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WASHINGTON -- Even after Alex Ovechkin bailed the Washington Capitals out of trouble to win their fourth game in a row, all he wanted to talk about was how it almost slipped away.The Capitals blew a three-goal lead in the third period Thursday night before beating the Winnipeg Jets 4-3 in overtime. Ovechkin had two goals, including the game-winner, and assisted on Nicklas Backstroms first of the season, but the blown lead was the biggest takeaway for a team that should again be a Stanley Cup contender.We just cant stop playing, said Ovechkin, tied for second in the NHL with six goals. I think we stopped playing. We (were) too casual, and it almost cost us the game.Goals by Backstrom, Ovechkin and T.J. Oshie, and an 18-5 second-period shot advantage had Washington on cruise control. Braden Holtby made 11 of his 24 saves in the first period, and his opportunistic teammates took advantage of turnovers in front and rebounds allowed by Winnipeg starter Michael Hutchinson, who made 28 stops.Then the third period began. Holtby misjudged a poke-check attempt that allowed Tobias Enstrom to score short-handed into an empty net, and defensive miscues led to goals by Adam Lowry and Marko Dano.Washington blew a 2-0 third-period lead at Winnipeg on Tuesday but won in regulation when Jay Beagle scored in the final minute. Ovechkins power-play goal 3:21 into overtime Thursday allowed the Capitals to be satisfied with another victory, but the lapse before that kept them from being too happy about it.I thought they were actually outworking us there in the third period, Backstrom said. A little sloppy from our side, but at the same time were really lucky we got away with two points there.The Jets overcame a three-goal deficit in the third period to force overtime for the third time in 11 games this season. Its a major improvement for a young team that struggled in those situations last year.We havent quit once this year, captain Blake Wheeler said. Everyone had a hand in that in the third period. You can be proud of doing those things.Coach Paul Maurice was displeased with the too many men on the ice penalty called against his team in overtime, which led to Ovechkins goal.I cant blame the referees on it because the linesman called it, which was important that he involved himself in the game at that point, Maurice said. I dont think it was too many men on the ice. I dont even think it was that close.The game was too close for comfort for the Capitals, who bent but didnt shatter after allowing three goals in a 9-minute span. Had Jets rookie Kyle Connor scored instead of clanking his shot off the post with 1:26 left in regulation, it would have been a different story.Refusing to blame the timing of coming off a four-game Western Canadian road trip for the inconsistent play from period to period, Washington players owned up to not matching the Jets pushback in the third.But coughing up a three-goal lead late in a game in early November beats doing the same in April or May.Its early, Oshie said. We didnt play the way we wanted to, but glad we found a way to get a win. Well take this as a learning experience and move on and hopefully we can be better from it.Game notesJets forwards Mathieu Perreault and Joel Armia left with injuries in the third period. Maurice said hed know more about their status Thursday, and the team would have to decide on potential call-ups. ... The Capitals scored first for the ninth time in 10 games this season. ... Jets forward Chris Thorburn missed the game for the birth of a child.UP NEXTJets: Travel to face the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night in the second stop of a three-game road trip.Capitals: Host the Florida Panthers on Saturday night.Rickard Rakell Jersey . Just as Montreal was settling into the first full working week of a new year, the Impact announced the appointment of their new head coach. Hampus Lindholm Jersey . Tests earlier this week revealed a Grade 2 left hamstring strain for Sabathia, who was hurt in last Fridays start against San Francisco. Its an injury that will require about eight weeks to heal. He finished a disappointing campaign just 14-13 with a career-worst 4. http://www.authenticduckspro.com/Giovanni-fiore-ducks-jersey/ . Down by seven with 90 seconds left in regulation, thats where they looked comfortable. Custom Anaheim Ducks Jerseys . A big centre with all the tools to be an elite player, Johansen paced the Blue Jackets with a standout game Saturday night. He had a goal and two assists for a career-high three points as Columbus beat the New York Islanders 5-2 to snap a five-game losing streak. Nick Ritchie Ducks Jersey . -- Five former Kansas City Chiefs players who were on the team between 1987 and 1993 filed a lawsuit Tuesday claiming the team hid and even lied about the risks of head injuries during that time period when there was no collective bargaining agreement in place in the NFL.NEW YORK -- Colorado had to rebound from its first loss of the season and the Buffaloes did by rebounding.George King had 12 points and 13 rebounds to lead Colorado to a 68-54 victory over No. 22 Texas on Tuesday in the third-place game of the Legends Classic at Barclays Center.King, who matched his career high for rebounds which he set on Monday, led the big rebounding game for the Buffaloes (4-1), who finished with a 41-32 advantage on the boards including 17-12 on the offensive glass. Colorado scored 18 second-chance points.Huge, Colorado coach Tad Boyle said of his teams rebounding. Thats really where you find out where the toughness comes from. Thats the stat that just shows up. Every game that we have youre either plus or youre minus. Last night Notre Dame outrebounded us. Today we outrebounded Texas by nine and thats a big number. We want plus eight, thats our goal and we hit it.And it was King who led the charge to the boards.George, the second half last night and tonight, he played (like) the light bulb was maybe coming on for him, Boyle said. He was terrific on the boards but I thought our whole team was.Derrick White had 16 points for Colorado, which lost 89-83 to Notre Dame in the semifinals, while Josh Fortune had 11.We needed that one, Boyle said. Its crazy to think in November you feel its a must win but thats how I felt approaching this game today for our team in terms of what it meant for down the road. You come to a place like this, you dont want to go home 0-2.Kerwin Roach Jr. led Texas (3-2) with 16 points and Jarrett Allen had 15.Colorado, despite giving up size on the inside, used offensive rebounding to take a 33-24 halftime lead. Led by King, a 6-foot-6 junior, the Buffaloes were up 16-2 at one point on the offensive glass and Texas had no answer.The Longhorns, who lost to Northwestern 77-58 in the semifinals, used full court pressure to force turnovers and they were within 54-51 with 5:12 left on two free throws by Allen.But Colorado went on an 11-2 run that was capped by -- what else? -- an offensive rebound by Wesley Gordon to match their biggest lead to that points.King said hes concentrating on rebounding.Absolutely. Im long, atthletic, he said.dddddddddddd Why not use it because Im not going to have it forever.Texas was 3 for 17 from 3-point range while the Buffaloes made 6 of 14 from beyond the arc.I think for our guys, you never want to lose and you never feel good about losing, Texas coach Shaka Smart said. Theyre certainly down. I think anyone in our program is disappointed but Ill tell you what if you cant have a clear mind for what goes into what we need to do next, then youre in the wrong locker room. I think this has gotten our guys attention from the standpoint of some of the things we preach as coaches all the time, which is you have to have a level of humility in your preparation to understand what you have to do to take away what other teams are trying to do.Sometimes experience is the best teacher and unfortunately these two games we experienced here in New York, theyre tough pills to swallow. But if we can learn a lesson from them they can help us as we move forward.BIG PICTURE:Texas: The Longhorns will have to decide on which point guard will run the offense and they will have to work on the inside rotation. After averaging over 80 points a game in their first three, the Longhorns averaged 56 points per game in the tournament.Colorado: The Buffaloes have a deep roster and coach Tad Boyle has kept everyones minutes close with nobody averaging more than 28.5 minutes.POLL IMPLICATIONS:With the two losses in the Legends Classic Texas will almost certainly drop out of the Top 25. The Longhorns can still make a run at being ranked with all the Big 12 games to come.OLD FOES:Texas leads the all-time series with Colorado 14-10. The two were both in the Big 12 until Colorado left for the Pac-12.TURNING IT OVER: Texas had 11 turnovers and just four assists against Colorado. That leaves their assist-to-turnover ratio for the season at 51-56.UP NEXT:Texas: The Longhorns face Texas-Arlington at home on Tuesday and then host Alabama on Dec. 2.Colorado: The Buffaloes head back to Boulder for games with Wofford and Colorado State on Nov. 27 and Nov. 30. ' ' '