WASHINGTON -- For the second time in three days, Alex Ovechkin scored his NHL-leading 39th goal late against the Detroit Red Wings. Vans Sk8 Hi Sale . This one wont be taken away. Ovechkins one-timer from the left circle on a power play 2:37 into overtime gave the Capitals a 6-5 win Sunday over the Red Wings, earning a split of a home-and-home set and tightening up things even more in the bottlenecked bottom half of the Eastern Conference. Ovechkin was originally credited with the goal that tied the score with 7 seconds left in regulation on Friday in Detroit -- a game the Red Wings eventually won in a shootout. The NHL has since reviewed the play and decided it instead belongs to Joel Ward on a deflection. Ward kept it up Sunday, getting two goals and an assist as he again benefited from the extra attention paid to Ovechkin, particularly on the power play. In overtime, however, the power play is 4-on-3, and that left plenty of space for the Russian Olympian to drive home the game-winner after Brendan Smith was sent off for tripping. "I was pretty much open," Ovechkin said. "Sometimes its kind of boring when they put one guy close to you and youre basically out of the game, but Wardo and everybody do a great job." Jason Chimera, John Carlson and Troy Brouwer also scored for the Capitals, who got a touchdowns worth of goals in their fifth consecutive Super Bowl Sunday home matinee. Michal Neuvirth made 25 saves. The Capitals and Red Wings are bunched in a six-team pack in which two points separate eighth place from 13th place in the East. Washington had lost seven of nine and three in a row at home. "Itll go right down to the end," Washington coach Adam Oates said. "Thats why youve got to get as healthy as you can. Every point matters. Hopefully your wave will come, and itll come at the right time." Ward has 17 goals, matching his career high for a season and making him the unlikely No. 2 scorer on the Capitals. "I definitely know Ive got a role on this team, and thats obviously to try to chip in as much as I can," Ward said. "But by no means Im not trying to be no superhero or Batman. Im just trying to help the team win." Gustav Nyquist had his first career hat trick and added an assist, and Tomas Tatar and Justin Abdelkader also scored for the Red Wings, who at least managed to end a long scoring drought away from home. Jimmy Howard stopped 22 shots. Nyquists goal at 11:40 of the first period ended the Detroits road scoreless run at 194:14. The Red Wings had been shut out for three consecutive away games, a streak equaled in franchise history only by the 1927-28 Detroit Cougars. It was one of those games where a trip to the concession stand was a risky proposition. The first period included three power-play goals in just 53 seconds of man-advantage time. In the second period, Tatar and Ward scored 19 seconds apart. Nyquist finished his hat trick just 42 seconds into the third period. "It was an old-fashioned pond hockey game out there," Howard said. "Every once in a while those games happen. The only thing weve got to take out of this is we found a way to get a point, and a lot of guys played well." Notes: Capitals D Mike Green missed his second consecutive game. He has been evaluated for concussion-like symptoms since getting hurt against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday. ... Capitals F Brooks Laich sat out with a lower-body injury. Vans Sk8 Hi Clearance . The Senators will put the busy off-season and training camp behind them when they open their regular season on the road. They kick things off Friday against the Buffalo Sabres and then head to Toronto to take on the Maple Leafs on Saturday. Vans Old Skool Clearance Sale . It was the most lopsided loss in Lakers history. Darren Collison had a team-high 24 points while starting at shooting guard for the injured Jamal Crawford. Chris Paul added 13 points and 11 assists for the Clippers, who apparently are trying to make up for decades of humiliation at the hands of the Lakers all in one season; theyve won the last two meetings by a combined 84 points. http://www.vanssalestore.com/ .Gasol had 16 points and 13 rebounds, and the Bulls beat the winless Orlando Magic 98-90 on Tuesday night.Jimmy Butler led the Bulls with 21 points and Taj Gibson added 16 for Chicago, which finally pulled away in the final minutes of a game that was tied after three quarters.BROOKLYN - If you subscribe to the concept of momentum, theres reason to be concerned about the Raptors chances going into Sundays series deciding Game 7. The shift began amid Wednesdays fourth-quarter meltdown, a 44-point browbeating, and carried over to Fridays Game 6. Facing elimination on their home court, a desperate Nets team jumped out to a 34-19 lead after 12 minutes and the Raptors - dazed and confused - never recovered, trailing for the duration. So how crucial is momentum at this time of year? "If you look at the series, the way its gone, its been like a roller coaster the whole time," Dwane Casey said following his teams 97-83 loss in Brooklyn, forcing a Game 7 on Sunday afternoon, tipping off at 1:00 PM from the Air Canada Centre. "Every game has been different." And that was the extent of Caseys post-game assembly. Questions about momentum, clearly favouring their surging opponents. Questions regarding experience, also favouring the veteran Nets. The Raptors were being written off before departing Brooklyn. "To listen to some of this, we may as well not play Game 7," said an agitated Casey. "Every game is different and I know our team will bounce back." For a brief, fleeting moment, Caseys team played the unfamiliar role of favourites, up 3-2 in the series, and it wasnt a good look for them. From the moment Rudy Gay was traded theyve fancied themselves underdogs. Its what brought them together, its what motivates them. Without that built-in adversity, they were unrecognizable. The Nets opened the game with the fight you would expect from a team on the ropes and for whatever reason, Toronto was unable to match it. The Raptors were flat offensively and showed little-to-no resistance on defence. Brooklyn outscored the Raptors 22-4 in the paint, out-rebounded them 14-4 and shot an impressive 68 per cent from the field. They moved the ball, got in the lane at will and controlled the tempo of the game from the jump, while the Raptors could barely get into their offensive sets. "It just comes down to who wants it more," DeMar DeRozan had said the day prior. On Friday it was all Brooklyn. "We didnt really realize we had Brooklyn against the wall and we didnt take advantage of it like we should," said DeRozan after leading the team with 28 points, no one else scored more than Kyle Lowrys 11. "We should have known they were going to come out throwing haymakers and we werent ready for it until the second half." "We just didnt come out with the competitive nature that we needed tonight," Lowry added. "They did an unbelievable job of forcing their will on the game tonight, but we have to find a way to match that intensity." In taking control of the series, Toronto had finally dodged the dreaded inexperience narrative that theyve been trying to shake since they drew the Nets but hhere it is, rearing its head once again. Vans Old Skool Sale. This was a scenario Casey had considered, one he feared. "I was concerned about what would happen tonight," the Raptors coach admitted. "[In] any Game 6, a team is going to come out with a desperate mindset. With this team, they built to win a championship this year, and theyre going to come out and give you their best shot. [I] knew that coming in and tried to warn our team. Guys who havent been in Game 6 before, its one of the toughest things to do." "Again, experience is the best teacher. Now were going into Game 7, its our first time at that. Luckily we have it at home." Yes, they will play Sundays elimination game in the friendly confines of their home gym, in front of a fan base that has been exceptionally supportive throughout their playoff run. That may be the only tangible reason to like their odds. As a franchise, the Raptors have only participated in one Game 7, the infamous day of Vince Carters graduation and missed fadeaway back in 2001. They have never hosted a deciding playoff game at the Air Canada Centre. With Portlands win over Houston, the Raptors now have the NBAs longest active streak without a playoff series victory. None of Torontos starters have played in a Game 7 while Paul Pierce alone has appeared in eight, Kevin Garnett in six and Joe Johnson in four. And then theres the momentum, if you believe in such things. The Raptors say they dont buy into momentum. The Nets, however, are counting on it. "I think we just need to take this momentum from this game into the next," said Nets forward Andray Blatche, who guaranteed a victory on Wednesday and did the same for Game 7. "I think our momentum will carry over. I think we found a recipe in getting a win on defence and offence and controlling the paint." So here they are. After all this time - two weeks, six games, broken shot clocks, a lint-free global ambassador and an F-bomb dropping general manager - the division-winning Toronto Raptors are right back where they started. Theyre a young, inexperienced team in over their heads, right? Maybe. But if nothing else, theyre back in their comfort zone. Theyre going to be overlooked, theyre going to be the underdogs. So, count them out at your own risk. "We believe in ourselves," Patrick Patterson insisted. "Everyone in this locker room believes in ourselves. Weve believed in ourselves all year long. For us to have any doubt in our minds right now is unacceptable. Its not like we cant beat them. Weve beat them before. Weve done it in the regular season [and] weve done it in the playoffs." "Now we know its win or go home," DeRozan said. "Everything is on the line now. Either we step up and we play with a force from the jump ball to the end of the game, or well be going home the next day." ' ' '