The Washington Capitals stayed in the hunt for a playoff spot after Olaf Kolzig made 18 saves in a 2-1 win over the struggling Colorado Avalanche.

Donald Brashear and Dave Steckel scored third period goals to lift the Capitals to a fourth victory in their last five games as they battle to stay close to a top-eight spot in the Eastern Conference.

Kolzig failed to claim his 36th career shutout and a second of the season when Marek Svatos scored with just 3:21 left in the third period, but the Capitals held on.

The Avalanche slipped to 1-5-1 in their past seven games.

"For me, the bottom line is the win," Kolzig said. "The most important thing is the win and that is all that matters."

Washington kept the Colorado offence in check most of the night, out-shooting the Avs 23-19, but Kolzig had to make several big saves in the third period.

"Kolzig played great," Washington coach Bruce Boudreau said. "He was the difference tonight and we got the goals when we needed them."

After two scoreless periods, Brashear tipped a shot from Brooks Laich past Jose Theodore 2:51 into the third period to give the Capitals the lead.

Steckel tapped a shot past Theodore with 3:59 to give the Caps the security of a two-goal lead.

The Capitals are now four points out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the East.

The Dallas Stars won their second straight game after a four-game losing streak, beating the Chicago Blackhawks 3-1.

Mike Modano had three assists for the Stars while, the Hawks slipped to 0-5-2 in their past seven games.

The Anaheim Ducks routed the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-0. Todd Bertuzzi and Corey Perry both had a goal and two assists for the Ducks and Jean-Sebastien Giguere made 28 saves for the shutout.

Reuters