I stopped by the NHL store while I was walking around Manhattan today and found this. There were also jerseys for new faces in new places Brian Campbell (San Jose) and Marian Hossa (Pittsburgh). No Dallas sweater for Brad Richards, but maybe after last night's performance someone had already stopped in and scooped it up. Cristobal Huet's debut might be big news, but without question Sergei Fedorov still has the presence of a superstar in the dressing room.

While he was swarmed by media members at the morning skate today, I found it entertaining to watch some of the younger players stealing glances at him, almost as if they didn't want to stare at the guy who was one of the world's best players when they were growing up.

The Caps are going through the morning skate. Matt Cooke is out there, but Bruce Boudreau said he won't play tonight. He hasn't skated since Sunday, but he could be in the lineup tomorrow night. John Erskine and Quintin Laing are the other scratches, and the lines will be the same as yesterday in practice.

- Corey Masisak

New addition Cristobal Huet will be in net for the Caps at New Jersey. He and Olie Kolzig both thought Kolzig will play Saturday at home against Toronto, but Bruce Boudreau said he hasn't made his mind up, leaving the door open for Huet to be lights out against the Devils and come back on back-to-back nights.

"I don't think it is a decision that anybody didn't think would happen," Boudreau said. "We traded for a No. 1 goalie from Montreal and now we have two No. 1 goalies. Brent has always been a tremendous support system and can play and he's going to be the same thing now."

Brent Johnson, who did go out on the ice and take some shots toward the end of practice, will not travel with the team. He said he was given the option but elected to stay home because he has family coming into town and wouldn't have been able to get any work in at the morning skate in Newark.

"[Not practicing] is one of the things I don't like, but I understand it from the goaltending aspect," Johnson said. "Obviously I want to be part of the team. I just feel like some guy comng in off the street kind of, but I get that if I was that other guy I would want my own net too. So you have to look at it that way. No one likes to share a net with another goalie and I know I wouldn't like to do that. When I go on the ice, I just have to take advantage and get as much sweat out as possible."

-- Corey Masisak

It has been reported that Cristobal Huet is the second player in NHL history born in France, but former Caps radio play-by-play Ron Weber just proved that assertion wrong. He brought up Andre Peloffy, who suited up for the Caps for nine games in their first season in 1974-75. Peloffy was born in Sete, France. It has been reported that Philippe Bozon, who played 144 games for the Blues in the early 90s, was the first French-born player, but clearly he was not.

-- Corey Masisak

Newcomers Cristobal Huet and Sergei Fedorov are on the ice as the Caps start practice. As for the first clue into the goalie rotation, Brent Johnson is not on the ice, but he is here standing on the bench in street clothes with goaltender coach Dave Prior. Viktor Kozlov has returned to practice, and Chris Bourque has been returned to Hershey. Chris Clark is out there again in a blue jersey. Here are the new lines:

Ovechkin-Backstrom-Kozlov
Semin-Fedorov-Laich
Fleischmann-Gordon-Fehr
Brashear/Laich-Steckel-Bradley

Morrisonn-Green
Poti-Jurcina
Schultz-Eminger/Erskine

UPDATE: The Caps were just working on the power play. Sergei Fedorov joined Alexander Semin and Nicklas Backstrom on the top unit with Alex Ovechkin and Mike Green on the points. The second unit was Viktor Kozlov, Tomas Fleischmann and Brooks Laich with Green and Tom Poti on the points.
-- Corey Masisak

There is a lot of tape to go through from the past couple days, and I am still trying to get through it all. Here is some stuff from Bruce Boudreau from earlier today:

ON POSSIBLE FORWARD LINES

"I've come up with more combinations than a Sudoku book at this point. We'll figure it out as the players trickle in and see where it leads."

ON BREAKING UP THE FLEISCHMANN-LAICH-FEHR LINE

"That could be the best points-per-game line in the history of the NHL [if we break it up]."

ON TRYING TO SCORE ON BRENT JOHNSON NEAR THE END OF PRACTICE

"I used my '87 move and with the new millennium, the rule changes and everything else it just doesn't cut it. I've got to update my move."

- Corey Masisak

Boudreau responded to comments from departed forward Matt Pettinger in the Vancouver Sun. Pettinger said he had "butted heads" with Boudreau.

"I disagree with that. I didn't butt heads. I wanted nothing more than Matt to succeed, and I think we gave him every chance. If he is using that, then I think it is a little bit of a copout. He and I never butted heads. At one point I called him in and said, 'This is what we think as a coaching staff. You have to go to the net more and do this a little bit more, but we think you're capable of scoring and you've proven it.' I think it just got to a point where he needed a change of scenery. His confidence was probably at an all-time low and maybe that was his perception that he wasn't one of 'the coach's guys' but I've told our coaches in here that wasn't case. If was scoring, he would have been playing more."

Also, Fedorov said he hasn't skated since Saturday because of the charley horse he suffered in the game that day (against Huet's Canadiens, no less), but he expects to able to practice tomorrow and hopes to be in the lineup Friday night.

-- Corey Masisak

There were plenty of media types here to welcome Cristobal Huet and Sergei Fedorov. Huet said he will have a Capitals-themed mask in short order and will continue to use the same pads (the color schemes are essentially the same). He was here earlier today before practice to meet the rest of the team, and he said Olie Kolzig and Brent Johnson gave him a warm welcome. Bruce Boudreau had a couple more rounds of questioning about the goalie quandry, and he continued to deflect them until at least tomorrow.

Fedorov said Boudreau told him to expect an increase in playing time, which he was very happy about. They didn't discuss who he would be playing with, but Boudreau did say it was unlikely that Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom would be broken up, so the logical spot would be besides Alexander Semin on the second unit. Although it might be tough for Boudreau to break up the Fleischmann-Laich-Fehr group after their four-goal performance last night.

-- Corey Masisak

Cristobal Huet and Sergei Fedorov aren't scheduled to be here until around 2:30 p.m., so it was a pretty normal practice. Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin and Viktor Kozlov didn't practice. Bruce Boudreau said Kozlov is feeling better but he wanted to give him one more day before coming back. Chris Clark was back out there again. He said he feels better, but doesn't want to tease himself by thinking about any projected return dates.

Boudreau didn't have much to offer about the pending goalie rotation. He said he's not sure who will be in net Friday in Newark. He did also say that Cooke will not join the team until Friday at the earliest, so he doesn't expect him to be in the lineup against the Devils.

Tomas Fleischmann told me he was in training camp with Fedorov and even skated with him in scrimmages a couple of times, but he doubts Fedorov remembers him. Matt Bradley was teammates with Matt Cooke in juniors at Kingston of the OHL and they played on a World Junior Championship team together.

David Steckel said he has been battling bronchitis and strep throat (prompting us in the media to take a step back from his stall), but he is getting better. If Minnesota has a few guys come down with said ailments, they can probably thank Steckel after his tussle with Aaron Voros last night. Matt Bradley has a few stitches under his left eye, but he thought it was from a hit before his fight with Voros, which was possibly Bradley's most decisive victory of the season.

Steve Eminger is still here of course, and he said yesterday was "an interesting day." If the Caps let him play regularly the rest of the season, I think they will be happy they kept him. Huet will wear No. 33, so Steckel will be allowed to keep his No. 39. A change would have meant his fourth number in three years. Cooke and Fedorov will keep the numbers they wore with their old teams (24 for Cooke and 91 for Fedorov).

Finally, as if yesterday wasn't crazy enough there was a power outage at Verizon Center during Boudreau's postgame press conference. Pretty much the entire building was blacked out. After he finished, I went out on the team bench -- the whole arena bowl was dark, so the zamboni driver was resurfacing the ice with headlights on. That was certainly an interesting sight.

- Corey Masisak

Here's a quick update before I get back to my trade(s) story. John Erskine is the odd man out on defense tonight, so Steve Eminger goes from expecting a trade to back in the lineup. Viktor Kozlov is sick and, as expected, is the other scratch. Sami Lepisto is not on the lineup sheet, so it would appear he has been sent back to Hershey. Here's the lineup:

Ovechkin-Backstrom-Semin
Fleischmann-Laich-Fehr
Laing-Gordon-Bradley
Brashear-Steckel-Bourque

Morrisonn-Green
Poti-Jurcina
Schultz-Eminger

Kolzig

As for what the forward lines might look like in a few days, here is one stab:

Ovechkin-Backstrom-Kozlov
Semin-Fedorov-Fleischmann
Cooke-Laich-Gordon
Laing/Brashear-Steckel-Bradley

If they can put Chris Clark in there before the playoffs, they might be onto something.

UPDATE: Just saw Sami Lepisto in the press box. He told me he is leaving tomorrow morning to join the Hershey Bears for the start of a nine-game road trip, but he wanted to take in the game tonight before leaving.
-- Corey Masisak

I rode the elevator with Olie Kolzig a few minutes ago. He did not want to talk about what has transpired today. It is safe to say he is somewhere between confused and upset and probably a combination of the two. The Caps also made another minor deal right before the deadline. They sent Hershey's leading scorer, Joe Motzko, to Atlanta for Alexandre Giroux, who played with the Bears last season. That is basically a swap of AAAA players for AHL playoff purposes.

Matt Cooke spent much of his teleconference answering questions from a Vancouver-area reporter about his departure. There were clearly some issues between him and Vancouver coach Alain Vigneault, but Cooke seemed pretty happy to have a fresh start.

I'll try to check back briefly after we talk to George McPhee and Bruce Boudreau. I am also planning on consuming some food at some point today.

UPDATE (5:28 p.m.)

The Caps have recalled Chris Bourque, and he will be in Matt Pettinger's place on the fourth line tonight. With Viktor Kozlov sick, the team was down to 11 forwards. Both McPhee and Boudreau said there would be a competition between the three goaltenders to decide who plays. McPhee was adamant about the Huet acquistion not absolutely meaning the end of Olie Kolzig Era in Washington. McPhee said he did not try to trade Olie, found the market for another defenseman pretty dry and he had talked to Vancouver about a Pettinger-for-Cooke swap a few times in recent weeks because both players probably needed a change of scenery.

Forgot to mention earlier that Boudreau said Olie Kolzig will be in net tonight, provided he is still on the roster of course. Huet is expected to arrive tonight and take a physical. Fedorov is expected to be here tomorrow, but Cooke's arrival could be delayed a few days because of visa issues. Since he is a Canadian-born player playing in Canada, he does not have a work visa like Huet does. His availability for Friday's game at New Jersey is up in the air.

- Corey Masisak

So all of the talk about the Caps laying low at the deadline was clearly smoke and mirrors. TSN is reporting the Caps have also added Sergei Fedorov from Columbus for 2007 second-round pick Theo Ruth. The 38-year-old Ferdorov is also a pending unrestricted free agent and is far from the guy he was a few years ago, but he could be the answer for the Caps revolving door at second-line center since Michael Nylander was injured.

Fedorov has nine goals and 28 points in 50 games for the Blue Jackets, and is in the last year of a five-year, $40 million deal. He did not play when Washington was in Columbus because he was in the midst of a 13-game absence with a concussion. He also left the Blue Jackets' most recent game with a leg injury, but it was just a charley horse; he was expected to play for Columbus tomorrow.

Bruce Boudreau just walked past the media room here at K-Plex. Here's what he had to say about Heut:

"It was a surprise. Anytime that we can make our team better, then we are going to make our team better."

HUET TOINGHT?

"Oh no. I just know we've got him."

THREE GOALIES?

"I don't know. We cross that bridge when we get to it. When we played Montreal, the talk was one of the 10 best goaltenders in the league, so anytime you can acquire that, then you acquire it. And we did."

COACHED HIM IN MANCHESTER

"I loved him in Manchester. He was a real big surprise. He played so well for me that in the last 30 games he was called up to L.A. Everybody was surprised that a goalie coming from France could do that kind of job. But he did and he has proven himself."

"Right now I have to go get ready and go to the rink, and we'll see who else in on our team when I get there."

Boudreau could not comment on any further deals, but he did say that Sergei Fedorov is one of his son, Brady's favorite players.

- Corey Masisak

UPDATE (1:48 p.m.)

The Caps have confrimed the Fedorov for Ruth deal. TSN says the Caps have made another move, dealing Matt Pettinger to Vancouver for Matt Cooke. Pettinger has had plenty of trouble scoring this year, with only two goals (and about 15 shots off goal posts) and seve points. Cooke has seven goals and 16 points for the Canucks, but he is a gritty forward who will do the dirty work in front of the net that this team has been lacking for much of the season.

UPDATE (1:55 p.m.)

Matt Pettinger just talked to the guys on TSN and here is some of what he had to say:

"I grew up in Victoria [B.C.] and I always followed [the Canucks], but is still hasn't really set in. I'm excited overall."

"It has been a bit of a struggle this season personally and obviously everyone is tradeable. I was definitely listening to the internet and following the trades. Going to Vancouver, there are 29 other teams in the league and it is very fortunate that a team like Vancouver with my connections there would want we. I am thrilled."

ANOTHER UPDATE (2:25)

Cooke is another unrestricted free agent and is making $1.575 million this season. The 29-year-old Cooke was a seventh-round pick in the 1997 draft and is listed at 5-foot-11 and 205 pounds. His career highs in goals (15) and points (42) came in 2002-03.

As for Theo Ruth, he has played in 31 of Notre Dame's 36 games. He has one goal and two assists and his +13 rating is second on a team that is 21-11-4.

UPDATE: The Caps have confirmed the deal.

From the release:

Huet has a 72-59-11-13 record in 170 career NHL games, with a 2.49 GAA and a .917 save percentage. He has 15 career shutouts and led the league in save percentage in 2005-06 with a .929 mark. Huet was the second French-born player to play in the NHL and has represented France in two Olympics. Huet was a seventh-round choice of the Los Angeles Kings in 2001 and made his North American debut in 2002-03 as a member of the Manchester Monarchs, where he played for Washington head coach Bruce Boudreau. Huet made his NHL debut for the Kings that season, posting a 4-4-1 record in 12 games, and played 41 games in Los Angeles in 2003-04. Montreal acquired him on June 26, 2004, with Radek Bonk in exchange for Mathieu Garon and a third-round draft choice. The draft choice Washington sends to Montreal is Anaheim's second-round pick in 2009, previously acquired in exchange for center Brian Sutherby.

MORE:

Caps coach Bruce Boudreau spoke about Cristobal Huet when Washington and Montreal were in the midst of back-to-backs late last month. Here is some of what he had to say then:

"You've got to get traffic in front of this guy and you've got to make him guess a little bit. He makes himself big in the net and you have to take a great shot to get it past him … when he is on. Sometimes he is not on."

"When he was bad with me A) it was his first year in North America but B) you got on him early. Then he felt unsure of himself. But it looks like he is in a pretty good groove now."

Huet is making $2.75 million in the last year of his contract, and a team spokesman said they are trying to get him to the arena in time for the game. He will be owed $575,916 from tomorrow until the end of the season, but the Caps obviously have plenty of cap room. It is uncertain if Huet will get here in time for the game tonight, but a team spokesman said to not expect him in the lineup. Since Kolzig did not skate, he was expected to start against the Wild, but maybe not now.

The 2009 second-round pick is the one the Caps picked up for Brian Sutherby from Anaheim. That George McPhee did not have to give up any of his second rounders in this year's draft, which is suppose to be a great one, has to be considered a bit of a coup.

- Corey Masisak

Earlier:

TSN is reporting the Caps have acquired Montreal goaltender Cristobal Huet for a second-round pick. Still waiting for a conformation on this, but if true this would be a certainly be a bold move for Washington. What does this mean for Olie Kolzig? Huet, like Kolzig, is a UFA at the end of the season. Brent Johnson is under contract for another year, so they would have three goalies unless they make another move.

This deal would mean Montreal is either going to go with wunderchild Carey Price or be in the market for another goalie. It would probably mean they are clearing cap space for a marquee guy (Marian Hossa? Oli Jokinen?)

- Corey Masisak

The Caps are done with the morning skate. Chris Clark was out there (in a blue jersey without a line assignment), but he wasn't ready to quantify his progress. So was Jeff Schultz, who said he is ready to go tonight. Viktor Kozlov was not on the ice. Bruce Boudreau said Schultz will play but has not decided who will sit, and Kozlov is "very doubtful" because he is sick. Here are the lines from the skate:

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

Olie Kolzig did not skate, but the Caps did have a mystery man in the net opposite Brent Johnson. Brett Leonhardt, a producer for the team's Web site, played goalie at Neumann College in Philadelphia and filled in quite admirably for Kolzig. Leonhardt, or "Stretch" as he is more commonly known (he is 6-foot-6, after all) is from Ontario and was actually at training camp with Steve Eminger and the Kitchner Rangers before moving on to Neumann.

That is a good segway to some trade talk on deadline day.

Eminger, who has dressed for only 13 games this season, said after the skate he expects and hopes to be moved today. He has fallen out of the favor with an organization that once viewed him as a key piece to the rebuilding puzzle.

"You want to stay with the same organization, like Olie," Eminger said. "He got drafted here and he wants to end his career here. That is something that I wish could happen, but there comes a point where things don't work out. They are going a different way. They don't see you as the player they want you to be or they have other people ahead of you. You've got to accept it and move on. I guess that's kind of where I am at right now. I think with what they've done and how I have been played, they are at that point too, so I am looking forward to moving on."

As for a preference of destination?

"Somewhere where I will get a chance, so if that is a last-place team or a first-place team, wherever I am going to have a chance would be great," he said.

- Corey Masisak

David Steckel continues to battle illness and will not play today. Bruce Boudreau said a "few guys" are under the weather. Eric Fehr will replace Steckel in the lineup and Boudreau will shuffle the lines to compensate.

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

The defense pairings remain the same. Steve Eminger remains a healthy scratch and Jeff Schultz is not ready to return.

Morrisonn-Green
Poti-Jurcina
Erskine-Lepisto

Brent Johnson will be in net. Johnson has lost three of four after winning five straight starts (and taking the loss in a relief appearance). The Caps trail Carolina by six points and have three games in hand. This is one of them. By my calculations the other two are March 3 against Boston and March 18 at Nasvhille.

This is certainly a big game for the Caps, and there will be plenty of people here supporting the road team. There are about 200 Caps fans (four bus loads full) split into two groups tailgating in the parking lot right now. It was a pretty impressive sight to say the least. There aren't that many NHL arenas where tailgating is possible/encouraged, but this is certainly one of them.

One group came with the Caps Road Crew and the other with the Caps Fan Club. There appeared to be plenty of good food and beverages to go around, some quality horseshoe contests and something that was new to me -- cheese racing. Basically, everyone throws a piece of packaged American cheese on the grill and whichever wrapper inflates first wins. I've never seen so many people huddled around a grill before. The big celebrities in Cap fandom (Goat, Horn Guy) are here, so it could be an interesting atmosphere tonight.

Also of note, it is Military Appreciation Day here at RBC. The Caps had a similar day Wednesday night at Verizon, but they don't mess around down here. There is an attack helicopter outside the arena as well as a couple of armored vehicles and plenty of military personnel to answer questions and pose for photographs. There was also a military band about to perform when we came inside.

- Corey Masisak

We just had our pregame chat with Bruce Boudreau here at RBC Center. Sami Lepisto will be in the lineup tonight in place of Jeff Schultz. Steve Eminger will remain a healthy scratch. Boudreau said part of the reasoning was Lepisto's ability to help on the power play. He doesn't want Mike Green and Alex Ovechkin playing all two minutes on the power play. As of now the plan is for Eric Fehr to be the forward who does not dress, but Boudreau said David Steckel is still not completely over the flu, so he could be a late scratch. Olie Kolzig will be in net, and Boudreau declined to say who would start tomorrow at Verizon Center against the Devils.

Here's some of what Bruce had to say:

"We had a meeting this morning and sometimes you just get a feeling. The guys know [how big this game is.] I don't know how the game is going to go, but I've got to believe that if the game doesn't end up in our favor, it won't be because of a lack of will and want and work ethic."

On Carolina's high shot totals lately:

"They're working hard -- outworking the opposition. They're coming out of the gate storming and their sense of urgency is now. Ever since [Rod] Brind'Amour got hurt, everybody else has taken a bigger role."

On last meeting:

"We know what to expect. We know they are going to come out hard. Their gameplan was to come out and get a lead and play very defensive."

- Corey Masisak

Defenseman Sami Lepisto and right wing Eric Fehr are back practicing with the Caps and have been recalled today. There stay in the minors was a short one. Jeff Schultz is not on the ice (George McPhee said yesterday they would see how Schultz was today, and obviously the prognosis was not to their liking). Lepisto and Fehr could both just be insurance, but they are back earning an NHL salary for the day at least. The forward lines haven't changed:

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

The Caps are working on the power play right now. Bruce Boudreau said yesterday he wasn't happy with the execution despite the recent success. It would also appear that the idea of breaking up the power play into two equal units has been discarded. The main group is Backstrom, Semin and Fleischmann up front with Ovechkin and Green on the points, and the second unit had Kozlov, Laich and Gordon up front with Poti and Lepisto on the points (which would suggest that Lepisto is going to play tomorrow).

UPDATE: Bruce Boudreau said Lepisto and Fehr were recalled because a couple players are dealing with illness and the team was worried about needing one of them in a pinch tomorrow or Sunday since both games have earlier start times. He said he still wasn't sure if either would play tomorrow in Raleigh. Olie Kolzig said he will start against the Hurricanes and expects Brent Johnson to get the nod Sunday against New Jersey.

Also of note, Alex Ovechkin said he thought the team might have lost its focus a bit during the recent road trip to Florida with some of the extra vacation-style activities, but thinks they have it back now.

-- Corey Masisak

George McPhee met with the media for almost 20 minutes this afternoon. His boldest statement of the session was pretty simple: "We're not going to be sellers." As the trade deadline approaches next week, McPhee will not be looking to deal away veteran players for the first time in four seasons. He did not say he would be actively pursuing help as a buyer, but not selling is a big deal considering where this team has been in recent years.

"If there is something that would help that isn't too expensive then we would certainly talk about it," McPhee said. "But we like what we have. We like the players we have and the people they are. And we have players in Hershey that can come up and help. We've done a very good job of developing this team, but to start trading things out that could be part of the future makes no sense."

He said defenseman Jeff Schultz will probably try to practice tomorrow to test his strained knee, but McPhee said he is "day-to-day" and doesn't know about his availability for Saturday in Raleigh. McPhee echoed everyone else's positive comments about Sami Lepisto's one-game audition.

McPhee also said he expects to have both Michal Neuvirth and Simeon Varlamov battling Daren Machesney for playing time in net at Hershey next season. If all three are in the fold, that means the Freddie Cassivi Era will be coming to an end and that one of the three kids will need to be loaned to another AHL team to find playing time for everybody.

As for the big club's goaltending situation, he said he's fine with its current status and declined to discuss any contract talks with Olie Kolzig, who will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year.

- Corey Masisak

The Caps decided against practicing today after all. Steve Eminger is out on the ice by himself, sporting a Michael Nylander jersey. There are a few fans milling about, but they aren't going to get to see much. GM George McPhee and coach Bruce Boudreau are expected to talk to us shortly, so I'll check back in a little bit.

- Corey Masisak

Jeff Schultz left the game in the first period tonight with a knee strain, and is day-to-day accoring to a team spokesman. Schultz did come back to the bench in the second period and was credited with a four-second shift, but that was the end of his night.

Bruce Boudreau said after the game that Sami Lepisto might be recalled if Schultz is not going to be ready to play Saturday in Carolina. Lepisto was sent back to Hershey yesterday and played for the Bears at Wilkes-Barre/Scarnton, so maybe he'll have a chance to re-pack his suitcase with some new clothes before returning. Eric Fehr scored a goal in the game for the Bears, by the way.

The Caps will be back at practice tomorrow at K-Plex, but Boudreau said it would be optional for some people. Considering Mike Green has now played more than 31 minutes in four of the past six games, he might be a good bet to be on the exempt list although he has had chances to skip practice before and still decided to skate.

-- Corey Masisak

Defensman Sami Lepisto and right wing Eric Fehr did not skate this morning and Bruce Boudreau said they were returned to Hershey. Lepisto played well in his NHL debut, but the other seven defensemen are all healthy now so it was pretty clear he was going back.

"Sami did a great job and he gives us eight defensemen," Boudreau said. "These [seven] defensemen are doing very well, but now we know we have a very capable down there. We've finally seen him and won't hesitate to bring him back."

Fehr was a scratch in Tampa and the team has 12 other healthy forwards. He has only played 16 games since last February and wasn't getting much ice time on the fourth line the past few games with Washington. Both players will get more playing time with the Bears, although don't be surprised to see Fehr back up if he scores a few down there and the big club continues to sturggle in that department.

No real news on Chris Clark or Brian Pothier, other than Boudreau said he hasn't seen Pothier here "for a while." It certainly doesn't seem like either guy will be back anytime soon.

-- Corey Masisak

No, Chris Clark and Brian Pothier are not practicing, but David Steckel and Viktor Kozlov are and Tom Poti is out there for a second straight day. Sami Lepisto is also still here and is going through a drill right now with Jeff Schultz, who was his partner against Tampa.

Also of note, Olie Kolzig is wearing a special jersey practice jersey. It has an Athletes Against Autism patch on the front and his name and number inside a puzzle piece on the back. The jersey, along with the ones every other player on the team wears tomorrow at the morning skate, will be auctioned off to help the charity that Kolzig helped found.

Here are the lines:

Ovechkin-Backstrom-Fleischman
Semin-Kozlov-Pettinger
Laing-Steckel-Bradley
Brashear-Laich-Gordon-Fehr

Morrisonn-Green
Poti-Jurcina
Schultz-Lepisto
Erskine-Eminger

It will be interesting to find out which of those pairs is the odd one out. It really could be any of the ones below Morrisonn and Green considering who played Saturday in Tampa.

- Corey Masisak

UPDATE (12:36 p.m.):

Poti said he expects to play tomorrow and Bruce Boudreau concurred, but said he has no idea which two defensemen will sit against the Islanders. He also expects Steckel to be ready despite the lingering effects of the flu. After practice, Bruce's son Brady was interviewing members of the team (including his dad) for a segment that will air at a future Hershey Bears game. It has been an ongoing feature at the Giant Center with Brady interviewing Hershey players.

The Caps returned to practice today after spending Sunday either fishing or golfing in Tampa with their dads. David Steckel and Viktor Kozlov did not practice. Bruce Boudreau said Steckel has the flu and he is trying to keep some of the other players from getting sick. He also said Kozlov was allowed to spend an extra day in Florida because his family lives there.

Another note on the sickness front, Boudreau said Alex Ovechkin was pretty ill in Sunrise on Friday. Even if he was sick, he still played more than 24 minutes against the Panthers and attempted 12 shots, though only four were on target.

It was certainly a light-hearted practice. The team split into two groups and played 3-on-3 for a while. Steve Eminger captained the blue squad and he wore a "C" made of masking tape.

The best moment came after the gray team won. They fake posed for a picture like they had just won the Stanley Cup to taunt the blue squad. The two teams also had a shootout contest. Matt Bradley was the star with goals on both attempts, but the highlight might have been Mike Green trying the stick-between-the-legs move against Olie Kolzig that Rangers defenseman Marek Malik used against him two years ago. Kolzig was up to the task.

-- Corey Masisak

Sami Lepisto will make his NHL debut tonight on defense for the Caps. Bruce Bodureau would not commit to who the Finnish rookie (whose name is officially pronounced LEH-pis-toe) would play with, but he will be in the lineup for Milan Jurcina. Boudreau tossed out the Toby Enstrom comparison when talking about Lepisto, which I am sure is going to happen with every undersized Norwegian offensive-minded defenseman that comes along the next could of seasons.

Donald Brashear returns to the lineup in place of Eric Fehr. Boudreau said when Fehr was recalled that this would be his big chance, but he's been pretty invisible so far and this team cannot wait for him to get comfortable like they did with Tomas Fleischmann earlier this season. The coach made no mistake at his pregame media meeting that this is a big game. He said he will play Alex Ovechkin 33 minutes tonight if needed.

Here are the lines:

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

Olie Kolzig will be in net against Johan Holmqvist for the Lightning.

-- Corey Masisak

Defenseman Sami Lepisto is here and going through the warmup but is not expected to play. Lepisto was in the lineup for Hershey (and scored a goal) last night in Cleveland in a 5-4 shootout loss to Lake Erie. Tom Poti is also not going to be in the lineup, so Steve Eminger will be back in.

Donald Brashear is the odd man out up front. Taking too long of shifts against Atlanta (remember I mentioned that he was on the ice for a 1:27 shift right before the second goal in my game story that night) and now being a healthy scratch might not be a coincidence.

-- Corey Masisak

Corey's in transit, but he wanted to let you folks know that Sami Lepisto has been reclled from Hershey again.

Here's the team's official word:

The Washington Capitals have recalled defenseman Sami Lepisto from the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL), vice president and general manager George McPhee announced today.

Lepisto, 23, has played in 38 games for Hershey this year, posting 32 points (3 goals, 29 assists). He leads all Hershey defensemen in scoring and ranks tied for seventh among AHL defensemen in points. His +27 rating leads the AHL. Lepisto has a nine-game point-scoring streak with Hershey, recording two goals, 14 assists and a +14 rating in that time. He has 10 points in his last four games, including a goal and two assists last night at Lake Erie.

Lepisto was selected by the Capitals in the third round of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, 66th overall, and becomes the fourth member of the 2004 draft class on the Washington roster (joining Alex Ovechkin, Jeff Schultz and Mike Green, who were all taken in the first round). Lepisto spent four seasons in the top professional league in Finland before making the move to the United States to play for the Bears.

The 6-foot, 176-pound native of Espoo, Finland, has never played in a regular season NHL game. He was recalled to Washington on Tuesday, Feb. 12, but returned to Hershey after practice. He will wear No. 42 for the Capitals.

-- Corey Masisak

Well, sort of. The Caps are about to practice at BankAtlantic Center, but I am en route to the Keys to spend the day with family. If there is one place to take a day off on the road for some R&R, this is it.

Fear not, hockey fans. While this might be an "off day" for me, there will be more hockey coverage in the paper tomorrow than ever before (OK, a bit of hyperbole, but not by much).

That's right -- SPOILER ALERT! Watch for another sizable feature on Bruce Boudreau, and after a wildly successful albeit short run as an online special, the NHL Report makes its triumphant print debut.

-- Corey Masisak

The Caps are finishing up the morning skate here at Philips Arena. The big news of the morning is that Tomas Fleischmann has signed a two-year contract extension to remain with the Caps through the 2009-2010 season. The deal is for $1.45 million, or $725,000/year, according to a source.

Fleischmann, who will turn 24 in May, has five goals and 21 points this season. He did not have a contract during training camp after his entry-level deal expired at the end of last season, but the Caps inked him to a one-year, $495,000 deal before the season started.

Olie Kolzig will be in net tonight and John Erskine will replace Steve Eminger in the active lineup. Quintin Laing will be a healthy scratch for the second straight game. The lines will remain the same as Sunday's game:

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

Morrisonn-Green
Poti-Jurcina
Schultz-Erskine

Of course, Bruce Boudreau said the lines are subject to change, and it won't be a surprise if Laich and Gordon continue to yo-yo back and forth between their two lines.

UPDATE: Here are some quotes about Fleischmann's contract:

TOMAS FLEISCHMANN
"It is really better than last year. I did not have a contract and it was a tough summer, so I did not want to do the same thing this year.

"It is really good news. I am really happy about it. Now I can start just thinking about hockey and becoming a better hockey player. I really like this group and the guys. It is no secret I like the coach too. With this team, I can feel like something is going on and I want to be part of that.

"Every year I am getting better. I feel like every game I am becoming a better player and I think next year and the year after I can be really, really good. That is what I feel like it was the farm team. I played in Portland [in 2004-05] and it was a similar season like I have had this year. I hope [next year] it is going to be like the next year with the farm team [in Hershey] when we finished in the finals."

GEORGE MCPHEE
"They wanted to do a deal so we did a deal.

"He did make the team [in camp], and he's played fine. He is going to be a good player in this league and he is developing at the right pace.

"The fact that he did not have a contract coming into camp did not mean we were not high on him and did not expect him to be here a long time. We had a lot of people under contract at that time and we did not want to get caught with having too many guys under contract.

"Flash is a good player. He was a good player in Hershey and won a championship and scored a lot, and he will be able to do the same thing at this level. I know if we hadn't signed him someone else would have."

BRUCE BOUDREAU
"I have a lot of faith in him. He can make plays. You can't find enough truly skilled players. I think he'll be a little stronger next year. He sees the ice so well. Sometimes he tries to be cute and still thinks he can get away with it and he can't, but eventually he will learn it. When he starts getting away with these plays a little quicker his goal totals are going to jump up and his assist totals are going to jump up.

"His first year with me [he weighed] 170. This year he is 180. I would think he could be at 187 or 190 next year. If he can keep the same speed -- and I do not think that will affect his mindset -- I think it will only benefit him.

"I think we would like to see him go to the net more, but we talk to all of our forwards about going to the net more rather than making the plays on the perimeter. I think he will because he listens and once he has a little bit if success with that he will realize, Hey, this is the place I have got to be.

"We watch all the games and how many games have we said, 'How did he miss that? Or, what a great setup.' Those plays are not clicking to him right now, but I believe in the future they will. There is no reason with his numbers today that he could not have 35 points with the chances he has created or had himself."

Practice is underway. Sami Lepisto is out there and wearing No. 42. John Erskine is not on the ice. Lepisto's arrival cannot be a good thing for Steve Eminger, who will likely be the odd man out on the blue line tomorrow night. Here are the lines:

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

UPDATE: Brashear is in a white jersey with Steckel, Bradley and Laing.

UPDATE: Erksine is now on the ice as well, so there are eight defensemen out there.

UPDATE: The first Sami Lepisto Era in Washington lasted about an hour. He was recalled because the team wasn't sure about Erskine's health, but since Erskine went through practice and pronounced himself ready to go, Lepisto won't be going on the trip. He told me while he was packing up his stuff to drive back to Hershey that he was actually driving to do some shopping yesterday when he got the call, and it was nice to go through one NHL practice at least. This is probably not the last time he'll be here, and Lepisto Era 2.0 will probably be a bit longer.