The Caps traveled to Detroit in the wee hours of the morning and are off today. All things considered, it is a good day to bunker down in a hotel. The high temperature was 83 here yesterday in Tampa, and it is expected to be a crisp 29 in Detroit later today.

Of course the temperature is the least of the worries at this point. There is a tornado watch down here, and my taxi ride from downtown to the airport this morning was a little adventurous thanks to the high winds and steady rain. Leaving here on time could be an issue. Then there is the winter storm warning in the Motor City, where 5-8 inches of snow is expected to fall in combination with high winds. Needless to say, I will hope the rental car company provides a scraper and will be happy to find my way to a nice cozy Courtyard bed this afternoon in Dearborn.

As for a quick update from last night, Alex Ovechkin appeared to be fine after taking a two-handed swipe across the face from the stick of Tampa Bay defenseman Filip Kuba. The cut was pretty small, but his cheek was puffed up a bit and he voiced his displeasure with the lingering pain (we are a family newspaper, and hence this is a family blog but I am sure people can use their imaginations).

I know some/much of the physical element of the game is fading in the "New NHL," but I was not the only person in the press box who was surprised that Kuba escaped any type of retribution.

It may have had to do a lot with the 2-2 score at the time, but Kuba came out of the penalty box, and because of an icing call and a prolonged Caps possession, he was on the ice for about two minutes at the end of the period.

Donald Brashear did put him into the boards towards the end of the shift, but it was in the general flow of the game, and it did not appear like he was trying to really make him feel it. Kuba and the Lightning will be at Verizon Center 10 days from now, so there could be some fireworks then, of course.

Again, not trying to condone anything illegal, but it did seem like a couple of the Caps missed chances to get in some perfectly legal hits on both Kuba and Vincent Lecavalier, who would also have been considered fair game to hockey purists.