What Ever Happened to Brad Church?

Friday, March 23rd 2007

Remember him? The Capitals former 1st round pick back in 1995. Here's a look at what he's up to today. Article courtesy of phxroadrunners.com. (Photo Courtesy of ECHL.com)

The Phoenix RoadRunners of the ECHL, an affiliate of the Phoenix Coyotes and the San Antonio Rampage, have announced that Head Coach and Assistant General Manager Ron Filion has resigned effective immediately. Assistant Coach Brad Church has been named the RoadRunners’ head coach for the remainder of the regular season and the ECHL Kelly Cup Playoffs.

“We are a better hockey team than our record has shown over the past two months, but based on recent performances, I felt it was in the best interest of both the RoadRunners’ organization and its fans to step down as head coach at this time with the hope that the players can once again start playing to their potential,” said Filion. “I wish the team continued success over their final eight games, and hopefully look forward to watching them compete in the upcoming playoffs."

Filion was named the first head coach of the ECHL’s incarnation of the RoadRunners on Feb. 28, 2005. He leaves the club with a record of 45-81-10.

“We thank Ron for his tireless efforts and the professionalism he has shown over the past two years,” said Rick Welts, Phoenix Suns President and Chief Operating Officer. “Without his hard work from the beginning, the return of the RoadRunners to the sports landscape in Phoenix could not have been achieved.”

Church, 30, was named the RoadRunners’ Assistant Coach on Jul. 24, 2006. Prior to coming to Phoenix, the Dauphin, Manitoba native closed out an illustrious 10-year professional playing career in 2005-06 by capturing his first professional championship as a member of the Kalamazoo Wings of the United Hockey League. Selected by the Washington Capitals with the 17th overall pick at the 1995 NHL Entry Draft, Church spent a bulk of his playing career in the American Hockey League with the Portland Pirates, the Capitals former primary affiliate. Church made his NHL debut with Washington on Dec. 16, 1997 against the New York Islanders, and appeared in two games with the Capitals that season.

“I am looking forward to this opportunity,” said Church. “We are in a great position to clinch the organization’s first playoff berth, and I will expect nothing less than hard work and dedication from our players in order to achieve that goal.”

His career numbers courtesy of hockeydb.com.

Brad Church

Left Wing Born Nov 14 1976 -- Dauphin, MAN Height 6.01 -- Weight 210 -- Shoots L

Selected by Washington Capitals round 1 #17 overall 1995 NHL Entry Draft

			Regular Season					Playoffs
Season	Team	Lge	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1992-93	Dauphin Kings	MJHL	Statistics Unavailable
1993-94	Prince Albert Raiders	WHL	71	33	20	53	197	--	--	--	--	--
1994-95	Prince Albert Raiders	WHL	62	26	24	50	184	15	6	9	15	32
1995-96	Prince Albert Raiders	WHL	69	42	46	88	123	18	15	20	35	74
1996-97	Portland Pirates	AHL	50	4	8	12	92	1	0	0	0	0
1997-98	Portland Pirates	AHL	59	6	5	11	98	9	2	4	6	14
1997-98	Washington Capitals	NHL	2	0	0	0	0	--	--	--	--	--
1998-99	Hampton-Roads Admirals	ECHL	24	10	9	19	129	--	--	--	--	--
1998-99	New Orleans Brass	ECHL	5	3	4	7	4	11	1	1	2	22
1998-99	Portland Pirates	AHL	10	1	3	4	18	--	--	--	--	--
1998-99	Hamilton Bulldogs	AHL	9	0	2	2	4	--	--	--	--	--
1999-00	Hampton-Roads Admirals	ECHL	11	4	3	7	31	--	--	--	--	--
1999-00	Portland Pirates	AHL	56	9	17	26	52	4	1	1	2	4
2000-01	Portland Pirates	AHL	61	14	18	32	90	3	1	1	2	18
2001-02	Richmond Renegades	ECHL	8	6	5	11	13	--	--	--	--	--
2001-02	Portland Pirates	AHL	45	6	13	19	52	--	--	--	--	--
2001-02	Lowell Lock Monsters	AHL	9	2	2	4	2	4	0	0	0	4
2002-03	Richmond Renegades	ECHL	64	29	45	74	121	--	--	--	--	--
2002-03	Cleveland Barons	AHL	8	1	0	1	4	--	--	--	--	--
2003-04	Reading Royals	ECHL	56	22	19	41	91	15	4	5	9	20
2003-04	Manchester Monarchs	AHL	11	5	6	11	0	--	--	--	--	--
2004-05	Florida Everblades	ECHL	62	23	31	54	62	19	5	7	12	40
2005-06	Missouri River Otters	UHL	15	4	3	7	11	--	--	--	--	--
2005-06	Kalamazoo Wings	UHL	33	9	18	27	51	7	1	0	1	4
	NHL Totals		2	0	0	0	0

Brashear vs Peters Mar 21, 2007

After yesterday's disappointing finish I thought the best way to brighten up everyone's day was to reminisce Brashear's beat down of Jason Peters from Wednesday night. Enjoy.

Andrew Gordon Named an All-Star

Thanks to the Chronicle Herald for this interesting tidbit on the Capitals 7th round pick of the 2004 draft.

Gordon named to U.S. college all-star team
Wednesday, March 21st 2007

St. Cloud State University junior Andrew Gordon, a resident of Porters Lake, has been named to the 2007 All-Western Collegiate Hockey Association’s first team. A draft pick of the Washington Capitals, Gordon has posted 22 goals and 23 assists this season for a total of 45 points.

He also has 12 power play goals (second best in team history) this season, and he is plus 15 on the plus/minus this year.

Gordon recently notched his 100th career point on March 16, with an assist against North Dakota during the Huskies’ 6-2 loss to UND. He now has 51 goals and 51 assists for a total of 102 career points. Gordon is the 20th player in team history to reach the 100-point plateau at SCSU.

A Nice Tim Leone Article Worth Taking a Look At

For those of you who don't regularly follow Tim Leone's coverage of the Hershey Bears over at Pennlive.com this is a nice look at two of the Capitals newest prospects Steve Pinizzotto and Sean Collins, who were both signed last week after finishing up their collegiate seasons.

2 College Stars Take First Pro Steps
Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Their college careers finished, newly signed Steve Pinizzotto and Sean Collins began their education in professional hockey yesterday at Hersheypark Arena.

The duo got a quick bonus seminar in logistics. They needed directions back to the appropriate locker room from Hershey Bears head coach Bruce Boudreau after practice concluded.

"Not there, that's the bathroom," professor Boudreau told Pinizzotto. "One more over."
Pinizzotto, a forward from Rochester Institute of Technology, and Collins, a defenseman from Ohio State, hope their first tentative pro steps are the start of a journey to the NHL.
Both were undrafted free agents who signed two-year entry-level contracts with the Washington Capitals (and amateur tryout deals with Hershey) last week.

"It's pretty intense," Pinizzotto said. "I didn't expect it to be like that. Being off the ice for a month, it shows what you have to do to be game-ready."

The 6-1, 195-pound Pinizzotto, a native of Mississauga, Ontario, opted to go pro after completing his sophomore season at RIT. The 22-year-old led the Tigers in scoring this season with 44 points (13 goals, 31 assists) and displayed an edge with a team-high 76 penalty minutes in 34 games.

"I felt I needed a change and I knew that if I would come up with better players and adapt to their pace of the game, it also makes you a better player, too," Pinizzotto said.
"I would just like to play my hardest every game and try to help the team win another Calder Cup."

College and junior-eligible players rarely have much of an immediate impact when they hit the AHL.

"When the college kids come and the junior kids come, their idea is to let's see what pro hockey's all about," Boudreau said. "Sometimes you get really lucky with a [Mike] Richards [Philadelphia] or a [Jeff] Carter [Philadelphia] or Andrew Alberts [Providence], but most of the time it's giving them a little view of what pro life is going to be like so when their next year comes they know what's coming and there's no surprise.

"Sometimes juniors that come in think that this is going to be easy, but the American League is a very good league and the eyes are opened very quickly."

Collins, 23, was Ohio State's captain this season and a second-team All-CCHA pick. The 6-1, 215-pounder led the Buckeyes in scoring with 28 points (nine goals, 19 assists) in 28 games.
"It was exciting," Collins said of his first practice. "There's a lot of anticipation. I was real anxious.

"It's definitely quicker. The passes are harder. It's tough for me because I'm out of game shape right now. I've been off for about two weeks. I really look forward to getting into the swing of things and getting in shape. It's the most exciting time of the year, and I'm stepping right into an exciting time. It's awesome."

Collins, a Troy, Mich., native, was teammates with Bears centerman Dave Steckel at Ohio State in 2003-04. It was Steckel's senior year and Collins' freshman year.

"It's real nice to come in and know someone that's been here for a little bit," Collins said. "He's a great guy, so he's helping out a little bit."

Pinizzotto is the first RIT player since the school moved from Division III to Division I in 2005-06 to leave early and go pro. The 22-year-old missed the first nine games of his freshman season in 2005-06 due to a torn ACL, but he made it back two months after suffering the knee injury to produce 18 points in 24 games and enjoyed a breakout season in 2006-07.

"I got a lot of my points on the power play [eight goals]," Pinozzotto said. "I had a lot of good players to play with, so that helped me out a lot."

Boudreau said he doesn't have much of a read on Pinizzotto and Collins as players after one practice.

"I didn't want to start teaching today," Boudreau said. "They can both skate and shoot. But junior B players can do that, so we'll see. The big thing is to see how they can adapt to systems and the speed of the game.

"At some point, they're going to play. It's just a question of when. I'd like to get them in sooner rather than later. You don't want to have to put them in for the first game when we're battling for first place."

MUSICAL CITIES:

The Springfield Falcons, poised for a fourth straight season out of the playoffs, visit Giant Center tonight amid a big off-ice week for the franchise.

Formal announcement came Monday that the Edmonton Oilers will replace the Tampa Bay Lightning as the club's NHL affiliate next season. With the Chicago Blackhawks switching their AHL affiliation to the expansion Rockford, Ill., franchise next season, Tampa Bay is expected to affiliate with Norfolk.

Boudreau is friends with Springfield general manager Bruce Landon. He said he talked to Landon Monday and lauded the Edmonton prospects he's seen play for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season.

"He's pretty excited about the whole thing," Boudreau said. "He's a good guy, and I hope it works out."

For the Bears, tonight's game will be a glimpse at some players they'll be seeing more of next season in the East Division, assuming the alignment remains the same and Tampa Bay actually affiliates with Norfolk.

"I know those players pretty good," Boudreau said. "I follow Springfield because Bruce Landon is such a good friend of mine.

"Anytime a team changes an affiliation, you see the NHL team make an extra effort to put a good product in. I believe that they're going to be a good team next year [in Norfolk]."

Norfolk became the first AHL team to clinch a playoff berth. Hershey's magic number to clinch an East Division playoff berth is four points; any combination of Bears points gained and Albany points lost that adds up to four will cement a Bears' postseason slot.

Albany visits Worcester tonight. Thus, the Bears could clinch tonight with a win over Springfield and a regulation loss by Albany.

BLUE LINES: Stephen Werner and Marc Busenburg practiced with Hershey yesterday, but one or both soon could be ticketed back to South Carolina (ECHL). "South Carolina is in quite a terrific race to make the playoffs," Boudreau said. "We don't want to steal players from them if we don't have to. If we can get a guy back, we probably would." ... Injured Scott Barney remained sidelined, and Matt Hendricks also sat out practice. ... Chad Wiseman has begun off-ice rehabilitation in the wake of sports hernia surgery. ... Two Notre Dame caps were among the hats tossed in the wake of Kyle Wilson's hat trick Sunday against Binghamton. Bears interns Andrew Telega and Dave Corsones had the inventive presence of mind to station them as props at Fighting Irish fan Boudreau's postgame interview table.

Caps/Sabres Preview

Washington Capitals (26-34-13, 65 points)
at
Buffalo Sabres (46-19-7, 99 points)

Television: Comcast SportsNet
Radio: Sportstalk 980-AM
Gametime: 7:00 PM ET

It feels as though the season has been reborn again. The Capitals head into tonight's game in Buffalo riding a two game winning streak in which they dominated playoff caliber teams from Toronto and Tampa Bay. Back-to-back home wins included a 7-1 drubbing of the Lightning thanks to a breakout game from winger Tomas Fleichmann and the second career hat trick from Alexander Semin.

In one game Fleichmann doubled his scoring output for the entire season at the NHL level tallying a career high four points. It's the type of game the entire organization has been waiting for from the talented Czech prospect. He has proven at the AHL level that he is a dynamic player that has the ability to take control of a game. His problem has been transferring that production to the NHL level and securing a permanent spot with the big club. Hopefully, he will continue to build on his excellent game against the Lightning and provide the Capitals with another scoring option to complement the Alexs'.

The current win streak just happened to begin with the return of franchise goaltender Olie Kolzig, who has shown no signs of his knee injury that kept him out of the lineup for the past month. He clearly is the glue that keeps this team together.

The Sabres on the other hand have lost three consecutive games at home as they look to secure the number one seed in the Eastern Conference. Goaltender Ryan Miller has struggled lately posting a 1-3-2 record with a 3.38 goals against average since stopping 29 shots in route to a 4-1 victory in Tampa March 5th.

The game also marks the first time Danius Zubrus will play against his former team. In his 9 games in Buffalo Zubrus has scored twice while averaging 18:22 of ice time in more of a checking role than he was used to with the Capitals.

Another win from Washington and things will certainly begin to get interesting as the Capitals look to finish off the season as they did last year, on a high note.

Kyle Wilson Leads the Way

Tuesday, March 20th 2007

The Norfolk Admirals became the first team to clinch a playoff spot this week, but the Hershey Bears find themselves in just as good of a position as they only trail the first place Admirals by two points heading into the final stage of the regular season. (Photo Courtesy of Just Sports Photography)

The Bears are coming off of a dominating 6-1 victory over the the Binghamton Senators on Sunday as Kyle Wilson led the way recording a hat trick and adding an assist to record four points on the evening. The career night gave Wilson 4 goals and 6 assists for 10 points in the last 3 games as the Oakville, Ontario native was named the AHL player of the week. Since being acquired on loan from the South Carolina Stingrays back on December 1st he has put up 21 goals and 22 assists for 43 points while posting a +16 defensive rating, securing an important role in the team’s upcoming playoff run.

Hershey also added some depth to their lineup this week as the team added recently signed Washington Capitals prospects Sean Collins and Steve Pinizzotto to PTOs for the remainder of the season. The 6′1″ 215 pound Collins, who was the captain of the Ohio State Buckeyes this season, is an offensive defenseman that led his team in points posting 9 goals and 19 assists in 37 games. Pinizzotto a right wing who also stands 6′1″, also led his team in points as he posted 13 goals and 31 assists in 31 games for the Rochester Institute of Technology.

The signings come at a good time as the Bears continue to play without their leading scorer Alexandre Giroux who remains with the Washington Capitals after being recalled on March 16th. Giroux has performed well as he recorded his first two career goals in the NHL this past week with tallies against Toronto and Tampa Bay. As a result of his good play he is now seeing time on the team’s first line with Alex Ovechkin and center Jiri Novotny.

Hershey has a favorable schedule this week as they play their next three contests at home beginning with a game against the Springfield Falcons who currently reside in last place in the Atlantic Division. They follow that up with back-to-back games against the Philadelphia Phantoms and Binghamton Senators this weekend.

Stingrays Sitting Pretty in Race to the Playoffs

Tuesday, March 20th 2007

It wasn’t too long ago that the ‘Rays found themselves in sixth place in the South Division with a roster decimated by injuries and call ups to the Hershey Bears. In response all they have done is won seven of their last eight games and moved into sole possession of 4th place building a solid four point lead over both Augusta and Charlotte. The streak included taking two out of three games over 2nd place Florida and sweeping back-to-back games over Pensacola and Reading. They’ve seen an offensive explosion as of late, scoring at least three goals in each of those victories and averaging 3.875 goals per game over the past eight. (Photo Courtesy of The Mankato Free Press)

The Stingrays also received a boost to their lineup recently as the Washington Capitals signed their 2004 9th round pick Travis Morin (Pictured) to a two year entry level contract beginning next season. As part of the deal, Morin was signed to a PTO by the Stingrays for the rest of this season. The signing didn’t take long to pay dividends as Morin tallied the game winning goal in his first professional game on Sunday as South Carolina came from behind to defeat Pensacola 3-2. His debut followed an outstanding senior year at Minnesota State where he was named second team All-WCHA after leading his team with 17 goals and 39 points in 38 games.

South Carolina is now in a good position as they head down the stretch run to the post-season. They still must play three games at Augusta and host one game at home against the Charlotte Checkers in what will end up deciding who gets the final two spots in the playoffs.

Former Stingrays in the News:

Kyle Wilson, who was loaned to the Hershey Bears back on December 1st, was named the AHL player of the week for period ending March 18th. He posted 4 goals and 6 assists for 10 points in only 3 games.

Cassivi is Back With the Bears

Wednesday, March 14th 2007

With Olie Kolzig set to return when the Capitals travel to Boston on Thursday, Frederic Cassivi has been reassigned to Hershey. Kolzig has missed the past month due to a knee injury. Cassivi started one game and appeared in three other’s in relief of Brent Johnson and posted an 0-1-1 record with a 2.59 goals against average and an .897 save percentage.
(Photo Courtesy of Dave Sanford/Getty Images)

He returns to the Bears as they prepare to play three games in as many nights beginning with a road trip to Worcester Friday night. They are currently five points behind the division leading Norfolk Admirals and only one point ahead of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for second place in the East Division.

In his place Maxime Daigneault has seen the majority of the action and has flourished compiling a record of 18-6-0 with a 2.65 goals against average and a .912 save percentage.

It is unclear as of yet what the coaches plan to do as far as which goaltender will see the most action. Cassivi will probably take over the number one position again, but it would be nice to see Daigneault get his share of starts, especially in the playoffs in order to continue his development.

Ovechkin's Magic Still Isn't Enough

Superstar's Two Goals Gives Him Back-to-Back 40 Goal Seasons
Atlanta Thrashers 4, Washington Capitals 2
Boxscore
Monday, March 12th 2007
(Photo Courtesy of Dave Sanford/Getty Images)

Alex Ovechkin provided the team with some much needed offensive excitement that has been hard to come by lately. He single handedly kept the Capitals in the game by flying around the ice and creating havoc for the Thrashers defense.

His first goal was a result of just charging the net and making something happen. Niclas Havelid knocked the puck away from him on his way to the goal, but the puck somehow found it's way into the back of the net.

Ovechkin's second of the night came as he was trying to set up Kris Beech in front of the Thrashers net. The puck deflected off the skate of defenseman Andy Sutton and over the glove of goaltender Kari Lehtonen. With 41 goals on the season now, a repeat of last years 50 plus seems as though it could be reachable.

Atlanta put the game away at the 9:35 mark of the third period when they restored their 2 goal advantage thanks to Ilya Kovalchuk's 37th goal of the season. He was able to beat Frederic Cassivi through the five hole as the Caps' backup gave up his only goal of the game after replacing Brent Johnson at the start of the final period.

Johnson was hurt while attempting to stop Atlanta's 3rd goal of the night in the second period. A Steve Eminger turnover directly led to the Keith Tkachuk marker thanks to a nice feed by Eric Boulton.

The loss was Washington's 8th straight as the team still has not won since the trading deadline passed and the team moved it's #1 center Danius Zubrus. They hope to get Olie Kolzig back at the end of week in either Thursday night's game at Boston, or Friday night's game at home against Toronto.

Game Notes:

Jiri Novotny only won 5 of 16 faceoffs as he saw most of his ice time centering the team's first line.... Ovechkin continues to lead the team in ice time as he recorded 25:33.... Atlanta's win improved their record to 5-0-2 against the Caps this season and moved them into sole possession of first place in the Southeast Division.

Big Weekend For the 'Rays

Monday, March 12th 2007

The South Carolina Stingrays won all three of their games this weekend, an impressive feat considering their thin lineup due to injuries and callups to Hershey. The wins moved them in front of the Charlotte Checkers and into the final playoff position in the South Division. They lead the Checkers by 2 points and trail the Augusta Lynx by only 2 points for fourth place. The Stingrays got a boost to their lineup as Cail MacLean was activated from the disabled list before Saturday night’s win over Reading. (Photo Courtesy of www.stingrayshockey.com)

Some more roster moves were made on Monday as the Stingrays lost one of their leading scorers while receiving another back in return. Cam McCaffrey was recalled to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, his first callup to the AHL this year. He has yet to record a point in 22 career games in the AHL, 19 with the Portland Pirates during the ‘04-’05 season and 3 last year with the Hershey Bears. Matt Reid was returned to the team despite the fact that he recorded 3 assists in Hershey’s 5-3 win at the Manchester Monarchs Friday night.

The Stingrays received some bad news as they lost defenseman Sasha Pokoluk during Friday night’s game after he received a hard hit. The injury could become a concern for the highly touted prospect as he missed the first four months of the season after suffering a concussion while playing in the Hershey Bears opening game. Journeyman defenseman Tim Judy was also released today.

The moves come as the Stingrays start an important stretch of five games in six nights beginning Tuesday night in Florida. During that stretch they will play the second place Everblades three straight times. These games will decide once and for all whether or not this will be a playoff team.

Sunday Prognosis

Sunday, March 11th 2007

Through the first 40 minutes of yesterday's game on Long Island the Caps looked like a team that had completely lost their way. They were able to accumulate enough shots, but goaltender Rick DiPietro had the answer every time. (Photo Courtesy of Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

With each goal they gave up, you could see in their body language that they were spent. Tired of giving it their all and continuously coming up short. A 4-0 lead by the Islanders heading into the final period didn't give Washington much to look forward too, except for the fact that they only had another 20 minutes to endure before they could head out of town.

But then Alex Ovechkin provided the team with a spark. He made an explosive move around the right side and fired a shot on net. DiPietro made the first stop but the rebound was left in front and Ovechkin had broken the Capitals scoreless streak just five minutes before it would had tied the all-time record of futility. (Goal Pictured)

That goal seemed to change the attitude of the entire team. From that point on, the Capitals dominated the playoff-bound Islanders producing many quality scoring chances from players such as Alexander Semin, Ben Clymer, and Brian Pothier. Donald Brashear tallied the only other goal on the night and the Caps lost for the 7th straight time 5-2. But they showed in third period that even though their lineup is highly depleted, because of injuries and trades, they are still capable of playing at a high level.

If they can put together a full game at the level they played at in the third period, they should have a very good chance at pulling the upset tomorrow night in Atlanta.

Down on the Farm:

The South Carolina Stingrays won all three of their games this weekend, an impressive feat considering their thin lineup due to injuries and callups to Hershey. The wins moved them in front of the Charlotte Checkers and into the final playoff position in the South Division. They lead the Checkers by 2 points and trail the Augusta Lynx by just 2 points for fourth place. The Stingrays got a boost to their lineup as Cail MacLean was activated from the disabled list before Saturday night's win over Reading.

The Hershey Bears won Friday night in Manchester and Saturday night in Portland before falling to Bridgeport this afternoon. The wins get the Bears in pace with their divisional foes and they continue to trail the Norfolk Admirals by five points for first place in the East Division. While they continue to lead the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins by five points for the second place. Top performers this weekend were forwards Alexandre Giroux and Chris Bourque who both tallied 3 goals in the 3 games.

Caps Shutout Again

Offense Fails to Produce for the Second Straight Game
Carolina Hurricanes 3, Washington Capitals 0
Boxscore
Friday, March 9th 2007
(Photo Courtesy of Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

Traditionally when these two teams get together the games have been high scoring. In fact coming into tonight's contest they have combined for an average of 7 goals per game. But that was not the case tonight as good goaltending, along with solid defensive play by both teams led to a low scoring and uneventful evening.

Andrew Ladd finally broke the scoreless battle 1:42 into the second period after the Capitals failed to clear a loose puck in front of their own net. A couple of whacks later and Ladd had his 8th goal of the season.

The game stayed 1-0 until midway point of the final period when a Donald Brashear turnover in his own zone directly resulted in Justin Williams putting the game away as he snapped a snot into the top left corner of the net. The two goal Carolina lead was more than enough for Cam Ward who stopped 25 shots on his way to his second career regular season shutout.

The bright point on the night for the Capitals was the performance of goaltender Brent Johnson who stopped 42 shots despite falling to 5-12-6 on the year after taking the loss. Johnson has possibly 2 or 3 games remaining as the number one goaltender before Olie Kolzig makes his return.

The Caps welcomed Chris Clark and Boyd Gordon back to the lineup and they, combined with winger Brooks Laich, did a nice job playing the role of the shutdown line. Each time Hurricanes' coach Peter Laviolette sent out their top line it was Gordon's line that was called on. They did their job as only Laich finished with a negative plus/minus rating.

Washington now has 48 hours to try to turn things around and find some line combinations that can produce offensively before they travel to New York on Saturday to take on the Islanders. They have 14 games remaining and still find themselves needing ten points in the standings to match their total of 70 last year.

Game Notes:

Steve Eminger and Brian Muir were the healthy scratches.