Capitals open with win over Thrashers

Michael Nylander and John Erskine scored two goals in a 2-minute span in the first period, Viktor Kozlov added a goal in the third and the Washington Capitals beat the Atlanta Thrashers 3-1 Friday night in the season-opener for both teams.

Brent Johnson stopped 28 shots for the Capitals, who outshot the Thrashers 40-29.

Atlanta was 5-1-2 against Washington while winning the Southeast Division last season, but the Thrashers' big scorers Ilya Kovalchuk and Marian Hossa couldn't break through in the opener.

The Thrashers' only goal was scored by rookie Bryan Little in his NHL debut.

Nicklas Backstrom made good on his much-anticipated debut for the Capitals. The 19-year-old Backstrom, Washington's 2006 first-round pick from Sweden, earned the Capitals' first assist of the season when he set up Nylander's power-play shot from the right circle midway through the opening period.

The Thrashers spent most of the offseason trying to forget being swept by Nylander and the New York Rangers in Atlanta's first playoff appearance last year. Nylander signed with Washington in the offseason.

Atlanta goaltender Kari Lehtonen appeared to be caught off-guard about 1 1/2 minutes after Nylander's goal when Erskine fired a slap shot from beyond the left circle for an unassisted goal and a 2-0 lead.

Johnson's strong game was especially good news for the Capitals, who were only 6-16-8 last season without goalie Olaf Kolzig.

Little, also a first-round pick in 2006, scored on a second-effort backhand shot from the left side of the net with about 5 minutes left in the second period.

Washington pushed the lead to 3-1 at the 5:27 mark of the third period on Kozlov's goal.

Washington star Alex Ovechkin, who has 29 career points against Atlanta _ more than against any other team _ assisted Kozlov's third-period goal.

Notes: NHL commissioner Gary Bettman attended the game. ... Atlanta raised its first division championship banner before the game. ... Little is the first Thrashers player to score a goal in his NHL debut. ... Erskine scored only his fifth goal in 171 career games. ... The Capitals could not take advantage of a two-man advantage for 1:44 late in the second period and also were denied in a two-man advantage for 29 seconds in the third period.