At the start of the season it seemed quite unlikely the Washington Capitals would be eagerly awaiting the return of defenseman Dmitri Mironov from injury. A 34-year-old veteran, he did not make the team out of training camp, cleared waivers (largely because of the $6 million left on his contract) and was ultimately assigned to Houston of the International Hockey League.

However, Mironov has been a pleasant surprise since he was recalled Oct. 16 and was sorely missed during losses to Tampa Bay and the New York Rangers last week. Mironov returned from the elbow injury in yesterday's 2-2 tie with the Atlanta Thrashers, and defenseman Sylvain Cote (a team-worst minus-11) was a healthy scratch. Mironov is playing his best hockey since General Manager George McPhee signed the unrestricted free agent to a four-year, $12 million deal in the summer of 1998, perhaps his biggest faux pas since coming to Washington. Mironov's poor play last season dampened trade options and the club seriously considered buying out his contract during the preseason. Now he has become a steady contributor.

"We missed him," Coach Ron Wilson said. "He's played well, we're happy with his play. He's a plus defenseman and he's moved the puck very well. He's on the ice when we're scoring goals, not that he's directly involved in the play. But he's doing something right out there defensively to help us score goals."

Mironov made consistently costly mistakes last season, though his play was clearly affected by offseason back surgery. This season he has been more comfortable carrying the puck and has shown some of the offensive flair that originally led the Capitals to sign him.