Olie Kolzig said he had a stiff neck and minor headache, but otherwise he was OK after Buffalo's Daniel Paille ran into him 12 seconds into the second period. He said he's not worried about a concussion, because he didn't have any nausea or memory loss or any those typical symptoms.

David Steckel was not so lucky. He fell down in front of the net in the third period, and nearly took a shot in the face. He got his hand up to deflect it, but he has a broken right index finger and will miss 2-3 weeks. The guys who were scrtached and Chris Clark were sitting directly behind us in the press box, and at least two of them groaned as the puck was in mid-air. Steckel already had a cut on his left hand from blocking a shot against Boston with an open hand.

In the immediate future Brooks Laich will almost certainly have to move from the wing on the second line to center either the third or fourth line. Either Tomas Fleischmann or Eric Fehr would likely slot into that spot for now, but Clark's return on the horizon could also be a solution.

Don't look now, but the Caps are suddenly closer to 8th (two points out) than they are to Carolina for the division lead (three points back).

-- Corey Masisak