking advantage of a three-man screen in front of Kolzig, who was pulled for Craig Billington when the second period started.

Gonchar's second goal of the game cut the lead to 5-2 2:42 into the second period, but Alfredsson scored between Billington's pads on the first shot he faced just 23 seconds later.

Notes: Ottawa has not lost in nine games when scoring first. ... The Capitals recalled defenseman Frantisek Kucera from Sparta Praha. The nine-year NHL veteran, acquired with Jagr from Pittsburgh in July, had been loaned to the Czech League team on Oct. 11. ... Washington last gave up five goals in a period Nov. 10, 1995, at Toronto. ... Because he was in goal when the sixth Ottawa goal was scored, Billington took the loss.