Capitals Practice Recap for 2/23/07

Brian Pothier and Boyd Gordon were the first to hit the ice at 9:52 AM. With that, here are your lines for today:

Red - Ovechkin, Zubrus, Brashear, plus Jurcina and Morrisonn
Yellow - Semin, Beech, Fehr, plus Pothier and Erskine
Teal - Pettinger, Gordon, Bradley, plus Schultz and Heward
White - Clymer, Sutherby, Zednik, plus Laich, Nycholat and Eminger
Goalies - Johnson and Cassivi

Chris Clark and Brian Muir both did not practice. Although Muir came out at the end and did some light skating. With Clark out it was interesting to see Brashear being called to fill in on the 1st line. We'll see how long that lasts. Remember earlier in the year he was put on the second line in a brief experiment that lasted about a period. Also something worth noting, Eric Fehr left practice just ten minutes in. The word is he is suffering from a slight groin injury.

Coach Glen Hanlon started out practice by preaching to the team the importance of not turning the puck over at their own blue line, and as a result that seemed to be the main focus of the practice.

The first drill involved each line of five practicing exiting their zone with precise passes. Next was a breakout 2 on 0 drill with shots on goal. This was followed by another breakout drill where a player would take the put at the blue line and shoot on goal while another player would stand in front of the goal and try to deflect the pass. After shooting, the original player would skate to the opposite end of the rink, retrieve a puck and fire an outlet pass for a breakaway.

A lot of time was spend during 2 on 2 breakout drills. There would be 1 forward and 1 defenseman on each pairing. Once you went on offense, you would then go on defense. It was a fast paced drill that again focused on bringing the puck up the ice and entering the offense zone without turning the puck over. This was followed by 5 on 2 drills that once again focused on exiting their own zone and generating an attack up ice.

We then moved on to working on the power play. Since Clark is out, a second defenseman has now been inserted into the top line. Pothier now takes the point position in the umbrella formation with Semin and Heward on each board. Zubrus is assigned to the front of the net while Ovechkin is a roamer. The second line has Jurcina paired up with either Clymer or Schultz to go along with Pettinger, Beech, and Zednik.

A fifteen minute session of shootouts finished up practice with the team split up into two squads. The losing team each time was forced to do sit ups, push ups, and jumping jacks. Ovechkin continued to struggle going 0 for 4 on the day.

After practice Zubrus and Ovechkin (pictured) were having a good time trying to recreate his famous goal from last season.

I don't think many people got the notice of the change in time to 10 am because there was maybe about five people there. However, people were trickling in around 11 with some still arriving as I was leaving at 11:30.

Inside Capitals Defenseman Brian Pothier

A nice article that talks about Pothier's move to Washington and his adjustment to life in Alexandria. Article courtesy of www.connectionnewspapers.com.
(Photo Courtesy of www.washingtoncaps.com)

From Defenseman To Daddy
Brian Pothier juggles family life with Capital career.
By Greg Wyshynski
February 21, 2007

Brian Pothier had picked the right time to have a career year. A defenseman for the NHL’s Ottawa Senators in 2006, his 35 points were more than his previous three seasons combined. His quick puck movement and smooth skating made him a prototypical player for the league’s new offense-friendly rules that were established during its season-canceling lockout.
All of this pointed to a windfall for Pothier as he entered free agency in the off-season.
But the lockout produced a new Collective Bargaining Agreement that had established a salary cap, and Pothier witnessed the league’s altered financial landscape firsthand — as much as the Senators wished to keep him, they couldn’t fit Pothier’s salary demands within their already inflated payroll.
“Things just didn’t work out in the negotiations with Ottawa. I loved it there, my family loved it there. We wanted to go back, but they just didn’t have room,” he said. “We decided we wanted to go to a place where we’d be a big part of it — step in, play some more minutes, contribute a little more.”
That place was Washington and that team was the Capitals, who had given up 306 goals the previous season — second-worst in the league. Looking to upgrade their defense, the Caps quickly signed Pothier last July to a four-year, multi-million dollar contract. “Brian is a mobile, puck-moving defenseman who has performed well in the new NHL,” said General Manager George McPhee at the time.
Pothier, 29, and his wife Gwen came to D.C. around July 15 and spent five days searching for a new home. Scouting Vienna, Bethesda and Arlington, they felt something different when they visited Alexandria.
“Just driving through the Old Town area, we really gravitated toward it,” he said. “Every time we said we were thinking about Alexandria, people would be like, ‘Yeah, it’s really neat.’”
The Pothiers and their sons Jake, 3, and Luke, 1, purchased a house in the Rosemont section of Alexandria, near Del Ray. “The kids just love it. There are trains going this way, planes flying at you, bulldozers everywhere,” he said. “The biggest thing for us is safety, first and foremost. We wanted great schools. And location is important — I don’t want to be driving an hour [to work] every day.”

THE CAPITALS RELOCATED their practice facilities this season from Odenton, Md. to Northern Virginia. After a few months practicing in Ashburn (“That was pretty intense,” said Pothier), the team moved into its new facility atop the Ballston Mall in Arlington. Pothier can get to the Kettler IcePlex in about 15 minutes from his home; on gamedays, Pothier said his trip to the Verizon Center is just 20 minutes.
When the Capitals have a home game, Pothier will wake up with his boys at 7:30 a.m., have breakfast, and be out the door at about 8:30 to fight traffic for practice at 10:30. He’ll have lunch at the rink with his teammates and arrive back at home at 12:15 p.m. for some time with his sons and wife.
“I have an allotted two-hour nap time, but that doesn’t always happen that way,” he said. “Whatever my body needs, it’ll take it.”
Pothier will wake up around 4 p.m., grab a cup of coffee, hang out a little more with the family, and then head out to the arena for that night’s game.
It’s a routine, but not a rigid one.
“There’s a lot of guys who do the superstition thing,” he said. “I try to stay as far away from that as I can.”
So his superstition is not having a superstition?
“I say that all the time.”

DURING HIS SENIOR year at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, NY, Pothier returned home to New Bedford, Mass., for Christmas break.
That's when he met a girl named Gwen. About seven months later, they were engaged.
Less of a sure thing for Pothier after RPI — where he played hockey and majored in financial management — was his career in the NHL. He signed with the Atlanta Thrashers as an undrafted free agent in 2000, and quickly discovered he needed some additional experience. “In my first training camp, I was blown away. These guys were just too good.”
He was sent down to Orlando of the International Hockey League, where he tallied 41 points in 76 games was earned the league’s rookie of the year honors.
After bouncing back and forth between the minors and the Thrashers, Pothier was traded to Ottawa in June 2002. It was like hitting the reset button: Pothier went from being a Top 4 defenseman in Atlanta to about 10th on the Senators’ depth chart. But he fought his way through the ranks, earned a shot with Ottawa and excelled for parts of three seasons before leaving as a free agent. The NHL’s new rules that emphasized speed and agility favored Pothier. “Personally, I love it,” he said. “But I’ve seen a lot of guys who don’t love it as much. If you’re a bigger guy who relies on grabbing and getting guys in a corner and shaking them down, it’s a big change for them.”
This season, Pothier has 19 points, including 10 on the power play, in 48 games. He recently battled through a concussion, missing several games for the Capitals.
In Ottawa, Pothier played with several star players; none compared with the wattage of his Capitals teammate Alex Ovechkin. “Ovie’s energy is different. Those guys are more laid back, stars in their own right. Ovie’s 21, and full of life,” said Pothier. “Not only in all the pictures do you see him, but he’s the face of our team. We want to play like he does — full of energy.”

POTHIER SAID choosing Alexandria as a home was the right decision. He’s enjoyed breakfasts at Mancini’s on Mount Vernon Ave. He’s gotten together with teammates who also live in town — including team captain Chris Clark — at places like Bugsy’s and Landini Brothers in Old Town. “There’s such a small-town feel. Such great hospitality,” he said.
Unless they make a late push for the postseason, the Capitals will end their 2006-07 campaign on April 7. “Almost everybody goes home. Especially the Canadian guys. They always seem to have a cabin somewhere up there,” he said.
He his family won’t be leaving town this summer. Because for Brian Pothier, Alexandria is now home.

Caps/Lightning Preview

Washington Capitals (23-26-8, 54 points)
at
Tampa Bay Lightning (32-24-2, 66 points)

Television: Comcast Sports Net
Radio: Sportstalk 980-AM
Gametime: 7:30 PM ET


The Capitals lineup will have a different feel as they start a three game road trip in Tampa Thursday night. After longtime franchise goaltender Olie Kolzig was injured in Monday's practice, Brent Johnson will try to fill the slack until he can return.

And when will Kolzig return? There seems to be some debate over that issue. It has been reported that he has a partial tear in the MCL in his left knee, and if true the original report of him missing only three weeks might be wishful thinking at best. If the team becomes mathematically eliminated at some point from the playoff race, it might be in their best interest to shut him down for the season and not risk rushing him back. This could also be a big opportunity for Johnson to reestablish his game.

Brian Pothier and John Erskine accompanied the team on their trip and it appears that Pothier will dress for Thursday's game. He has been taken off of the injured reserve and listed in the lineup by the NHL. Erskine also seems ready to return anytime and if he doesn't appear in Tampa he could very well return for Sunday's game in Pittsburgh. Their returns will result in some roster moves as one or two players will be sent back to Hershey. Those roster moves have been heavily debated by fans over the last few days and the assumption is that anyone of the following: Schultz, Green, Nycholat, or Beech could be the ones to go.

This game could represent the Caps last chance to make a run at the playoffs. Since they last played in their 5-2 loss against the Rangers Saturday night, they have seen Florida move in front of them again putting Washington in last place in the Southeast Division and 14 in the Eastern Conference. They now stand 10 points behind the Montreal Canadians for the 8th and final playoff spot.

Tuesday Roundup: Who's Ready for a Full-Time Opportunity?

Practice was canceled today with only Erskine, Muir, Pothier, and Beech taking the ice to work with head athletic trainer Greg Smith. Pothier was on the ice for an extended period time performing many different skating and shooting drills. He looks as though he could return at any time, hopefully even as soon as this Thursday in Tampa.
(Photo Courtesy of Christopher Millete/Patriot-News)

With the Capitals playoff run on it's last breath, it's time to take a look at who is ready within the system for a chance to play with the big club.

1. Tomas Fleichmann (16 g+ 25 a= 45 p in 40 games, +8) - Nicknamed "Flash" for his game changing speed, he has nothing let to prove at the AHL level after averaging over a point per game each of the last two seasons. The problem is he's a left winger, which the Capitals currently have plenty of in Ovechkin, Semin, Pettinger, and Brashear. He needs to focus on adjusting his game to the right side if he wants any chance to secure a spot in Washington. It also hasn't help that he has yet to show much at the NHL level in his brief opportunities this season. That being said, he deserves a shot to see what he can do given the chance to play 10-15 minutes a night with the Caps.
2. Dave Steckel (21 g+ 19 a= 40 p in 47 games, +18) - After excelling last season on the defensive aspects of the game, Steckel has added an offensive punch this season. That all around game has elevated him to the number one center on a very good Hershey team. His 6'5" 220 pound frame means he has the size that teams covet. He could immediately step in and provide some strong competition for the fourth line center position with the struggling Brian Sutherby.
   
3. Alexandre Giroux (32 g+ 19 a= 51 p in 46 games, +26) - A versatile forward who can play any of the three positions on the line, Giroux has proven to be a goal scoring force at the AHL level. He has at least 32 goals in each of his last three seasons with the Bears and the Hartford Wolf Pack. It's hard to believe that despite his success he has only played in three career NHL games to date (1 with the Rangers last year, and 2 with the Caps this season). He needs to be given the opportunity, like Fleichmann, to play 10-15 minutes a night to see if that ability can transfer over against tougher competition.
   

Capitals Run Through Recap

With today being a run through instead of a normal practice there are no lines to report as the players just wore black jerseys on offense and white jerseys on defense.

Continuing on their way back from injuries John Erskine and Brian Pothier were back on the ice today. They were again doing conditioning drills with trainer Greg Smith before practice and both players along with Brian Muir participated fully in the run through. The only player missing from practice this morning was goaltender Olie Kolzig.

Ben Clymer was getting a lot of extra work in this morning with usual scratches Kris Beech and Lawrence Nycholat so despite his recent play, my guess is that he is a healthy scratch tonight allowing Matt Bradley a spot in the lineup.

The run through this morning consisted of what you would expect on a game day, a lot of free flowing skating, full length drills at what looked to be about 75% speed. The team split sides into offense and defense where the forwards practiced on quick passing and shooting drills, as the defenseman worked on their puck control skills while backpedaling.

In faceoff drills Gordon dominated as expected having no trouble against Laich, Clark, and Sutherby. Speaking of Gordon while perusing the media notes this morning I ran into some interesting stats concerning him. When he scores this season the Caps are 3-0-0. When he registers a point the Caps are 11-3-1. And he has played at least 21 minutes in each of the last three games. Therefore my key to victory tonight is for Gordon to crack the scoreboard in any way possible.

With all the talk about Alex Ovechkin being in a slump eveyone seems to have forgotten about Alexander Semin. Currently he has gone 6 consecutive games without a goal and 4 consecutive games without an assist including a -3 defensive ratings in his last 5 games. The only good news about this is that despite Semin and Ovechkin cooling off as of late, the team has still posted a 2-0-1 mark on the current home stand.

Tonight's game can be looked at as the most important game of the season to date. It's the last game of the home stand, and it's another 4 point swing game where a win would put us just a point out of 11th in the conference, while a loss puts us five points out of 11th and could put us back into a tie for 12th with Boston depending on the outcome of their game with the Islanders.

It should be a packed house tonight as a sell is expected, and with Ranger fans in the house, get ready for a rowdy hockey night in Washington.

Capitals Practice Recap

As I arrived to the Kettler Capitals Iceplex around 10:40 am, about 20 minutes before practice was scheduled to begin, Brian Pothier, Brian Muir, and John Erskine were on the ice participating in conditioning drills. They looked as though they were moving around fairly well. Muir and Erskine would stay out for half of the team practice, while Pothier returned to the locker room before practice began.

(Photo by Allen Popels/www.CapitalFanatic.com)

The lines for today remained as usual:

Red - Ovechkin, Zubrus, Clark, plus Beech
Teal - Pettinger, Gordon, Zednik
Black - Semin, Laich, Fehr, plus Bradley
Yellow - Brashear, Sutherby, Clymer, plus Muir and Erskine
White - Green, Jurcina, Nycholat, Schultz, Eminger, and Heward
Goaltenders - Kolzig, Johnson

Shaone Morrisonn was the only regular not at practice today. No word as to why.

Frederic Cassivi was also missing from practice, meaning he was probably sent down to Hershey for their home game tonight against the Portland Pirates. He could always be recalled again before Thursday's game with the Kings.

Practice started today with a simple dump and chase defensive drill where the object was to collect the loose puck and clear the zone. This was followed by an off the boards outlet drill that led to breakaway opportunities on goal. There were a couple variations to this drill that included cross ice outlet passes. The emphasis of the beginning of the practice seemed to be speed, as players were skating at full tempo.

Three on ones followed and the ice was divided in half to limit the breakout to only half the ice. During this drill Matt Bradley had a nice goal beating Brent Johnson with a glove side shot that rang off the post and in.

A three on two drill was next that involved a quick counter attack by the forward line following a turnover at center ice. The drill really was a five on two situation as a defensive pair backed up the forward line.

The last team drill of the practice involved a two on one drill that started from the offensive corner. Quick moves and passes were the key here to beat the one defenseman and get a shot away. The drill seemed to end on a little 22 on 0 as the entire team bunched around the net. The guys looked as though they were having a good time there.

As some players started to leave the ice, Johnson and Kolzig got in some work. On one side of the ice there was a rapid fire drill where each player shot five pucks consecutively on Johnson. And on the other side, Kolzig was involved in a drill where there was a shot from the slot while about four other players crowded around the net. The play would continue until either they scored or Kolzig secured the puck.

Brent Johnson seemed to be getting through practice okay until these extra drills. He really looked like he was hurting and would spent lots of time keeled over and shaking his head. We all know the Caps unwillingness to disclose injuries as they described Johnson's current injury as a "body" injury. From the way he was laboring though, my guess would be that it's a groin problem.

That's all from today. Tarik El-Bashir of the Washington Post was on hand as was Capitals General Manager George McPhee.

Capitals Sunday Practice Update

First a quick look at the lines for today's practice:

1. Red line - Ovechkin, Zubrus, Clark, plus Zednik who should play Tuesday in Ottawa
   
2. Teal line - Semin, Laich, Fehr
3. Yellow line - Pettinger, Gordon, Sutherby
4. Black line - Brashear, Beech, Clymer

Mike Green was the first to hit the ice 15 minutes before practice was scheduled to begin. He showed no signs of his recent ankle injury and seemed to be skating at 100%.

Once again Brian Pothier and Matt Bradley were not at practice today joining injured list members John Erskine and Brian Muir on the sideline.

The practice had a very technical feel to it and the team was treating it that way as, despite the big win last night, there was not a lot of hooting and hollering today. They started off with a forechecking drill where the center was responsible for pressuring the puck in the offensive zone while the two wings covered the side boards preventing the breakout pass. Next was an outlet drill that had a couple of variations to it, all of which ended up in a breakaway scoring chance. This was followed by a drill that focused on their quick breakouts as 2 defensemen were located on each side of the forward line. They would change directions a couple times before entering the offensive zone.

The next part of practice was the most heavily practiced drill of the day as they worked on their play in the corners. The exercise would last as long as the offense controlled the puck. There were three variations of this drill that included dividing the offensive zone into a smaller area. They were highly contested drills as there was a lot of hard hitting led by none other than Ovechkin. Jeff Schultz also knocked Brooks Laich to the ice, drawing a roar from the players. While this was going on, Kolzig and Johnson took turns working with goaltending coach Dave Prior on the other side of the ice.

The practice finished up with a 3 on 1 breakaway drill that also included a trailing defenseman. Ben Clymer had the prettiest goal in this exercise beating Johnson glove side that drew an applause from the nice crowd on hand. I would estimate that there was about 200 people there on this Sunday morning as the bleachers were mostly full.

After practice Jamie Heward brought his son out for a little mites on ice entertainment. I lost track counting the number of times he fell which was amusing.

The NHL returns today to NBC with a regional game at 3:30 PM ET. If you are a fan of hockey you should support the sport as we need all the ratings we can get. The local game in DC should be Philadelphia at Atlanta.

Down on the Farm:

Before a sellout crowd of 10,734 people at the Giant Center last night, the Hershey Bears took a 2 goal lead into the third period before falling to the Norfolk Admirals 4-3. Newly demoted Jakub Klepis scored his first AHL goal of the season and Chris Bourque added his 12th and 13th in the losing effort. It was the Bears second straight loss heading into the All-Star break as they are now 4 points behind the division leading Admirals.

Matt Stefanishion tied the game at 3 late in the third period and Donny Grover got the game winner in overtime as South Carolina rallied for a 4-3 win at the Texas Wildcatters. It was the third consecutive game in as many nights between the two teams. Davis Parley stopped 42 of 45 shots for the win in his fourth consecutive night of work including his game with Hershey on Wednesday. The Stingrays will take a much needed break and return to action on Friday night in Duluth, Georgia against the Gwinnett Gladiators.

Capitals/Hurricanes Preview

Washington Capitals (20-21-7, 47 points)
at
Carolina Hurricanes (25-19-6, 56 points)

Television: NC8
Radio: WTNT 570-AM
Gametime: 7:00 PM

The second half of the season officially begins Friday in Raleigh, North Carolina as the Capitals begin a home-and-home series against the defending Stanley Cup champions. It was only eight days ago that Washington entered an away game against Carolina riding a six game road losing streak and a three game losing streak overall. Despite all that, the team was able to put together a solid sixty minute effort for an impressive 5-2 win.

They will need an even better performance in order to overcome a Hurricanes team that will be fully prepared to avenge what their coach Peter Laviolette described as a bitterly disappointing effort. Carolina went into the break with a two game losing streak after they followed up that game with an overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning last Saturday.

Alex Ovechkin will return to the team after missing Thursday's practice while traveling back from the NHL All-Star game in Dallas. A game in which he had the most ice time of any forward and was able to tally his first career all-star goal. It remains to be seen if Ovechkin will continue to wear his stylish but controversial blue mirrored visor in the regular season. While not against NHL rules, a similar mirrored visor he wore last year was voted down by general managers by a vote of 29-1 after New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur complained that he could not see his eyes. He enters Friday night's game riding a nine game point scoring streak, accumulating 4 goals and 11 assists over that span.

Carolina defenseman Niclas Wallin is questionable for the game with a lower-body injury which he suffered against Washington in last week's game.
For the Capitals, what last week was described as the flu, has now been changed to an upper body injury for Brian Pothier. He will miss Friday's game as defenseman Jeff Schultz was recalled Thursday to take his place in the lineup. He played well when he was thrust into the lineup before the break because of injuries. As reported in the Washington Post, Matt Bradley will also be missing from the lineup for personal reasons. This could explain why Jakub Klepis was recalled earlier in the week. Richard Zednik should return to the lineup any day now after recovering from a severe groin injury.

It will be the fifth out of eight games on the season between these division rivals.

Will the Real Caps Team Please Stand Up?

Tale of Two Games as Capitals Start Out Strong Then Disappear As Panthers Dominate Once Again
Florida Panthers 4, Washington Capitals 1
Boxscore

In front of a crowd of 13,877 at the Verizon Center, the Caps came out guns a blazing, just as they had two nights ago in Raleigh, North Carolina. They took advantage of a penalty-plagued opening (14 minutes of penalties combined in the first 8 minutes of the game) and converted on a two man advantage when Danius Zubrus took a cross ice pass from Alex Ovechkin, and slipped the puck between goaltender Ed Belfour's pads for an early 1-0 lead. It was Zubrus' 17th goal of the season and the 3rd time he has scored while the Caps enjoyed a two man advantage. Alex Ovechkin's assist extended his career high point scoring streak to 9 games.

But that would be the end of the highlights for the Capitals. Beginning in the second period the game quickly resembled last Saturday's debacle in Florida as the Panthers dominated every aspect of the game. They tied the score at the 2:42 mark on a beautiful backhand cross from Anthony Stewart which Marin Gelenas had no problem depositing into the back of the net for his 5th goal of the season. The Panthers would not let up, and despite a Nathan Horton tripping penalty, they would continue to control the action converting on their second quality scoring chance of the penalty kill when Jozef Stumpel snapped a wrist shot past the glove of Kolzig. The score would give the Panthers the lead for good. The Capitals did not record their first shot on goal in the second period until jthe 14:00 minute mark.

The third period was more of the same as the Capitals were outshot 10-1 early on. The game was put out of reach for good when Steve Eminger turned the puck over in his own end, which quickly turned into a 2 on 1 which the Panthers converted on as Ville Peltonen beat Kolzig for his 8th goal of the season and a 3-1 lead. Martin Gelenas would add his second goal of the game on an empty net goal in the last minute of the game making the final 4-1.

A week after giving up 54 shots to the Panthers, the Capitals were once again manhandled by the Southeastern Division dwellers giving up 42 shots on goal while only recording 18 shots themselves. The one positive stat to take away from this game was the Caps holding the Panthers to 0 for 10 on the power-play.

Game Notes: Brian Pothier was scratched from the lineup with what the team said was an "illness". Make your own judgments on the validity of that statement based on the team's history of not reporting injuries to the press....Jamie Hunt was recalled from Hershey but did not dress as Mike Green was able to return to the lineup....Shaone Morrisonn limped to the dressing room towards the end of the first period after blocking a shot off his foot, something that is becoming an epidemic for the Capitals' defenseman, but he was able to return in the second period and finished the game....Boyd Gordon was dominant in the face-off circle winning 15 of 22 for a 68% win percentage.

Caps/Panthers Preview

Florida Panthers (17-22-10, 44 points)
at
Washington Capitals (20-20-7, 47 points)

TV: Comcast Sportsnet
Radio: Sportstalk 980-AM
Gametime: 1:00 PM

Revenge is on their mind as the Capitals look to finish up the first half of the season on a bright note before heading into the All-Star break. It was only one week ago that the Florida Panthers demolished the Caps in the sunshine state 7-3, and the game was not as close as the score. But a win Thursday night against the stanley cup champion Carolina Hurricanes has the Caps believing in themselves again. They came out with a passion that had not been seen as of late, received some lucky bounces for a change, and finished out the game in the third period, a solid all-around team effort.

It is yet to be known what the lineup will look like for the Caps on Saturday. Alexander Semin, Donald Brashear, and Brian Pothier all missed practice on Friday. Semin seems to be the only one whose presence seems likely in the game, Brashear and Pothier will be game time decision as reported by the Washington Post. That's good news for the team as Alexander Semin has been the best player on the ice for the Caps this month with 10 goals in his last 7 games. Pothier's absence would put the Capitals in position to have to make another emergency defensive call-up. He left Thursday night's game at the mid-way mark and did not return. As per the Capitals normal policy when it comes to injuries, the team is not saying anything about his condition. With Mike Green recently injured, and John Erskine and Bryan Muir already on the injured reserve list the Capitals cannot afford to loose another defenseman.

The Panthers enter Saturday's game with a 1-2-1 record over there last 4 games. They are currently in last place in the Southeast Division and 14th in the Eastern Conference. Once again, if the Capitals want to have any chance of making the playoffs they have to find a way to win this game at all cost.

After the Capitals practice on Friday the team reassigned center Jakub Klepis to Hershey of the AHL. This move was a long time coming. He had been the odd man out in the lineup lately, repeatedly being named as a healthy scratch. He received one last chance in Ottawa on Tuesday, but did nothing to stand out and was again a healthy scratch in Carolina. In 35 games he recorded 2 goals and 6 assists for 8 points. Hopefully this reassignment will help Klepis get his game back on track and return to Washington with his confidence renewed later in the season.

Capitals Practice Recap

The team seemed to be in good spirits today, as expected following a key victory the night before in Raleigh. Here are some of the highlights from the practice today at the Kettler Capitals Iceplex:

• Alexander Semin, Donald Brashear, and Brian Pothier all missed practice today. When asked Capitals coach Dean Evason was unsure why and said it could be for a number of reasons. I asked Danius Zubrus as well if he knew of any reason and he shrugged his shoulders. So hopefully this means it is no big deal.
• Richard Zednik took Semin's spot on the second line and looked as though he was practicing at full speed. When asked if there was any chance he would play in tomorrow's game Zednik said, "No". But look for him to be back in the lineup after the All-Star break.
  
• During 2 on 1 drills Boyd Gordon provided the highlight of the day scoring on an excellent backhand move around goaltender Brent Johnson. The play drew applause from Alex Ovechkin who pounded his stick against the boards in approval.
• A good portion of the practice focused on their defensive structure as coach Glen Hanlon's main focus that he was stressing to his players was to keep the opposition to the outside as they exit their own zone.
• The team had a shootout competition where Jeff Schultz put on a show going 3 for 3 before being stopped on his last attempt which was the championship round with Jakub Klepis. Klepis scored on his attempt past Johnson for the win. Ovechkin missed on both of his attempts.
• Mike Green came out at the end of practice and was skating around gingerly without pads. You could tell that he was trying to put pressure on his left leg, but looked very uncomfortable in doing so. He was skating for about 5 minutes before noticeably limping back to the locker room.