Bruce Boudreau confimed that Shaone Morrisonn is a game-time decision and Olie Kolzig will start. He would not say whose place Morrisonn would take (doesn't want to hurt someone's feelings if he doesn't have to).

The forward lines are likely to be the same as the start of the game Tuesday (he was shuffling the deck a lot after Montreal went up 3-0).

An interesting tidbit that had escaped us day-to-day media types until a few minutes ago is Boudreau coached Canadiens goaltender Cristobal Huet with Manchester in the AHL. The joke after the media scrum was that Boudreau has played with or against or coached with or against every player in recent memory, so it was an innocent oversite.

- Corey Masisak

I just saw Shaone Morrisonn on the way in to Verizon Center. He told me he doesn't know if he's playing or not yet. He said he will go through the pregame warmup and then they will decide.

- Corey Masisak

The Caps just went through a pretty brisk and frisky workout at K-Plex. Shaone Morrisonn practiced but said afterward he is not sure about tomorrow night. He was typically cryptic about it, but said it was getting better.

I was told Chris Clark did skate briefly before the practice (I was still driving over from the airport). Bruce Boudreau said he had not made up his mind about a goaltender for the rematch against the Canadiens, but Brent Johnson said Olie Kolzig is playing.

The Caps spent a lot of time working on the power play, and Tomas Fleischmann was in Viktor Kozlov's spot on the top unit. Boudreau said the move was made to get Alexander Semin back in the slot for one-timers with a lefty-lefty-righty combination up front like they had with Michael Nylander healthy.

There was plenty more talk about the last minute of last night's game in the dressing room after practice, but I think Boudreau summed it up pretty well.

"I think we've got enough motivation just by getting our clocks cleaned than to have to worry about that," he said. Still, expect some feistiness from the home team tomorrow night.

Boudreau was not happy about the officiating. The Caps had two power-play chances, and they were at the same point in the game and led to a 33-second 5-on-3. Both Alex Ovechkin and Boyd Gordon have cuts on their faces from what they believed to be high-sticking infractions that went uncalled.

On a lighter note, representatives from the Hair Cuttery were here to present Alex Ovechkin with a cake. They figured out he can buy 8.857 million haircuts with his new contract. Ovechkin said he is now endorsing the franchise, but a representative from Hair Cuttery said no deal is done yet. This all came about because owner Ted Leonsis was giving Alex crap about singing a $124 million contract and then going and getting a $14 haircut at the Hair Cuttery in the Ballston Mall.

- Corey Masisak

Bonjour! Je suis arrive au Centre de Bell, et les ventilateurs arrivent par les masses. L'atmposphere est deja tres magnifique! (Alright, I will stop, but I am inspired.) We just went down to the concourse to get some Tim Horton's, and this place is officially crazy. It was more than an hour until game time – some of the concessions stands were not even open – but it was hard to walk because there was so many people.

I went in a souvenir stand to see what people can buy. There are 10 - yes, 10 - player t-shirts including guys like Guillaume Latendresse, Carey Price (regardless of the fact that he is in the AHL now) and Steve Begin along with the big guns (Kovalev, Koivu and Huet). My favorite thing was an orange t-shirt with Youppi! on it. That almost made its way to Washington.

There may not be a story from me in Thursday's paper - not because I have finally decided to pursue my idea of defecting - but because of what will hopefully be my last trip to the doctor's office for a long, long time tomorrow after flying back from here.

-- Corey Masisak

The Caps are wrapping up the morning skate right now. Shaone Morrisonn did not make the trip so he is out. Boyd Gordon and Brooks Laich have switched places again (Gordon is on the second line now and Laich is on the fourth). Brent Johnson will be in net. More to come after Bruce Boudreau talks to the media. I am willing to bet his scrum will not be as big as the small colony of people around Alex Ovechkin right now.

- Corey Masisak

UPDATE (12:35 p.m.)

OK, so Laich is actually still with the second line and Gordon with the fourth, or at least that is what Boudreau just said. There was a mix-up with the jerseys. He also said there is a chance he will "ride the hot hand" in goal if Johnson plays well again tonight.

Another interesting tidbit came from when a Montreal reporter asked him about the defense. He said John Erskine has been playing well since he got back in the lineup and Milan Jurcina has been better the past two games, but Boudreau also pointed out that Mike Green has been "off his game the past four of the five games."

It was an interesting weekend in Blueland, but overall a bit underwhelming I think. I guess I will have a better idea of judging it after going to next year's game in Montreal. The first five minutes and the last 20 of the game were pretty exciting, but there was a lot of guys trying to make the perfect pass and failing in the middle. I saw Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom as we snaked past each other in the security line at the airport. I had not thought about it before that, but it makes sense that they had to fly commercial. I can guarantee they won't be able to move through the Montreal airport in such anonimity next year. They were not on my flight, but Elliot from DC 101 and Washington Nationals president Stan Kasten were. One of them was in first class, but maybe not the one most people would expect.

As for Caps practice, it is pretty much status quo from before the break. The forward lines are the same (with Brooks Laich on the second line and Boyd Gordon on the fourth), while Chris Clark and Brian Pothier are not out there. Ovechkin is not skating either, but Backstrom is.

UPDATE: Bruce Boudreau said he wanted to give Ovechkin a day off since he really didn't have a break. He also said that while Shaone Morrisonn practiced, he is not a lock to move back into the lineup because of lingering soreness in his foot. There was also no update on Chris Clark (groin) or Brian Pothier (concussion), so don't look for either of them in the next few days.
-- Corey Masisak

Well, that is not totally true. Trying to get any work done at Philips Arena with a Jonas Brothers concert going on and about 5,000 young girls screaming every 30 seconds was not conducive, so I have moved to the media hotel. There was something resembling a morning skate this morning before some media availability with the all-stars. The Youngstars joined the big boys on the ice, and the "event" was emceed by Canadian hockey fan Taylor Kitsch, or Dillon Panthers fullback Tim Riggins to anyone who would recognize him.

Nicklas Backstrom did not take part in the skate. A Caps spokesman said he has a sore foot and his skates were making it worse, so they sent him back to the hotel. Backstrom is expected to take part in the 3-on-3 YoungStars game tonight. It did seem suspicious that the only other player who missed the skate was fellow Swede Tobias Enstrom, who plays for the hometown Thrashers.

There wasn't much to the skate. It was mostly some light skating/shooting while Tim Riggins interviewed players and the mob of pre-teen girls warmed up their vocal chords. During the one drill I saw that looked like it had established lines, Alex Ovechkin was skating with Jason Spezza and Martin St. Louis. I hope John Paddock puts his five Russians (Ovechkin, Malkin, Kovalchuk, Markov and Gonchar) out there together at least once.

After the Eastern Conference team was done it was interview time, which was done on the Atlanta Hawks prectice court. There was a big mob around almost every player, so it was hard to rank Ovechkin's. This is one of those rare events where almost every famous member of the hockey media is present.

Lastly, props to Usher for his New Look Foundation, which the proceeds from the morning skate/event will benefit. I saw him in a hallway doing an interview. Someone should have told him it is like 40 degrees and overcast today and he does not need those sunglasses (and I am not even factoring in the whole being indoors thing).

Also, props to Alyssa Milano for well, being Alyssa Milano. She was helping Tim Riggins (who did not look like he had been beaten up by three meth dealers last night, by the way) emcee and was wondering around plugging her new hockey clothing line for women. It is hard to believe that Samantha Micelli is 35 years old. Alas, I fear she will never get the credit she truly deserves for her performance as Lily in Posion Ivy 2 (sorry, no links here, this is a family blog).

UPDATE: There was some question about what events Alex Ovechkin would take part in during the SuperSkills competition. He will do the NBA dunk contest-style breakaway challenge and the hardest shot contest. He will not be doing the fastest skater contest like last year. Ovechkin joked the other day his big move in the breakaway contest would be a slapshot from the blueline.

Bruce Boudreau just did his pre-game chat with the media. Jeff Schultz is back in the lineup and Shaone Morrisonn will be out. Boudreau said Morrisonn re-injured his foot and wants to give him an extra day to rest it. He also made it pretty clear that he wasn't happy about the team giving away at least a point last night at Air Canada Centre.

- Corey Masisak

The Caps claimed Kris Beech off waivers from Vancouver today. I was told it was done to add him to Hershey's roster, so Beech will be on the Capitals' active roster today and then put back on waivers again tomorrow. If no one claims him, he will report to Hershey.

Beech signed with Columbus in the offseason and had five goals and nine points in 16 games for the Blue Jackets before being waived and claimed by Vancouver. He had one goal (against Columbus) and two points in four games for the Canucks. Washington made him the seventh overall pick in 1999 before shipping him to Pittsburgh in the Jaromir Jagr trade and after a brief stay in the Nashville organization, got him back with a first-round pick (which became Simeon Varlamov) for Brendan Witt before the lockout. For all of his travels and unfulfilled potential, he does have 11 points in 20 NHL games this season, and he should provide a boost to the Bears' offense.

- Corey Masisak

The white-hot Washington Capitals (OK, maybe not quite but everyone loves hyperbole and illiteration!) went through practice this afternoon in Toronto. A team spokesman told me Shaone Morrisonn went through the whole workout while Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom rested.

While the team went north after last night's wild contest at the Igloo (seriously, could I have picked two worse games to be typing one-handed than last night and the Edmonton game?), I have travelled south, returning to the District. I remain day-to-day with an upper body injury, and my doctor has prohibited long-distance travel by requesting my presence for check-ups three times this week. This will be my first no-show of the season (I was at the Phone Booth in a consultant role for the Florida game), and there aren't many worse trips to miss than Toronto.

I will be making my in-studio debut on The Capitals Report tomorrow though, and as a loyal subscriber to the podcast I am looking forward to it.

-- Corey Masisak

The Caps are going through the morning skate here at Mellon Arena. Olie Kolzig will be in net tonight. Shaone Morrisonn is not skating and won't play, so Steve Eminger is in. While the Caps are banged up, the trainer's room for the Penguins is almost as filled up as the dressing room. Pittsburgh called up three players from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre as reinforcements. Colby Armstrong and Tim Kennedy might play, but Sidney Crosby, Mark Eaton and Adam Hall will not.

-- Corey Masisak

The Caps just finished their morning skate and this place is a zoo with pee wee games going on. The forward lines will remain the same tonight, but Milan Jurcina is back in and Steve Eminger is out.

Morrisonn-Green
Schultz-Jurcina
Poti-Erskine

Bruce Boudreau said he woke up this morning and changed his mind about sitting Schultz. Brent Johnson will be in net.

Not only are the Caps dealing with myriad injuries, it has spread to the media. I am officially listed as day-to-day with an upper body injury, but a source close to the situation said there was "a cooking incident" and "it involves 24 stitches and a hand laceration." Naturally, as we near the playoffs, the organization had no comment on the situation. I am in the lineup tonight but only operating at about 50 percent.

-- Corey Masisak

Not that there was one anyway, but Olie Kolzig will be in net tonight against Edmonton. Chris Clark (groin tendon) and Brian Pothier (concussion) will not play. Steve Eminger will play in place of Milan Jurcina. It is the first time since Nov. 26 that Eminger will play in place of a healthy teammate, and only his fifth game of the season.

-- Corey Masisak

It was an optional skate for the Caps today, but Chris Clark did not practice and Bruce Boudreau did not seem optimistic about him playing tomorrow night. He said Brian Pothier is "making baby steps" in his recovery from a concussion. A decision on who will start in net against Edmonton will not be made until tomorrow. Alex Ovechkin and Quintin Laing took the day off, and Boudreau said they will be out there for the morning skate tomorrow.

-- Corey Masisak

The Caps will be without Chris Clark tonight and Michael Nylander for "a long time." Bruce Boudreau said Nylander is going to have shoulder surgery tomorrow. He has been playing through the pain and taking days off to rest.

"He did a courageous job of trying to come back, but sometimes he didn't have the strength in his arm to play like Michael Nylander," Boudreau said. "It is very, very sore so he is going to get it fixed."

Clark is still dealing with a groin injury that will keep him out for the 19th time in 20 games.

Also, Brent Johnson will be in net against the Senators.

Here are the four lines for the game:

Ovechkin - Backstrom - Kozlov

Fleischmann - Gordon - Semin

Laing - Steckel - Bradley

Brashear - Laich - Pettinger

-- Corey Masisak

UPDATE:

Through a team spokesman, GM George McPhee said rotator cuff surgery will keep Michael Nylander out for three to six months. Also, Nicklas Backstrom has been named to the Eastern Conference team for the YoungStars game during the All-Star Weekend.

Caps practice is underway here at K-Plex. Alex Ovechkin, Michael Nylander, Chris Clark and Brian Pothier are not out there. Clark (groin), Nylander (shoulder) and Pothier (head) all have ailments of some varying degree that we know of and Ovechkin may just be getting a rest after playing more than 25 minutes last night. Clark only took one shift in the third period last night in his first game back after missing 18. I am sure we will get an update of some kind on all of them after practice.

Here is the way things are configured, for what it is worth:

Pettinger-Backstrom-Kozlov
Semin-Laich-Fleischmann
Laing-Steckel-Gordon
Bradley-Brashear

The defense pairings are the same from last night.

UPDATE: A team spokesman says Ovechkin and Nylander are resting.

UPDATE: Chris Clark said he is not sure about tomorrow. He said it did not feel any worse than yesterday, but it also did not feel any better. Bruce Boudreau said he does not expect Brian Pothier back in the next week. He is also contemplating starting Brent Johnson in net tomorrow night.

-- Corey Masisak

There is a new addition in the press box -- a tribute to Dave Fay. It is a framed version of the full page that ran in the Times the day his family was awarded the Elmer Ferguson Award during the Hockey Hall of Fame weekend.

A team spokesman told me there will eventually be a trophy case up here to house that and other items. I can only imagine Dave's reaction to Alex Ovechkin's new contract. No doubt he would come up with the line of the night about it.

Another thing I noticed today was all of the people walking around with sticks on the main concourse. A team spokesman showed me where the Pick-A-Stick promotion was ongoing. For fifty bucks, you pick a stick on this big table and end up with a mystery autograph. If the stick was not inked, then Nicklas Backstrom would autograph the stick for you after the game. There were about 215 of them, and they were gone pretty quickly. The proceeds went to charity, and it appeared to be a rousing success.

I saw one girl estatic about ending with one Alex Ovechkin's autograph, but the one that intrigued me the most was a stick bearing Quintin Laing's John Hancock. That is an item of memorabilia worth collecting.

-- Corey Masisak

Chris Clark and Tom Poti are back in the lineup. Quintin Laing, who I saw walking with a boot at K-Plex the other day (yeah, those things normally reserved for people with broken bones), is also in the lineup. Laing told me it was just to help him walk with the pain and nothing was actually broken, by the way. Matt Pettinger, Tomas Fleischmann and Steve Eminger are the scratches. Bruce Boudreau said Brent Johnson would play at some point this week, and would likely give Olie Kolzig a day off a little more often down the stretch.

-- Corey Masisak

I had to drive home last night for a family matter, but I just checked in for a practice update. Brett Johnson has returned to the team after playing one game with Hershey. No official word yet on Freddie Cassivi, but he wasn't on the ice. The Bears are playing three games in three nights, so they could probably use him. Quintin Laing and Matt Pettinger returned to practice as well. Tom Poti practiced again and remains hopeful about playing tomorrow. Chris Clark practiced again but remains unsure about suiting up against the Flyers.

UPDATE: It is official now. Johnson has been recalled and Cassivi has been returned to Hershey.

-- Corey Masisak

Not surprisingly Alex Ovechkin was named as one of the reserves for the Eastern Conference All-Star team. Mike Green did not make it, however, and a few of his teammates were not happy about it.

I thought the Western Conference team was pretty spot on, but the Eastern group leaves a lot to be desired. No Henrik Lundqvist? Marian Hossa? (I know, he is a hometown guy, but seriously) And, because Martin St. Louis made it, the "can't take two guys from the 14th place team" excuse cannot be made for not including Green.

On the Caps injury front, Tom Poti is hopeful he will play Sunday against Philadelphia. Chris Clark said he is still not sure. Brian Pothier is definitely out. Bruce Boudreau said Matt Pettinger should be back at practice tomorrow, and Quintin Laing is day-to-day with, well, a lot of bruises.

- Corey Masisak

The Caps and Avalanche are practicing right now here. Chris Clark has been assigned to a line and Tom Poti has returned to practice. Quintin Laing and Matt Pettinger are not practicing right now. Here are the forward lines:

Ovechkin-Backstrom-Kozlov
Semin-Nylander-Clark
Fleischmann-Steckel-Gordon
Brashear-Laich-Bradley

-- Corey Masisak

Alex Ovechkin has signed a new contract. It's an NHL-record $124 million for 13 years. The first six years he will make $9 million and the last seven he will make $10 million. The cap hit will be $9.54 million per year. There will be a press conference with Alex, George McPhee and Ted Leonsis at 8:30 p.m. after the season ticket holder party.

7:05 UPDATE: Alex Ovechkin just briefly addressed the crowd here at Verizon Center at a party for season ticket holders.

"I want to say thanks to my teammates, whole organization, Ted [Leonsis], George [McPhee], the coaching staff, [former coach] Glen Hanlon," he said. "I am proud to be with the Washington Capitals for 13 years more and our goal is to bring a Stanley Cup here."

Before this event started, I was standing near the players' elevator for about an hour waiting for Alex. I did catch up with captain Chris Clark about the deal.

"Whatever it is, obviously it is huge for us," he said. "It is huge for the community, team, everybody because it he has outdone and outperformed his expectations to be the face of the franchise. At this point, he has gone way above any of that, and to have him locked up for however many more years is unbelievable."

-- Corey Masisak

While the rest of his teammates are taking today off, goaltender Brent Johnson will be making his way north to Pennsylvania to join the Hershey Bears for a conditioning stint. Johnson has missed the past five games with a sprained left knee, which happened late in the first period in Pittsburgh. The Bears play at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre tomorrow night and at home Saturday and Sunday night. If everything goes smoothly, I would expect to see Johnson back with the Caps by Monday at the latest.

The Caps will be back at K-Plex tomorrow, and it should be interesting to see them on the main stage while the Colorado Avalanche are practicing at the same time on the second stage. I am not holding my breath for any impromptu scrimmages.

Also, forgot to mention this yesterday but the NHL Central Scouting mid-season rankings were released yesterday. It is funny how six weeks ago Caps fans had good reason to be studying the names at the top of that list, but now it looks like Steven Stamkos and Drew Doughty might not be auditioning for a spot in this organization. A couple of names to point out: Zach Bogosian has moved up to #3 on the North American skaters list. Mike Vogel and I saw him play in person and despite being on a subpar team playing against a very good one, we were both very impressed. The No. 1 rated North American goaltender, Chet Pickard, plays for Olie's junior team (Tri-City, the same one that also produced Carey Price) so I will be sure to get his scouting report on the kid at some point.

Also, Bengt Gustafsson's kid, Anton, is the No. 6-rated European skater. No. 1 is Nikita Filatov, and he was pretty impressive for Russia in the WJHC, but the guys at TSN were already wondering if he will suffer an Alexei Cherpanov-type fall on draft day because there is no transfer agreement. The same goes for Viktor Tikhonov, who had the highlight end-to-end rush of the tournament, is ranked No. 8 among European skaters and oh by the way, has a pretty famous grandfather.

-- Corey Masisak

Goaltender Michal Neuvirth, a second-round pick by the Caps in the 2006 draft, has been traded for the second time this season.

Here is the link.

Neuvirth went from a rebuilding team in Plymouth to a contender in Windsor in the first trade. Oshawa is in second place in their division -- same as Windsor. But the Generals have the next Next One in John Tavares, and they appear ready to go for broke.

Neuvirth is fourth in the OHL with a 2.39 GAA., and had been 6-1-1 with the Spitfires. The goaltender going the other way, Jakub Kovar is 15th in the league with a 3.14 GAA and was his Czech Republic teammate at the WJHC.

-- Corey Masisak

Here is the lineup for tonight with the Avalanche in town. Matt Pettinger, who left practice the other day because he was sick, is the odd man out up front. No miracle Tom Poti or Brian Pothier sightings, either.

Ovechkin-Backstrom-Kozlov
Fleischmann-Nylander-Semin
Laing-Steckel-Gordon
Brashear-Laich-Bradley

Morrisonn-Green
Schultz-Jurcina
Erskine-Eminger

Kolzig
Cassivi

Colorado has activated Tyler Arnason, who has missed 12 games with a wrist injury. The Avalanche still are going to be without Joe Sakic and Ryan Smyth and have the least number of road wins in the Western Conference.

-- Corey Masisak

Now that the All-Star starters have been announced, the rest of the teams will be filled out on Thursday (Western Conference) and Friday (Eastern Conference). So here goes one semi-educated guess at what the rosters will look like.

Representing 15 teams on a 21-man roster is not easy. If no one has started a movement to have 15 forwards and eight defensemen (since there already are three goalies), then let this be the start of it.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

FORWARDS

Starters: Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh; Vinny Lecavalier, Tampa Bay; Daniel Alfredsson, Ottawa

Reserves: Ilya Kovalchuk, Atlanta; Alex Ovechkin, Washington; Dany Heatley, Ottawa; Mats Sundin, Toronto; Mike Richards, Philadelphia; Oli Jokinen, Florida; Cory Stillman, Carolina; Eric Staal, Carolina; Alex Kovalev, Montreal

DEFENSE

Starters: Andrei Markov, Montreal; Zdeno Chara, Boston

Reserves: Brian Campbell, Buffalo; Sergei Gonchar, Pittsburgh; Wade Redden, Ottawa, Mike Green, Washington

GOALTENDERS

Starter: Martin Brodeur, New Jersey

Reserves: Henrik Lundqvist, N.Y. Rangers; Rick DiPietro, N.Y. Islanders

ALTERNATES

Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh; Michael Rozsival, N.Y. Rangers; Tim Thomas, Boston

ANALYSIS: Is Green really going to make it? I don't know, that last spot will be a tough decision between him, Rozsival and Tomas Kaberle (Jaroslav Spacek could end up being the Sabres' rep as well). I would pick Green because he's been better than just about everyone at the position in the past 20 games or so. While I would take Green, if I were a betting man I would guess it will be the veteran Rozsival. Those last two forward spots are also very subjective. If John Paddock wants to pull a Joe Torre, one of those two spots will go to Jason Spezza (and it will not be undeserved).

WESTERN CONFERENCE

FORWARDS

Starters: Jarome Iginla, Calgary; Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit; Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit


Reserves: Paul Stastny, Colrado; Marian Gaborik, Minnesota; Dustin Brown, Los Angeles; Shawn Horcoff, Edmonton; Joe Thornton, San Jose; Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim; Mike Riberio, Dallas; Patrick Sharp, Chicago; Rick Nash, Columbus

DEFENSE

Starters: Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit; Dion Phaneuf, Calgary

Reserves: Sergei Zubov, Dallas; Chris Pronger, Anaheim; Ed Jovanovski, Phoenix; Marek Zidlicky, Nashville

GOALTENDERS

Starter: Roberto Luongo, Canucks

Reserves: Evgeni Nabakov, Sharks; Manny Legace, St. Louis

ALTERNATES

Brad Boyes, St. Louis; Brent Burns, Minnesota; Pascal Leclaire, Columbus

ANALYSIS: In this scenario, the No. 2-scoring defenseman (Brian Rafalski) and the No. 4-scoring forward (Kristian Huselius) somehow do not make the cut. The problem is the West is a top-heavy conference, and there are more deserving players on those top teams. There are many interchangeable parts here based on Mike Babcock's tastes. He could put in Boyes and Leclaire in place of Nash and Legace, for instance. I picked Patrick Sharp for the Blackhawks rep because he deserves some credit for all of those shorthanded goals. I probably would have picked Jonathan Toews, but he is hurt. He and Pat Kane (along with Anze Kopitar and the Sedin twins) will have their day.

- Corey Masisak

With all of the wonderful rumors floating about the internet these days, here is something more concrete:

http://www.sport-express.ru/art.shtml?151963

It is an interview with Alex Ovechkin from after practice today with Slava Malamud, one of the two Russian reporters who cover the Caps. Obviously, it is in Russian, so I "translated" it with freetranslator.com, but it is very rough at best.

The general premise is a club from the Russian Super League has offered Ovechkin a one-year deal, and Alex confirmed it. Ovechkin's dad told Slava the deal was for $7 million (which is a nice chunk of change considering the current tax situation in Russia), but neither of them would confirm which team it is from.

During the interview, Ovechkin dismissed the rumors about Montreal and said he wants to stay in the NHL. So maybe there is nothing to this at all, but like I said, at least it is more concrete than some of the crap flying around.

- Corey Masisak

George McPhee just spoke to us about a variety of topics, but one interesting one was former coach Glen Hanlon.

McPhee said he talked to Hanlon, who is still under contract, about a new position, and Hanlon will do some pro scouting work for the organization.

- Corey Masisak

Michael Nylander and Matt Pettinger are practicing today, while Chris Clark is out there again in an orange jersey but Tom Poti and Brian Pothier are not on the ice. Also of note, Team Ovechkin is in the stands watching practice. Here are the reconfigured lines:

Ovechkin-Backstrom-Kozlov
Fleischmann-Nylander-Semin
Laing-Steckel-Gordon
Brasher-Pettinger-Laich-Bradley

Morrisonn-Green
Schultz-Jurcina
Erskine-Eminger

Kolzig-Johnson/Cassivi

UPDATE: Nylander and Pettinger both said they are going to be able to play tomorrow. Because Pettinger was on a line with four guys during practice, it is not a given he will actually be in the lineup.

- Corey Masisak

Two games in two original six cities in less than 72 hours. While the atmospheres could not have been more different (nor could the Caps' play for that matter), there was plenty to like in both places. TD Banknorth Garden is a very nice arena. I think it is funny that the Bruins have been relegated to second-class citizen status, but the seats in the new Garden are all black-and-gold. Everything before the game was perfect, whether it was the meal or especially the pre-game scoreboard presentation. There was a long video montage on the history of the franchise compete with a epic score. Yeah, the building was half empty and lifeless, but the pre-game was a nice reminder of a once-proud franchise.

And then there was Montreal. I have enjoyed New York and MSG, loved Toronto and the ACC, but the other guys who are around the team every day have been saying it for four months, 'Wait until we get to Montreal.' I have to say despite the wildly out of control expectations, the Bell Centre and la ville de Montreal delivered. Before the game there wasn't a sweeping video history lesson. Instead they turned the lights out, blared some U2 and had names of all the past greats come into focus on the ice one-by-one. By the time it was up, the entire surface was full. Then Mike Komisarek (who might be my new hero) introduces the entire roster with some video highlights. The place was packed before the game started, and it was easily the loudest crowd of the season for a Caps game.

Also, being up there for the end of the World Junior Hockey Championship was a very cool experience. It is hard to describe exactly how transfixed that entire country becomes on that tournament. It led off SportsCentre on TSN and then they would come back to it with more analysis twice throughout the hour-long broadcast. The front page of the Montreal Gazette on Sunday was a full page picture of the gold medal celebration with a tease to the Caps-Habs coverage inside the paper in the top right-hand corner. Because of a scheduling quirk, the tournament will be in North America for the next four years and it is near the top of the list of events I hope to attend someday.

-- Corey Masisak

After a day off, the Caps are back to work at K-Plex. Alexander Semin, Chris Clark and Brent Johnson are practicing, but Michael Nylander is not. Same goes for defensemen Tom Poti and Brian Pothier. Poti did not rule out playing this week when I saw him in Montreal, but he did not sound hopeful either. Clark is out there with a jersey color to himself. Freddie Cassivi is still here, and is alternating with Johnson at one end.

Ovechkin-Backstrom-Pettinger
Fleischmann-Kozlov-Semin
Laing-Steckel-Gordon
Brashear-Laich-Bradley
Clark

UPDATE: Chris Clark said he was not 100 percent but is closer than he has been during the whole process. Bruce Boudreau ruled him out for Wednesday, but they were both hoping he would be back sometime during this homestand. Boudreau also said he expects Semin to play after going through the full workout. Johnson said he still feels some pain in his left knee but is about ready to go. Boudreau said Cassivi will be around until they are sure Johnson is OK.

As for the bad news, Boudreau did not want to comment on Michael Nylander, who missed practice, and Matt Pettinger, who left practice early and went to the doctor. GM George McPhee is suppose to let us know later in the day. Boudreau's update on Poti and Pothier was that they are "closer than further away" but no timetable.

UPDATE: Nothing specific about injuries, but the word from a team spokesman is that both Michael Nylander and Matt Pettinger are expected to play Wednesday against Colorado.

-- Corey Masisak

The Caps are off today after a 5-4 overtime win in Montreal yesterday and do not play again until Wednesday. They were short one-quarter of the 20-man roster (Poti, Pothier, Clark, Semin and Johnson). They also missed out on practice the day before because of a problem with their plane in Boston, and there was no morning skate becuase of the matinee start time.

So the Caps will rest and try to heal, and I will reflect (later, after flying and resting) on a wonderful dose of hockey done right in a couple of original six markets.

-- Corey Masisak

So yesterday Bruce Boudreau told us Tom Poti was not making the trip because of an upper body injury and that he assumed Alexander Semin would play with a tailbone injury. Well, Poti made the trip but is unlikely to play and Semin did not.

Also, Nicklas Backstrom has been named NHL Rookie of the Month for December. He had five goals and nine assists to help the Caps to a 7-3-3 record in the month. Backstrom is now within five points of Jonathan Toews and eight behind Patrick Kane in the rookie scoring race, and Toews is likely to miss some time with a knee injury.

UPDATE (12:30 p.m.):

Boudreau confirmed Poti will not play tonight, but he has not been ruled out for Saturday afteroon in Montreal. With Semin out, he also had to shake up the lines a bit. Donald Brashear will move up to the second line to play with Michael Nylander and Tomas Fleischmann.

- Corey Masisak