WASHINGTON — Ondrej Pavelec stopped 45 shots, Andrew Ladd and Rich Peverley each had a goal and an assist, and the Atlanta Thrashers beat the Capitals 3-1 on Saturday night to snap a nine-game losing streak in Washington.

It was the seventh win in eight games for the Thrashers, a run that began with Pavelec blanking Washington in Atlanta on Nov. 19. The Thrashers are 3-1-1 against the Capitals after going 0-6 in last season's series.

Alex Ovechkin's goal-scoring drought ended at a career-high tying nine games, but the Capitals fell to 12-2-1 at home with their first loss against Atlanta at Verizon Center since February 2008.

Washington went 0 for 5 on the power play, mostly because Pavelec was so sharp in improving to 3-8 against the Capitals.

Ovechkin scored with 49 seconds left in the second period, beating Pavelec with a slap shot from the left circle to bring the Capitals to 2-1. A cross-ice pass from Alexander Semin set up Ovechkin's 11th goal, which came on Washington's 34th shot.

But Ladd made it 3-1 at 2:27 of the third period, scoring on the power play against goalie Semyon Varlamov after taking a fine crossing pass from Peverley.

Pavelec made the lead stand up. He turned aside 20 of 21 shots in the second period and added 11 saves over the final 20 minutes.

Ovechkin was held without a shot during a scoreless first period despite being on the ice for all but 16 seconds of Washington's lone power play.

The Thrashers went up 1-0 at 7:57 of the second period when Peverley won a faceoff in his end, then got in position to deflect in a shot by Dustin Byfuglien.

Less than two minutes later, Atlanta's Alexander Burmistrov rushed the net from beneath the left circle and lifted a shot over Varlamov's right shoulder into the top of the net.

Notes: D Tobias Enstrom played in his 273rd game with Atlanta, tied with Andy Sutton for 10th place in franchise history. ... Washington has gone six games without allowing a first-period goal. ... Atlanta has scored first in 12 of its last 14 games.