Evidently, Washington Capitals head coach Bruce Boudreau knows which buttons to push and just when to push them. In addition to running a grueling practice on the team’s off-day two Sundays ago following a horrible 5-0 loss in Buffalo, the coach also decided to put 2007-08 league MVP Alexander Ovechkin and NHL point leader Alexander Semin on the same line. The results have been splendid.

The Capitals have recorded points in five consecutive games and catapulted ahead in the standings to overtake the Southeast Division lead thanks in large part to the scoring prowess of the Semin-Backstrom Ovechkin line. On Wednesday, the Caps marched to their fourth straight win with a 5-1 route over Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh.

"This was as good as the [Rangers] game," Boudreau said after the game, referring to his team's dominant win over New York Saturday in Washington. "But we did it on the road, where it's a lot tougher to do. They got the one goal off the backboard, but other than that, we shut them down pretty good."

The impressive victory was the Caps’ second in a week over their Southeast rivals, who haven’t come up with an answer for Alexander Semin and his linemates. Then again, who has?

"What can you say about our line?" Ovechkin said. "We control the game. We never play in our zone."

Semin racked up seven points in the two games against the Hurricanes, including a stunning five-point performance Wednesday. When the two teams met the week before in D.C., he scored two goals in the final three minutes to turn what looked like a frustrating loss into a 3-2 victory.

The Russian left winger leads the league in points, goals and plus/minus and is quickly becoming a household name around the NHL and on highlight shows everywhere. Also, Ovechkin appears to be heating up since joining Semin’s line, having totaled eight points in his last four games.

It’s not just the offense that’s been chipping in. The Capitals haven’t allowed more than two goals in any of the last five outings thanks largely to the surprisingly good netminding of Brent Johnson, a career backup who started the season behind Jose Theodore on the depth chart.

When Johnson went down with a hip injury Wednesday, Theodore stepped in and arguably played his best hockey of the season, allowing no goals in two periods.

"Experience just kicks in," Theodore said of relieving Johnson. "I made a few saves, and I was building my confidence after that."

Johnson's injury may be a concern because he's been playing so well. The Capitals, as usual, haven't disclosed much about the injury, and it's a good bet that Theodore will see some action. He'll need to play like he did against the Hurricanes in order for the team to maintain its current pace.

Despite other lingering injuries to skilled center Sergei Fedorov and top defenseman Shoane Morrison, things are going well in D.C. The Verizon Center, once an empty haven for opponents, is turning into one of the most feared arenas in hockey as the Caps are 11-0-1 on home ice dating back to last season.

After a sluggish start, only five teams in the league had more points in the standings than Washington as of Thursday. Given the talent on this team, it was only a matter of time.