WASHINGTON D.C. (November 25) — Semyon Varlamov, the Washington Capitals 21-year-old goaltender, recorded his first regular-season shutout by making 25 saves against the Buffalo Sabres in a 2-0 victory Wednesday night that was completed without the Capitals’ star Alex Ovechkin, following a third period ejection for a hard shoulder check called boarding and resulting game misconduct at 3:38.

Defenseman Mike Green (#52) cuts off a pass from Buffalo Sabres’ forward Michael Grier (#25). (Pete Silver/OffWingPhoto.com)

“You lose the most prolific scorer on the planet Earth, which is tough,” said Capitals’ defenseman Brian Pothier.  “But you have to kill a 5-minute penalty.  As Ovie’s skating off the ice, we’re telling him, ‘We’ve got this one for you.’  He does so much for our team.  Every night, he bails us out.  We could sure do it for him.”

Ovechkin put the Capitals up 1-0 at 6:24 of the first period, his 17^th of the season.  Shots came slowly, both teams playing aggressive, trapping defense.  There were no penalties in the first two periods.

Alex Ovechkin (#8) scores in the first period to put the Capitals up 1-0 over the visiting Buffalo Sabres. (Pete Silver/OffWingPhoto.com)

Eric Fehr scored the Capitals’ second goal with 6:22 in regulation, redirecting Brendan Morrison’s centering pass.

Foward Eric Fehr (#16) scores at 6:22 of the third period, sealing the Capital’s 2-0 victory over the Buffalo Sabres. (Pete Silver/OffWingPhoto.com)

Prior to the singing of the National Anthem, there was moment of silence in memory of Mr. Abe Pollin, Capitals owner from 1974 to 1999, who used his own money to build Verizon Center and revitalized the Washington D.C. Chinatown area, along with numerous other real estate improvement projects around the District. Pollin died Tuesday at the age of 85 from a rare brain disease.  Funeral services were held Friday and a public memorial service is scheduled on Decemeber 8th at Verizon Center.

Click below for a slideshow of images from Thursday night’s game and more from OffWing Photo.

WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 26: Eric Fehr of the Washington Capitals celebrates with teammates following his goal during a NHL hockey game with the Atlanta Thrashers on November 26, 2008 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. (Photo by Allen Clark/OffWingPhoto.com)

WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 26: Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals flies over goalie Ondrej Pavelec of the Atlanta Thrashers during a NHL hockey game on November 26, 2008 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. (Photo by Allen Clark/OffWingPhoto.com)

More photos after the jump.

WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 26: Fans of the Washington Capitals toss their hats onto the ice following Alex Ovechkin’s Hat Trick against the Atlanta Thrashers during a NHL hockey game on November 26, 2008 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. (Photo by Allen Clark/OffWingPhoto.com)

WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 26: Alex Ovechkin and Sami Lepisto of the Washington Capitals celebrate following an Ovechkin goal in the first period against the Atlanta Thrashers during a NHL hockey game on November 26, 2008 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. (Photo by Allen Clark/OffWingPhoto.com)

WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 26: Michael Nylander of the Washington Capitals brings the puck up the ice during a NHL hockey game with the Atlanta Thrashers on November 26, 2008 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. (Photo by Allen Clark/OffWingPhoto.com)

WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 26: Goalie Jose Theodore of the Washington Capitals falls to the ice following Vyacheslav Kozlov of the Atlanta Thrashers goal during a NHL hockey game on November 26, 2008 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. (Photo by Allen Clark/OffWingPhoto.com)

WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 10: Tom Poti, Mike Green and Eric Fehr all earned goals in the first period. Here, Brooks Laich celebrates his assist on Fehr’s goal. The Lightning were able to put up one goal in the second period, but were never able to take the lead. After 10 games without a goal, Alex Ovechkin scored one in the third, giving Washington a 4-1 lead. Tampa Bay notched a second goal with 30 seconds left, but the game ended with a Washington win. (Photo by Kate McGovern/OffWingPhoto.com)

WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 10: A shot on Kolzing that went wide to the right broke the glass behind the goal; the glass had to be replaced before the game could continue. (Photo by Kate McGovern/OffWingPhoto.com)

WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 10: During the first period, Washington played a tribute video to Kolzig, showing highlights from his career with the Capitals. (Photo by Kate McGovern/OffWingPhoto.com)

WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 29: Brooks Laich tries unsuccessfully to earn Washington a goal in the first period. The three regulation goals were scored by Kozlov, Steckel and Semin. The Capitals out shot the Predators 32 to 26. (Photo by Kate McGovern/OffWingPhoto.com)