WASHINGTON - Alex Ovechkin remembered what Troy Brouwer said earlier this season about the Winter Classic and took it to heart. Eric Ebron Colts Jersey .Brouwer said, Its a good time to show up and make a show, Ovechkin recalled.Brouwer scored the game-winning goal as the Washington Capitals beat the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 on Thursday at Nationals Park. But that wouldnt have been possible were it not for Ovechkin playing some of his best hockey and scoring earlier in the afternoon.Ovechkin skated like a man possessed and was one of the best players on the ice. Thats no surprise given the eyes watching from the stands and across North America with the superstar on centre stage.Alex, the bigger the stage, the bigger Alex is. Alex, hes a rock star, coach Barry Trotz said. Alex has this ability, as the great stars do, that you want to keep your eyes on him. Even if hes not doing anything good, bad, or indifferent, you want to watch him. And thats what star power does. You want to watch those guys out there.Ovechkin made the most of the brightest the spotlight can really get during an NHL regular season. The 29-year-old had five shot attempts in the first period and ended with 13, flying around the ice with a purpose.After banging home the rebound of a point shot from Mike Green, Ovechkin jumped into the glass as part of his signature celebration and ignited a crowd of 42,832 that filled the ballpark.I always have fun, Ovechkin said. But this is probably one of the special days. And as soon as you see a puck go in, its a great feeling because you want to get success and you want to win.Ovechkin drives the Capitals success as the face of the franchise and has been the leader of the core of Green, Nicklas Backstrom and Brooks Laich for the past decade. Playoff success has eluded this group, but absent a couple of tough series, the 2004 No. 1 pick has performed and is a point-a-game scorer in the post-season.Itll be a few months until Ovechkin and his teammates get another chance to get past the second round. For now, they know they just need to keep winning games.The Winter Classic is just one of 82 regular-season games, but Ovechkin was instrumental in the Capitals winning for the ninth time in the past 13 games.Theres a lot of players in this league who want the big stage, but when theyre put in the spotlight, theyre not as big, Trotz said. I think that the great players of their generation, and Alex is one, is that, when the stage is very big, you know what youre going to get and youre going to get a good performance, a great performance.Asked about stepping up in big moments, Ovechkin said: I just like when I play against great teams and especially if its a great atmosphere.---Follow @SWhyno on Twitter Braden Smith Jersey . The 25-year-old Lu, a regular on the Japan LPGA Tour after giving up her LPGA Tour membership in 2010, shot an 8-under 64 in windy, wet conditions at Kintetsu Kashikojima. Braden Smith Colts Jersey .com) - James Harden had 32 points, including a tying layup late in regulation, and the Houston Rockets scored eight of their 13 points in overtime at the foul line to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 117-111 on Friday night. http://www.coltsofficialstore.us/authentic-eric-ebron-colts-jersey/ . - Hitting was supposed to be the Pittsburgh Pirates weakness coming into the season yet they lead the major leagues in home runs through the first 16 games of the season.(SportsNetwork.com) - The Eastern Conference-leading Toronto Raptors are back in the great white north for a brief moment and will host the Dallas Mavericks Friday night from Air Canada Centre. The Raptors are 13-2 and have won six in a row, including Wednesdays 126-115 beatdown of the Hawks in Atlanta. DeMar DeRozan scored 27 points, Lou Williams added 22 and Greivis Vasquez scored 21 points for the Raptors, who shot 51.2 percent and scored 30 or more points in three of four quarters. The Raptors made 14 of their 29 3-pointers and the 126 points scored were a season high. We knew they (Hawks) played last night, said Raptors head coach Dwane Casey. We knew we were going to come out and put the pedal to the metal. It paid dividends for us. Kyle Lowry had 14 points and dished out 13 assists, and is posting an average of 17.8 points, 8.2 assists and 5.6 rebounds over the last five games. Torontos bench scored 52 points and has posted 50 or more in three of the last four games. It is 11-0 this season when leading after three quarters. The Raptors are a sizzling 9-1 at Air Canada Centre and have won four in a row there. The nine home wins are the most in the NBA. The Raptors are second in the NBA with 108.0 points per game and are posting 106.4 ppg at home. After hosting the Mavericks, Toronto will head west for three games against the Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento Kings and Utah Jazz. Toronto will wear its retro purple uniforms Friday for the second time as part of its 20th Anniversary Nights. The Mavericks will play their next four games on the road againsst Toronto, Philadelphia, Chicago and Milwaukee, and are 4-3 outside of Big D. Josh Ferguson Colts Jersey. Dallas lost two in a row following a six-game winning streak, but rebounded with Wednesdays 109-102 overtime victory over the New York Knicks. Knicks star Carmelo Anthony did not play and Dallas took advantage. Future Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki scored a season-best 30 points and former Knick Tyson Chandler was a monster with an NBA-high 25 rebounds (10 on offense) and 17 points. He was ready for this game. He had a major impact on it, Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said of Chandler. Dallas was 7-3 last season when Nowitzki scored at least 30 points and leads the NBA with 109.3 ppg. The Mavs are second in the league with a 48.3 field goal percentage. The Mavs, who shot 40 percent from the floor, had a 56-53 rebounding advantage and posted 29 points off 22 New York turnovers. Dallas, which scored 50 points in the paint to New Yorks 24 points inside, used a 9-0 run and forced six Knicks turnovers to pull away in the extra session (14-7). Carlisle needs one win for 300 (299-193) with the Mavericks. Don Nelson and Dick Motta are the other Dallas coaches with 300 or more wins. Dallas lost both meetings with Toronto last season and is 14-6 in the past 20 games in this series. The Raptors are unbeaten in the last three encounters between the teams. The Mavs are winless in two straight and three of the past four trips to Canada. DeRozan averaged 27.5 points, 6.0 assists and 5.0 rebounds in two games against the Mavericks last season. 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