Just got word that Alex Ovechkin's insurance issues have been officially cleared up and he will play for Russia in the upcoming IIHF World Championships in Quebec and Halifax. Ovechkin's mates bested Canada 6-2 in an exhibition game last night, and that was without him, Sergei Fedorov, Alexander Semin and Alexander Radulov. Not only are the Russians one of the favorites at this tournament, but they could throw out a scary good group of forwards in Vancouver at the 2010 Olympics.

How does a first two lines of Ovechkin-Datsyuk-Kovalev and Kovalchuk-Malkin-Semin sound? Of course, the Russian Federation will have plenty of the guys who play in the Super League involved, but there is going to be plenty of star power and forward depth (don't forget guys like Radulov, Alexander Frolov and Maxim Afinogenov as well). If it is the last Olympics with NHL players, it could be one to remember.

- Corey Masisak

I wrote a little about Jaromir Jagr today, but there was some stuff I wasn't able to get to or expand upon properly. He really is a fascinating character, one of the unique personalities in the history of the sport. One day he is reflective and can provide great insight, the next immature and brooding.

I talked to Dave Molinari, who has covered the Penguins for a long time and really is one of the best in our businees, about Jagr and the jersey retirement thing earlier this season. He didn't think Jagr's No. 68 would be going up any time soon. Most teams in the NHL are very selective about who joins that club (and to be honest, the Caps are in danger of being one of the three or four teams that just has way too many of them considering the franchise's success). One guy whose opinion I respect greatly told me you shouldn't have more jerseys in the rafters than Stanley Cup banners, and I think that holds true for almost every franchise. Pittsburgh won two Cups (and might have won a couple more) in the early 90s and only Mario Lemieux's No. 66 hangs at Mellon Arena from that era. Michel Briere, who died after a long battle with injuries sustained in a car crash after his rookie season in the early 70s, is the only other player in team history to have his jersey retired.

Jagr is clearly the second-best player in Penguins history, but he wasn't clearly the second-best player on those two Cup teams. Those teams were loaded with Hall of Fame talents, and Jagr was just a kid who didn't become a full-blown superstar until the mid-90s. There is also the falling out to consider. While there is plenty of contempt between Caps and Penguins fans, I am a little surprised the two fan bases don't connect more on the one thing they have in common: Their strong distaste for No. 68.

Because the Penguins have been so strict with the jersey retirement thing, it won't surprise me if Jagr doesn't earn that recognition. The Penguins have a Ring of Honor in the arena, and he is already part of that. Lemieux and Briere will probably be the only two for the forseeable future, although it is a good bet that the next guy is on the team right now. If there was handicapping to be done on which current NHL players whose jerseys will be retired, there are the obvious older guys like Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Mike Modano and Martin Brodeur. But I think it is fair to say Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby have already climbed near the top of that list despite their youth.

Anyway, I am going to be out of the loop for a few days, but here is some of the leftover quotes I collected about Jagr. I was a little surprised to see both Michal Rozsival and Petr Sykora talk about him as a leader. I think the players from the Czech Republic have a slightly different opinion of him than some of the other guys would.

BRANDON DUBINSKY

Jags and I play a little bit of the same style. We both hold onto the puck down low and try to create scoring chances by holding guys off beating them to the net. That was one of the attributes I bring to the line is being able to get the puck down low and hang onto it and let him get open to get it to him.

[Straka] is kind of the glue. We try to slow things down, but we know we can give it to him and he's fast. He gets the puck up the ice well, and he's one of those responsible guys who always tries to make sure things go smoothly.

Q: Were you star struck at all?

Maybe the first time around – this is my second time playing with him. Earlier in the year I was and then they switched it up. It wasn't so much who we were playing with this time, it was just about getting the team back on a winning track.

MICHAL ROZSIVAL

I think he is a totally different guy. When he played [in Pittsburgh], he was more about himself. Now he is totally different guy. He is like a new person. Now he is trying to help other guys, working with the younger guys and try to teach to them some of his tricks.

I remember what it was like here. It could just be there was so much pressure on him here all the time to be a 100-point scorer, he had to think about himself more.

PETR SYKORA

Obviously he went through a pretty tough season for his standards, but pretty close to 80 points is still a good season. The team is different now because there is not just one line who gets all the power-play time and the good scoring opportunities. Now they have three lines to share the ice time.

HAL GILL

He's picked up his game. He's obviously really skilled and really talented. He's so strong and big and he's got a lot of weapons. He is certainly someone you notice when he's out there.

Age catches up with all of us, but I don't think it has slowed him down too much. When you get older, you get smarter. He relies on his teammates more often, and it makes him a better player at times.

He's so strong on his skates. You can get caught, because if he catches you trying to lean on him one way, he is pretty good at spinning the other way. It is part of what makes him so effective.

Photo by Getty Images

-- Corey Masisak

Since the Caps have a rather large void between the pipes right now, I thought a quick glance at each of the 30 teams and their goalie situations was in order (I had a couple of hours to kill before Game 2 of the Penguins-Rangers series and I chipped away at it during the game). I'll add a list of the top UFAs at the position tomorrow, but needless to say the list is neither deep nor impressive. Cristobal Huet will be making plenty of money if he decides to wait until July 1st or 2nd to sign.

WASHINGTON
Starter: ???
Backup: Brent Johnson, signed through 2008-09
Top prospects: Simeon Varlamov, Michal Neuvirth
Skinny: Can they afford Huet and is he willing to stay in D.C.? Will Kolzig consider coming back? Do the Caps go after Jose Theodore or Dan Ellis if either makes it to the open market, or do they explore a trade? Do they bring in a short-term option to split-time with Johnson until the kids are ready? It could be a summer of questions in net in the District.

ANAHEIM
Starter: J.S. Giguere signed through 2010-11
Backup: Jonas Hiller, RFA
Top prospect: Jean-Philippe Levasseur
Skinny: Ducks are set with Giggy for the near future and Hiller will likely be back. Expect Anaheim to be in the market for a goalie in the draft to develop.

ATLANTA
Starter: Kari Lehtonen, RFA
Backup: ???
Top prospect: Ondrej Pavelec
Skinny: Lehtonen should be back, but can he ever stay healthy? Pavelec looked great in a start against the Caps, and could be his backup if Johan Hedberg isn't brought back and the Thrashers don't go outside for a veteran.

BOSTON
Starter: Tim Thomas, signed through 2008-09
Backup: Manny Fernandez, signed through 2008-09
Top prospect: Tuukka Rask
Skinny: If Fernandez is healthy next year, Claude Julien will likely deal with questions about his rotation. Thomas can be great but also erratic, and Fernandez makes about four times as much money.

BUFFALO
Starter: Ryan Miller, signed through 2008-09
Backup: ???
Top prospect: Jhonas Enorth
Skinny: Jocelyn Thibault is a free agent, so a backup is needed. The Sabres need to A) lock up Miller and B) get Enroth across the pond to Rochester.

CAROLINA
Starter: Cam Ward, signed through 2009-10
Backup: ???
Top prospect: Justin Peters
Skinny: John Grahame is a free agent, so a backup is needed. The Hurricanes could take a goalie pretty early in the draft this year as well. Ward was better this year than last but still not at his 2006 Stanley Cup run level.

CALGARY
Starter: Mikka Kiprusoff, signed through 2013-14
Backup: ???
Top prospect: Leland Irving
Skinny: Kiprusoff isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Curtis Joseph is a free agent, so a backup is needed. Irving will probably need at least a year in the AHL.

CHICAGO
Starter: Nikolai Khabibulin, signed through 2008-09
Backup: ???
Top prospect: Corey Crawford
Skinny: The Bulin Wall is aging but probably has one more contract in him. Patrick Lalime is a free agent, but the Blackhawks could let Crawford take his place although Khabibulin's health is always an issue, so a veteran may be added.

COLUMBUS
Starter: Pascal Leclaire, RFA
Backup: Fredrik Norrena, signed through 2008-09
Top prospect: Steve Mason
Skinny: Either Leclaire or Mason will be the goaltender for a long time, but the Blue Jackets need to figure out which one it is.

COLORADO
Starter: ???
Backup: Peter Budaj, signed through 2008-09
Top prospects: Trevor Cann and Billy Sauer
Skinny: Jose Theodore is a free agent, and has played his way into another nice contract. Do the Avs re-sign him, or is this a possible landing spot for Olie Kolzig as a 1/1A situation with Budaj? Colorado has loads of cap space, so that shouldn't be an issue.

DALLAS
Starter: Marty Turco, signed through 2009-10
Backup: ???
Top prospect: Tobias Stephan
Skinny: Trading Mike Smith for pending free agent Johan Holmqvist opens up a spot behind Turco. The Stars could be in the market for a goalie of the future in June.

DETROIT
Starter: Chris Osgood, signed through 2010-11
Backup: ???
Top prospect: Jimmy Howard
Skinny: The Red Wings are a team to watch. Dominik Hasek is a free agent and could retire (again), Osgood is signed but at a very cheap rate and Howard is almost too old to be a prospect anymore. They could go with those two or be a dark horse in the Huet/Theodore/Ellis sweepstakes.

EDMONTON
Starter: Mathieu Garon, signed through 2008-09
Backup: Dwayne Roloson, signed through 2008-09
Top prospect: Jeff Deslauriers
Skinny: Roloson took this team to the Cup finals in 2006, but Garon outplayed him this season. They have one more year together to battle it out, but the Oilers could be looking for some young blood.

FLORIDA
Starter: Tomas Vokoun, signed through 2010-11
Backup: Craig Anderson, signed through 2008-09
Top prospect: Tyler Plante
Skinny: The Panthers are set for the next few seasons with Vokoun. Developing someone to challenge him after that is on the to-do list.

LOS ANGELES
Starter: Jason LaBarbera, signed through 2008-09
Backup: ???
Top prospect: Jonathan Bernier
Skinny: The Kings used seven guys last season, which pretty much sums it up. Bernier is going to be the guy, but how soon? L.A. left Dan Cloutier and his $3.1 million salary in the minors for most of the year, and he's got one more left. Don't count this out as a spot for Olie Kolzig.

MINNESOTA
Starter: Niklas Backstrom, signed through 2008-09
Backup: Josh Harding, signed through 2008-09
Top prospect: Anton Khudobin
Skinny: There will be decisions to be made after next year, but the Wild are good for another season. Finding someone to replace Harding as the potential Next Guy is on tap.

MONTREAL
Starter: Carey Price, signed through 2009-10
Backup: Jaroslav Halak, signed through 2008-09
Top prospect: Price
Skinny: The Habs are set for the next decade with Price. Halak could draw some interest on the trade market, and Montreal will probably look for a veteran No. 3 (think Brian Boucher-type) to stash at Hamilton.

NASHVILLE
Starter: ???
Backup: Chris Mason, signed through 2009-10
Top prospect: Pekka Rinne
Skinny: Dan Ellis grabbed the No. 1 gig for the Predators, but he is a free agent and needs to be re-signed. Mason is locked in for two more years at $3 million, and going with him and Rinne could be Plan B, but Nashville is expected to spend this offseason with new ownership.

NEW JERSEY
Starter: Martin Brodeur, signed through 2011-2012
Backup: Kevin Weekes, signed through 2008-09
Top prospect: Jeff Frazee
Skinny: Marty's still the man in New Jersey, but there will be questions again this season about getting him more rest during the regular season. Weekes was supposed to be the answer, but Brodeur still played 77 games.

N.Y. ISLANDERS
Starter: Rick DiPietro, signed through 2020-21
Backup: ???
Top prospect: Jase Weslosky
Skinny: The Isles are set for three more presidential elections with DiPietro, but backup Wade Dubielewicz is a free agent. New York won't be spending a high pick on a goalie anytime soon, but a late-round project as long-term insurance would be a good idea.

N.Y. RANGERS
Starter: Henrik Lundqvist, signed through 2013-14
Backup: ???
Top prospect: David LeNeveu
Skinny: King Henrik is locked up, but backup Stephen Valiquette is a free agent and one-time mega-prospect Al Montoya was shipped to Phoenix. The Blueshirts will be looking for a more reliable caddy than LeNeveu.

OTTAWA
Starter: Martin Gerber, signed through 2008-09
Backup: ???
Top prospect: Brian Elliot
Skinny: As you may have heard, Ottawa GM Bryan Murray has a goalie on the trading block. He'll take a bag of used pucks for Ray Emery if he can get it. Maybe Gerber can be the guy, but it didn't look like it the second half of this season. The Senators could be in on the Huet/Theodore/Ellis sweepstakes if they can afford it. It would be close to Montreal for Huet's family. Consider this another potential destination for Kolzig as well.

PHILADELPHIA
Starter: Martin Biron, signed through 2008-09
Backup: Antero Nittymaki, signed through 2008-09
Top prospect: Jakub Kovar
Skinny: The Flyers are good to go next season with deciding Biron's long-term value high on the priority list.

PHOENIX
Starter: Ilya Bryzgalov, signed through 2010-11
Backup: Mikael Tellqvist, signed through 2008-09
Top prospect: Al Montoya
Skinny: In case anyone forgot, the Caps had first dibs on Bryzgalov and passed, presumably to not upset Kolzig. The Coyotes were quite happy with his performance and inked him to a 3-year extension. Phoenix went from zero goalies of the future to two by adding Bryzgalov and Montoya, which is a pretty good year's work.

PITTSBURGH
Starter: Marc-Andre Fleury, RFA
Backup: ???
Top prospect: David Brown
Skinny: Fitting Fleury in with the other high-priced kids on this team could take some creativity, but he has eased concerns about his ability to be a franchise guy in the past couple months. Ty Conklin was a great story, but it is a free agent. Dany Sabourin is under contract, but a more capable backup could be sought.

SAN JOSE
Starter: Evgeni Nabokov, signed through 2010-11
Backup: ???
Top prospect: Thomas Greiss
Skinny: Nabokov was great this season even without a real backup for most of the season. Brian Boucher is a free agent, and the Sharks didn't seem to have much confidence in the kids so a veteran option could be nabbed.

ST. LOUIS
Starter: Manny Legace, signed through 2008-09
Backup: Hannu Toivonen, RFA
Top prospect: Marek Schwarz
Skinny: Another team close to playoff contention but some question about the long-term answer in net. Legace had a nice year but will be 35 and a pending free agent after next season. Toivonen hasn't reached his potential and Schwarz may not be ready to yet.

TAMPA BAY
Starter: Mike Smith, signed through 2008-09
Backup: Karri Ramo, signed through 2008-09
Top prospects: Ramo, Riku Helenius
Skinny: The Lightning think they have their solution with Smith. The two Finns are now the fallback options, although Ramo looked pretty good at times this past season. Marc Denis could be bought out sooner rather than later.

TORONTO
Starter: Vesa Toskala, signed through 2009-10
Backup: Andrew Raycroft, signed through 2008-09
Top prospect: Justin Pogge
Skinny: Toskala was really good after some early troubles, while Raycroft was really bad. He could be bought out if they Leafs want a better option there. If they are really going to rebuild, Toskala could become trade bait (if Huet is too expensive and Kolzig won't come back, the GM to be named in Toronto could be getting a phone call from George McPhee).

VANCOVER
Starter: Roberto Luongo, signed through 2009-10
Backup: ???
Top prospect: Cory Schneider
Skinny: Curtis Sanford is a free agent, so a caddy for Luongo is needed. Schneider could be that guy. This would be close to home for Kolzig, but only if he were willing to take a big pay cut and be a true backup.

- Corey Masisak

Thought this might be worth putting up here, and it can be updated throughout the summer when needed. I took out the unrestricted guys, but left the RFAs because they are still under the Caps control. Sure, there are other guys in the system but these are the guys who could be a factor at some point in the near future for the Caps.

Guys in red are RFAs.
Guys in blue are in the minors (for now).
Guys in green are injured until further notice.

Unrestricted Free Agents

Sergei Fedorov
Olie Kolzig
Cristobal Huet
Matt Cooke
Matt Bradley
Frederic Cassivi

- Corey Masisak

I saw Mike Green in the mall after the Caps wrapped up their season-ending meeting at K-Plex in Arlington and he said he was looking forward to having a full summer to train for the first time in a few years after those deep playoff runs with Hershey. Well, his time back home in Calgary is on hold for at least a little while longer.

Green has been added to Canada's roster for the IIHF World Championships, which starts next week in Quebec City and Halifax.

According to this story , Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Sergei Fedorov and goalie Simeon Varlamov are all on Team Russia's roster. Ovechkin said the other day that he wasn't sure he could play because he needed to insure his pending 13-year, $124 million contract. Rick DiPietro did not play for Team USA last year because of similar insurance concerns. Bruce Boudreau also said Ovechkin had been playing with an unspecified injury, so he will also have to be healthy enough to play in the tournament.

I would expect Nicklas Backstrom to be on Sweden's team, and Michael Nylander might even be an option, although he said he was focused on trying to play for the Caps when I talked to him the day of Game 7 against the Flyers and didn't want to talk about the Worlds. Milan Jurcina could also be on Slovakia's entry if he is healthy enough to play.

Also, I am at Mellon Arena for Game 1 of the Penguins-Rangers series. While the "white-out" thing looks cool, I do have to the say the Caps "red-out" was more impressive because the fans did it on their own. Passing out t-shirts, like the Wizards did for Game 3 last night and like the Penguins did tonight, cheapens it a bit to me. But that is just me.

- Corey Masisak

So yesterday was a wild scramble at K-Plex trying to talk to as many people as possible before they dispatched to places such as Moscow, Calgary, Gavle and Regina. There was also a lot of newsworthy stuff, and trying to cram it all in a story in the newspaper with quotes wasn't easy. Here are some of the quotes that didn't make it.

MATT COOKE

It feels like it shouldn't be over, like it is almost surreal. Anytime you lose it is like that, but to have it end the way it did was just unfortunate.

I think with the success we had down the stretch and in the playoffs, and with the guys that got that confidence, this team is bound for success. We already know there is no problems in this dressing room.

For me, the most satisfaction is team success. I am not a guy who is going to go out and put points on the board every night, but I bring some other elements to the table that help out other guys on the table. Definitely, I would like to stay here if everything worked out.

SERGEI FEDOROV

Q: Thought about the future yet?

It is just not important at the moment. I just have to settle down and let everything sort of soak in and go from there. I have to talk to my family and figure out what to do next. I don't want to make my decision on my own.

Q: Could you have imagined this type of year for yourself in November?

It was pretty gloomy in Columbus. It was fun playing with the guys and everything, but as far as everything else was just average. I just tried to come to work and work hard. When I got traded I was completely upside down. I had to remember a lot of things I have done well in the past.

CHRIS CLARK

Q: What is next for you?

Rehab of some sort -- I am not sure of my exact plan yet. I haven't sat down with [trainer Greg Smith] and figured it all out yet.

Q: How tough were these past few months?

In the beginning we were losing and it was hard because I felt I could help the team. The last half of the season was a great ride that I was a part of but I wish I could have been on the ice with the guys.

MIKE GREEN

Q: Is it hard to process how big this contract is you are about to sign?

Well, maybe a little bit just because of where I came from. Where I grew up it wasn't like that, but a lot of hard work went into that to where we are now. I am excited, but it is not all about that.

Q: But it will be nice to buy a fancy car?

A: Yeah, it will be nice to be able to afford some stuff. I do like my toys.

BRUCE BOUDREAU

On all of the guys playing through injuries:

It just shows the courage of some of these guys. It just shows the warrior-ness in them.

CRISTOBAL HUET

I think the team is going in the right direction and the future sure looks bright here.

GEORGE MCPHEE

Everyone is focused on the [pending] free agents, but it is not like it use to be in this league. There are a lot of free agents. We wanted to keep [Dainius Zubrus] last year but we thought the contract demands were just a little out of our range so we replaced him [Viktor Kozlov] and it went well.

We're going to make it a good team. We really like whay we have now and if the decision is made not to keep someone, we are going to replace them with somebody better.

Q: What about the assistant coaches?

We'll talk to them and see what they want to do and go from there.

Q: How quickly do you need to know about Pothier and Clark?

The sooner the better, but there is no timeline to put on it. They are ready when they are ready.

Q: Could Pothier's career be in jeopardy?

It could be, and it is too bad. I'll have a discussion with him about what he wants to do. He may say, 'Hey, I just can't do it,' or 'I want to try it again.'

Q: Will this summer be even busier than previous ones?

It is that way with every club. It is a different business and there is a lot to do. Things can change in a hurry, but the good news is we have a terrific young core with lots to build on. Those young players will be even better next year.

On Sergei Fedorov possibly retiring:

When you are that age, people contemplate it. People thought Brett Favre was washed up, but he was a pretty good player last year. I remember Adam Oates when he was hitting 35 or 36 would say this might be my last year. Well, he played until 40. I don't think you ever evaluate players based on their age. You evaluate them on how they perform.

- Corey Masisak

Last night's Capitals game set yet another ratings record on Comcast SportsNet.

The overtime Game 7 loss to the Flyers averaged a record 170,000 household viewers in Washington, D.C and Baltimore, including a peak of 255,000 households between 9:45 and 10 p.m.
An average of 130,00 households tuned in from Washington, and a record 40,000 tuned in from Baltimore.
For the entire playoff series, Comcast SportsNet averaged 81,000 households, for a 3.5 rating.

Capitals ratings rose 75 percent this year on Comcast. From Dec. 26 until the end of the season, ratings rose 166 percent over the same period last season.

-- Tim Lemke

Well, check that off the offseason list of to-do things for George McPhee and the Caps. McPhee wouldn't discuss specifics, but he said Bruce Boudreau is under contract and will be the Caps coach for "a long time." There have been no decisions made about the assistant coaches yet. Boudreau said his son, Brady, has made Team Maryland, a traveling hockey team, so his family will likely look for a house in Maryland.

As for the other issues at hand, Eminger said he is open to returning, but he wants to be somewhere where he will play. McPhee said Steve Eminger will be qualified, so the Caps won't be losing him for nothing. I was told Olie Kolzig was here earlier, but one player said he wasn't in the team meeting. Kolzig told a team spokesman he "just needs some time" before talking about the situation. Brent Johnson said he defenitely wants to come back next year, and there are no lingering hard feelings about the way things shook out at the end of the year.

Michael Nylander said he was 10-14 days from maybe being able to play after shoulder surgery. For those of you that don't get the first edition of our newspaper, I had a story about Nylander in there. I was going to put the quotes on here yesterday but there was a lot going on. Here are the quotes:

"Definitely," Nylander said when asked if he thinks he can play again this season. "We are just taking it day-by-day, but so far it is ahead of schedule. I want to take it day-by-day and practice more and more and just try to get back in shape and have everything ready to play."

"It has been positive every time I went to the doctor, and I am very excited about the situation and the team," Nylander said. "It has been unbelievably exciting time for the team. It went all the way down to the last game [to make the playoffs] and it was tough. It was even tougher to sit outside and watch. You want to be in there playing, but it is exciting."

"I feel like normal again," Nylander said. "I will be able to just go out and play without hesitation or any restriction. It feels good and I hope it continues."

Also, McPhee acknowledged that Brian Pothier's concussion problems could be career threatening. He is also concerned about Chris Clark's groin, but didn't think it was as serious at Pothier's situation. Clark said he hasn't set up an offseason rehab plan, but he will likely go see the same specialist Brian Sutherby went to with a similar problem.

Boudreau said Shaone Morrisonn has been playing with a broken jaw, Boyd Gordon has been playing through a torn hamstring, Mike Green had a hip pointer and a foot injury and Alex Ovechkin has been dealing with "something," but neither he nor Ovechkin would divulge what the injury was.

Also not to be lost in the shuffle, Nicklas Backstrom was named a finalist for the Calder Trophy , It will likely be one of the closest votes for an award in recent memory, with as many as six guys likely getting first-place votes.

So, that's a lot of stuff to digest. I'll go back through the tape and see if I missed anything. I am going to be following the Penguins-Rangers series because there are plenty of feature stories to keep me busy. Then there will be some vacation time mixed in, but plenty of Caps news to keep me busy as well I am sure. It has certainly been a wild ride.

- Corey Masisak

The Caps are about to have their season wrapup meeting here at K-Plex. The lights are on here in the media room and upstairs in the Caps' offices, but the rest of the place is dark. It is an eerie setting.

Today should be interesting. There are a lot of unresolved questions and plenty of work for general manager George McPhee to do this summer. There were a lot of what ifs from last night, but it was a crazy, fantastic series and a crazy end to a wild season.

My question is, since this was my first go-round, are they all going to be like this? I know I probably wasn't expecting to cover 94 hockey games coming into this season (6 preseason, 81 regular season and 7 of the postseason variety). It does feel like the Caps crammed about three years worth of news, amazing performances and just other weird stuff into one season.

There is one bit of news already today. The Caps have sent Eric Fehr to Hershey. He will play for the Bears tonight in Game 4, but his stay could be short since they are down 3-0 to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

One thing from last night that we couldn't get in the paper, this quote from Danny Briere:

"Another thing that favored us was the condition of the ice," he said. "It was so bad that it was tough for guys like Semin, Backstrom and Ovechkin to get anything going, the ice was so bad. That was another thing that went our way."

- Corey Masisak

The Caps are going through the morning skate right now, but only Chris Clark, Michael Nylander and the scratches are on the ice. The team had a meeting before the skate, and it was optional.

Mike Green was out on the ice for a few minutes without most of his gear. Green went to the dressing room twice during the third period last night. After the game Bruce Boudreau said, "[Green’s] skates were all screwed up." It did appear from the way Green was moving this morning that there could be some sort of lower body issue going on there, but this is the playoffs. Boudreau denied it when he talked to reporters this morning.

"He is testing out new skates," Boudreau said. "I hope [he's OK]. He's going to play."

Green also said he "wouldn't miss tonight for the world" and he'd have to "lose a limb to not play."

As for the game tonight, Boudreau said he didn't sleep much last night, but that he rarely does this time of year.

"There is plenty of time to sleep in the summer," Boudreau said. "I'm relatively calm about it right now. I'll be pretty excited about it tonight. We've been in so many Game 7s in the last two month, that this Game 7, we just have to do it. That's the way our mentality has been for the last two months."

- Corey Masisak

Everybody all at once now, exhale.

Two great lines from Tim Leone of the Patriot-News while we were waiting for the elevator. Down three games to one and 2-0 in the game, the Caps had them right where they wanted them. He also pointed out that Alex Ovechkin didn't miss on the 4-2 goal this time.

Organizing thoughts for a game story was not easy after watching that game take a hard left turn. Cristobal Huet was shaky early, but pretty great after that. He got some help from the right post on the shot by Braydon Coburn, but his stop on R.J. Umberger during the 2-on-1 in the second period might be the Big One from this series should the Caps win tomorrow night. Washington was clearly on the verge with some heavy pressure, but a goal there by Philly might have crushed the Caps.

The 5-on-3 penalty kill was also huge. Tom Poti, who said he has a headache but expects to play tomorrow night after taking a stick in the back of the head, was on the ice for the entire kill.

Obviously Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Semin are enjoying their time together. Backstrom said after the game he thought it was one pass too many on his goal, but that was a frightening display of talent.

And what more is there to say about No. 8? He was like a shark smelling blood in the water. After that first goal everyone on press row could sense that he could sense there was another one in that stick of his. If someone told me that one-timer for the second goal was clocked at 127 mph, I would believe them. I thought he was going to put it through the net.

Well, time to pack up now and head back to DC, grab a few hours of sleep and do this all over again tomorrow night. Finally, the line of the night, courtesy of one Alex Ovechkin.

"We never find easy way."

Rarely have truer words been spoken.

- Corey Masisak

Defenseman Jaroslav Modry is not expected to play tonight because he still dealing with the death of his father. Lasse Kukkonen will replace him. Also, Riley Cote will take Mike Kunble's spot in the lineup, but John Stevens has shuffled his lines a bit.

Joffrey Lupul moves up to the second line to replace Knuble, Patrick Thoresen moves up to the third to take Lupul's place and Cote slides in on the fourth unit. It seems like a lot of fiddling to get a guy who probably won't play more than four minutes in the game. Dressing a seventh defenseman (Ryan Parent) to help keep Derian Hatcher's and Jason Smith's minutes down in case there is a Game 7 tomorrow night was another option, but Stevens went with Cote.

We'll see if that has any impact. I won't be surprised if Cote picks a fight early to justify his presence, but I doubt it would be with Donald Brashear. That didn't go very well for Cote earlier in the year.

- Corey Masisak

The Caps are back at Wachovia Center going through the morning skate. Counting the Flyers practice before the series started, that is three trips up I-95 to this city in less than two weeks. I'm starting to memorize all of the exits (I think the fine people at the Sheetz at Exit 74 in Maryland know by by name now).

No lineup changes to report. Everyone was on the ice except for Sergei Fedorov and Brent Johnson to start the skate. Jeff Schultz is out there. So is Chris Clark.

One of the notes passed along by the Caps PR staff is teams that score first are 33-11 in these playoffs, with the team in this series a tidy 5-0. Guess that means the Caps should try to get on the board first tonight.

More later.

UPDATED: The Caps were pretty loose and confident after the skate. Maybe it is because they are young and naive, or maybe the momentum has really turned in this series.

"I think we do [have the momentum]. I think we've finally found our game and how we're going to have to play against these guys," Mike Green said. "The first three games they kind of took it to us even though we got one game out of it."

Green also addressed the crowd, which should be in a frenzy by the time the puck drops tonight.

"We have to create our own energy, becuase we're not going to get it from our fans," Green said. "We know how hard they come out in this building and how much they feed off their fans. We need to push back and make sure they don't have all the momentum and we'll be fine."

Line of the morning comes from Bruce Boudreau, who was asked about when he will start getting nervous for tonight's game.

"Ten minutes after the last game," Boudreau said. "I've been walking around. It is an exciting time being a Canadian boy in this situation. So you're nervous, because you dream about this stuff."

- Corey Masisak

The Caps just finished up practice here at K-Plex and will be heading back to Philly one more time shortly. It was an optional skate, and a lot of the usual suspects took the day off. Even guys like Brooks Laich, who tend to linger on the ice, were off pretty quickly.

"[A few of us] went out for supper after the game yesterday and we were just sitting there thinkin if we didn't win today we'd be going home right now," Laich said. "Our season would be over, and it is way too early. I love Saskatchewan, I love my home. But I'm not ready to go back there yet."

A lot was made through the first four games about the lack of impact from Alex Ovechkin. Well, he had five points in those games (although there were a couple of power-play assists in there that didn't require much effort). Then he is held off the scoresheet last night, but in reality it was probably his best game of the series.

"He was on for all three goals. He was part of it for two of them, but didn't get any points," Bruce Boudreau said. "He created the penalty to get the 5-on-3 goal. He played well. Those people who expect him to get two goals every game and it doesn't always happen. He can contribute in other ways."

Chris Clark skated again, but said he feels the same. Jeff Schultz skated, but needs some serious improvement by tomorrow morning if he were going to play. If he were ready, which defenseman comes out the lineup? It would be interesting to see. Last night's ice times for the 'D' were a little surprising. Mike Green and Tom Poti got their usual run, but John Erskine was third with more than 17 minutes and Steve Eminger was fourth, although Eminger, Shaone Morrisonn and Milan Jurcina were within seconds of each other. I am not alone in thinking that Eminger has earned the right to stay in the lineup, much like Eric Fehr has.

- Corey Masisak

It wasn't particularly pretty over the last 30 minutes, but the Caps survived the Flyers today, so that hotel reservation in Philadelphia will be put to use after all. That was a pretty incredible first 20 minutes, but like the Caps have done so many times this season, they let up a bit.

The big news after the game came from Flyers camp. GM Paul Holmgren said Mike Knuble, the hero from Game 4, is out for the rest of the series with a hamstring injury. One of Philadelphia's biggest advantages in this series has been its forward depth, and losing Knuble is a big hit to that.

Matt Bradley winning the race down the middle of the ice and drawing a tripping penalty might be remembered as one of the key "little things" should the Caps complete a remarkable turnaround. The Caps first power play chance in the third period was not good, but it got a little better after Bradley was tripped and they finally cashed in against some tired penalty killers after Alex Ovechkin was hauled down a few minutes later.

"I don't think people realize how fast [Bradley] is in a straight direction," Caps coach Bruce Boudreau said.

Speaking of Ovechkin, he did not register a point, but it might have been his best effort of the series. He hit the net six times in nine tries, a far better percentage than his first four games. Not only have the kids, Alexander Semin and Nicklas Backstrom, awoken in the past two games, but Viktor Kozlov appears to be enjoying life skating with Sergei Fedorov. His pass to Fedorov was a beauty, and he flashed some of the dominant work down low that you'd think you could create every night with his size but often does not.

There was some discontent in Flyers camp about the officiating, but the goaltender interference call on Scottie Upshall was probably the only questionable one in the third period.

"It is tough. We're a physical team and we're going to play hard," Flyers forward Joffrey Lupul said. "There are some calls where we're making mistakes, and some calls where there are guys diving. It's tough for us. We're going to keep playing the same way, though."

- Corey Masisak

It is win or go home time for the Caps today at the Phone Booth. No lineup changes for the Caps, so Steve Eminger stays in place of Jeff Schultz. This isn't the first time they've been in this spot, but they're also not playing the Florida Panthers. The effort put forth in Game 4 was encouraging, but the Caps have to cut out the breakdowns in their own zone, and specifically they have to do a better job of getting the puck out when they have a chance.

Alex Ovechkin also needs to find his shooting touch. He is 13-for-41 from the field in this series, or 31.7 percent. That's not good if he plays for the Wizards, and much worse since he suits up for the Caps.

"I don't know what the message is. I know I am not ready to go home yet," Caps coach Bruce Boudreau said. "That's pretty well it, and just think of it as one game. We just have to win one game. We had to do it all the way down the stretch, so it is not something that is foreign to them."

The Caps had a meeting at noon and an optional skate at 12:30, and while us media types expected the practice to be lightly attended, almost everyone was out there. There is no morning skate tomorrow, and Bruce Boudreau said the guys wanted to get the soreness and fatigue out of their legs today.

The mood was considerably more upbeat that it was 12 or 13 hours ago. All of the players spoke about this team's ability to win with their backs against the wall and how they've been counted out at several points during the past few months.

There was also plenty of talk about the, um, uneven officiating after the first period. Both Matt Bradley and Alexander Semin ended up with stitches from wayward sticks, but there were no penalties called, and guys were pretty understandably upset about the goaltender interference call on Viktor Kozlov late in regulation.

Jeff Schultz practiced, but he deemed his availability to be "pretty unlikely" for tomorrow. He said there are certain positions, like crouching for a faceoff, are tough for him, but he was hopfeul about a potential Game 6.

- Corey Masisak

The NHL has released the times for Game 6 in each of the remaining series, if those contests are necessary. Washington's Game 6 at Philadelphia will be Monday night at 7 p.m. on Versus (Comcast in the Metro area) and TSN.

Bruce Boudreau continued to be coy about who will center Alex Ovechkin and Viktor Kozlov tonight. He said me might use "25 or 30 different line combinations," citing his AHL experience of only dressing 11 forwards and mixing matching. I'll believe 25 or 30 when I see it, but he did mix and match in the third period in each of the past two games.

Boudreau also said he is not going to worry about the Flyers trying to have Kimmo Timonen and Braydon Coburn on the ice with Alex Ovechkin as much as possible. He said it isn't worth trying to keep a forward line away from a defense pair because it so easy for teams to change defensemen on the fly.

- Corey Masisak

The Caps are going through the morning skate right now. Sergei Fedorov and Nicklas Backstrom are exactly where they were yesterday. Eric Fehr and Matt Bradley have switched places, reuniting the Brashear-Gordon-Bradley group that was pretty effective at the end of the regular season. Alex Ovechkin and Alexander Semin are not on the ice, and neither is Jeff Schultz. Here are the lines:

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

UPDATE: Boudreau said he still hasn't made his mind up about his top two centers tonight, and shrugged off the jersey colors because it was an optional skate. He did say he plans on scaling back Backstrom's playing time a little, because he thought 24 minutes in Game 3 was too much. He also said Steve Eminger will play in place of Jeff Schultz.

There was one word written on the dry erase board in the Caps dressing room: RESILIENCY .

"It seems like the press from what I'm reading, everyone has given us up for dead because we're down two games to one," Boudreau said. "And it is an easy write to say, 'Hey, listen they did their run. They made the playoffs.' But that's never been our goal. Our goal is to win and win a lot. From the minute I got here, making the playoffs was not what we talked about.

"The media is wrong if they think we're satisfied, and the media is wrong when they think the series is over.

He was also asked about the team's problems on the forecheck against the Flyers.

"I think the problem is we're trying to stickhandle in over the blue line instead of getting it deep and doing what we do," Boudreau said. "Sometimes the stage being playoffs is scrutinized and we've got so many guys who are in their first playoffs and are thinking, 'I've got to make the good play. I've got to do this. I've got to do that,' rather than getting back to simple hockey and dumping it in and finishing our checks in the corners.

"We've got the biggest team in the NHL, and we've got to play to our strengths quite frankly. And we're not."

- Corey Masisak

More than 350,000 households in Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia tuned in to last night's Game Three of the Capitals-Flyers series, making it one of the highest-rated hockey games ever on Comcast SportsNet.

The game was the highest-rated Capitals game in five seasons on Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic, drawing an average household viewership of 59,800 (2.6 rating.) in the Washington D.C. market and 13,200 households (1.2 rating) in Baltimore.

Of course, to give you an idea of how rabid Flyers fans are in Philly, consider that Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia drew a peak viewership of 247,000 households, more than twice as many viewers as Comcast SportsNet Mid Atlantic, which drew peak viewership of 110,000. In Philadelphia, more than 8 percent of the households with a television were tuned into the game. It was the highest-rated game on Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia in two seasons.

In all three markets, the audience topped out between 9:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m.

-- Tim Lemke

David Elfin was on the case at Flyers practice today (they were going at the same time as the Caps only across the river in Voorhees at their practice facility). Kimmo Timonen will likely play tomorrow after leaving last night's game with an "upper body" injury, although he was clearly favoring his shoulder/arm after Brooks Laich shoved him into the net. Also, Jaroslav Modry's father has passed away, but he is not sure when he will leave the team.

David is writing about Vinny Prospal for tomorrow's paper. The Flyers picked up Prospal from Tampa Bay just before the trade deadline in a somewhat under-the-radar move, but he's been dynamite against the Caps so far. Prospal and his linemates Danny Briere and Scott Hartnell have combined for 14 points are a collective plus-11. Compare that to the Caps' top trio of Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Viktor Kozlov (four points, minus-6) and there is one of, if not the biggest reason the Flyers are in control.

- Corey Masisak

Caps practice is underway here at Wachovia Center. The big news is Sergei Fedorov is wearing a red jersey and Nicklas Backstrom is in grey. Here is how the lines look on paper:

Ovechkin-Fedorov-Kozlov
Laich-Backstrom-Semin
Cooke-Steckel-Bradley
Brashear-Gordon-Fehr
Laing-Fleischmann- (No Clark)

Jeff Schultz is not on the ice. He left the game early yesterday with back spasms, Steve Eminger is skating with John Erskine. Milan Jurcina is with Tom Poti, and Shaone Morrisonn is with Mike Green.

Cristobal Huet and Olie Kolzig are the goaltenders.

UPDATE: The Caps are practicing the power play right now. Brooks Laich has replaced Alexander Semin on the top unit. Sergei Fedorov and Mike Green are on the points with Laich, Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom up front. The second unit has Semin, Viktor Kozlov and Eric Fehr up front.

They are clearing emphasizing putting guys in front of the net. Fedorov is at the top of the zone by himself with Green and Backstrom on the wings and both Ovechkin and Liach near or in front of the net. On the second unit, Green is the guy at the top with Kozlov and Poti on the wings with Fehr and Semin down low.

Chris Clark has also joined the team on the ice late in practice at the other end of the ice in an orange jersey.

UPDATE: Bruce Boudreau was playing coy after practice about his line and power-play alterations. He said he switched the top two centers because he wanted to see what the change would like, but didn't commit to it for tomorrow night's game. I asked Mike Green if Boudreau had made any kind of changes like this during Hershey's run in either of the past two seasons. Green said the Bears power play was clicking pretty well each year so there was never really a reason to mess with it. He also said that wasn't his first ever fight last night, that he scrapped a couple of times when he was with Hershey.

Schultz told me he was still really stiff, and he's not sure about tomorrow. Steve Eminger would take his place in the lineup if he can't go.

- Corey Masisak

Caps coach Bruce Boudreau said after the game that Jeff Schultz left the game with an "upper body" injury. Schultz told me after the game that it was back spasms, and he was struggling to get his equipment in place in his stall while I was talking to him, so I don't think he was lying. He said he'd like to practice tomorrow, but who knows with that type of injury.

The Flyers are calling Kimmo Timonen's injury the "upper body" vareity as well.

"Well, we will know more tomorrow," Philadelphia coach John Stevens said. "Kimmo is our best defenseman. The fact that he is hurt right now and since we are uncertain how bad it is, yes, I'll say I'm concerned."

It didn't appear that Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom benefited much from Timmonen's absence. If this hasn't been made clear, Braydon Coburn is really, really good. I think it is fair to say we are witnessing two of the top three-to-five U-25 defensemen in the league in this series.

Speaking of the other young blue line stud, Mike Green now leads all defensemen in playoff goals so far. Also, he said he fought Scottie Upshall because Upshall elbowed Shaone Morrisonn in the face. The Caps missed him dearly for seven minutes in the third period, but good on him for standing up for someone.

With Schultz out, Sergei Fedorov spent some of the second period and basically all of the third playing defense, something he's done before in his career with success.

"I thought he did really good. I thought he moved the puck well," Bruce Boudreau said. "The pace of the game was such that our 'D' were getting pretty tired, especially when Mike Green broke a skate blade in the second period and missed time and he got seven minutes in the box [in the third]. We needed to give these guys a break, and if we ever need to put Sergei back there, what better time to experiment at it, so that's what we did."

Finally, if anyone thought this game reminded them of one of those games from the Glen Hanlon Era when shots were missing and getting blocked left and right, well it was. Washington put 19 shots on net, but 25 were blocked and 18 missed the net. That's 30.6 percent from the field, which is not good in hockey, basketball or just about any other sport that involves shooting percentage.

- Corey Masisak

Not much to report on the Caps front. Someone asked Bruce Boudreau about trying to get Alex Ovechkin away from the Mike Richards line and the Kimmo Timonen-Bryadon Coburn defense pairing, but he didn't seemed too concerned about it.

As for Flyers news, defenseman Derian Hatcher will dress for the first time this series. He missed a little more than a month with a broken leg. He replaces Lasse Kukkonen. Also, Patrick Thoresen will be back after missing just one game. He left Game 1 after Mike Green's slapshot hit him in the groin, which led to an overnight stay in the hospital. Thoresen replaces Riley Cote in the active lineup. That's all for now.

- Corey Masisak

The Caps just wrapped up the morning skate at Wachovia Center. Because the Flyers skated in Voorhees, N.J., they went an hour earlier than normal. It was a light skate and the mood was pretty loose.

There are new lines to report. Eric Fehr will replace Tomas Fleischmann in the active lineup, but will skate on the fourth line. Brooks Laich moves up to the second line, Matt Bradley moves up to the third and Matt Cooke slides down to the third unit.

Ovechkin-Backstrom-Kozlov (red)
Laich-Fedorov-Semin (grey)
Cooke-Gordon-Bradley (green)
Brashear-Steckel-Fehr (white)
Fleischmann-Laing-Clark (in orange)

The 'D' pairings will remain the same, and Cristobal Huet will be in net. Fehr will also replace Fleischmann on the second power-play unit.

"Bigger and stronger, pretty well that's it," Bruce Boudreau said of the decision to insert Fehr and take out Fleischmann. "They are a pretty physical team. [Fehr] is pretty strong and pretty good along the boards."

The Caps signed Francois Bouchard to three-year entry-level contract today. He has already been playing with Hershey on an ATO deal and has a goal in four games. A second-round pick in the 2006 draft, Bouchard led the QMJHL with 125 points last season in 68 games, but his production slipped to 92 points in the same number of contests this year for Baie-Comeau.

"Sometimes you have a different makeup of the team, sometimes the team isn't as good," Caps general manager George McPhee said Bouchard's statistical decline. "We're not concerned about that. He's shown he can do it."

Mathieu Perreault, another member of that draft class who also excelled in the "Q" will join Bouchard and the Bears today after his Acadie-Bathurst squad was knocked out in the second round. Perreault, a sixth-rounder in '06 who led the league with 114 points this season, signed his entry-level deal late last month. Maxime Lacroix, a fifth-round pick in that same draft from the Quebec Ramparts, is expected to sign an ATO with Hershey as well. Lacroix had 62 points in 67 games for the Ramparts this season.

There was also some interesting reactions in the room to the new rule enacted yesterday, which will be forever known as the Sean Avery Rule. After Avery's antics against the Devils on Sunday, the NHL quickly moved to make any sort of sillyness like this illegal.

Bruce Boudreau said he actually asked players to do something similar a couple of years ago when he was coaching the Bears.

"I thought it would be a great way to [make them] defend and to score goals 5-on-3," Boudreau said, "I wanted to put a guy to do that, but no one had the, the [long pause] to do it. And Avery did it. There was never a rule there. Any loophole anybody finds, they're going to try to do it. I don't think it was morally right, but he did and got away with it."

Avery is quite the unpopular guy around the league (and with his own teammates, according to some) so negative reactions to his actions aren't hard to come by.

"It was within the rules, but it made the game look silly," Chris Clark said. "You can do it. Well, you can't do it now, but it makes a mockery of things."

Added Matt Cooke: "Yeah I saw it. He's got everyone talking about him, which is what he wants. You guys are all pawns in the chess game, and that's all I'll say about that."

Finally, Clark said he felt "the same." When told "the same" doesn't play well in the newspaper he said, "Yeah, I know. You've got to creatively write same."

- Corey Masisak