7:00 PM EDT
	Capitals	VS		Thrashers
	LISTEN NOW!			LISTEN NOW!

LET'S GO, CAPS!

From the caps.com pre-game for tonight:

Washington right wing Petr Sykora, who was shaken up midway through the second period on Friday and did not return, skated Saturday morning and is expected to be in the lineup against Atlanta. Also, Ben Clymer, the defenseman-turned-winger who skated several shifts as a defenseman in Friday night’s game, was said to be spending a lot of time skating backwards in Saturday’s pregame skate.

If the Caps were to go with Clymer in their defensive rotation on Saturday, Matt Pettinger could find himself back in the Washington lineup. Pettinger – along with right wing Stephen Peat and defenseman Nolan Yonkman – was a healthy scratch on Friday.

Same team for the Thrashers. Possible lineups:

Morrisonn out

See? Everyone's been saying Biron, but I think it's more Morrisonn that's the laggard right now (and I know he's a young guy, and I want him to do well).

Peat in? I'm catching up to fjc in the prognosticating department

Yeah- another hard shot from the 1 foot line.....

and the Thrash go right back on the PP.

TV timeout.

"Not odd at all- (and the Caps to the PP already! ).... you do that because the home team gets last change- if they put their best line out, then the Caps' 4th line stays on the ice and wears them down. If they match up against that line to start the game, you put ZOH out as soon as you can, with the Thrash' weaker line on the ice."

Interesting.

Our top line ended up playing against Bondra's line and their best d-pairing, though.

Caps kill off the second penalty.

The goal, Joe B. said it was a bad clear by Heward that let Atlanta keep the puck in the zone. Kolzig's under fire, again- just imagine this team with Kovalchuk....

Our top line ended up playing against Bondra's line and their best d-pairing, though.

Chess on ice.

5-on-3 PP for the Caps!

Penalty to Cassels. Grrrr.

Hi, Dan! Glad to see you back! It's been a long time!

Goal by de Vries on the PP! 2-0.

Under review...

It's a goal. From Savard and Bondra.

Heward shoots and scores! On the PP! Woohoo! 2-1.

Assist to Ovechkin (it's the contrary on the scoresheet, though... OK, that's fixed).

Penalties: 6-3 Thrashers (good).

Shots: 13-11 Thrashers (not bad). 17-17 if we count the missed shots.

Faceoffs: 16-11 Caps (thanks to Zubrus, 6/7).

Hassa goes for interference, so now it's 4 on 3 for :34.....

4 on 4 now....

and the Caps get a short PP of about 1:00.

4-on-4 now and soon after a short PP for the Caps.

(EDIT: LOL!)

Go, Caps!

Thrash to the PP again. Joe B says Kolzig under fire tonight, and he's right- Atlanta REALLY crowds the crease on offense.

edit: but the Thrash hook, while on the PP- 4 on 4 again.

The Caps are spending too much time in the box in the second period. We're outshot 6-1.

Caps with a short PP, and just as it expires......

the Thrash hook again!!!!

A full 2:00 PP this time, for the Caps!

Ovechkin: 2-2-4.

Crosby: 0-3-3.

Lemieux, the oldest NHL goal scorer of all time, I think?  Isn't he 60? LOL! I guess Gordie Howe scored goals in the NHL at the age of 50.

Gordie Howe scored 15 goals in 80 games for the Whalers at the age of... 52.

Thrashers score! 3-1.

That was Bondra from Modry and Stefan.

This morning, I watched the highlights of yesterday's games, and I must say that the goals scored by Kotalik and Afinogenov against the Bruins were beauties! Almost exactly the same goal, except that Kotalik shoots right and Afinogenov shoots left.

Second period stats (only):

Penalties: 4-3 Caps.

Shots: 11-5 Thrashers (18-6 with the missed shots).

Faceoffs: 10-10.

"Only" two points for Crosby tonight, Roger. Two garbage assists.

Hopefully, Ovechkin gets a hat trick in the third.

Yes- they took his assist on the Palffy goal, and gave it to......

ex-Cap Steve Poapst.

Has anyone noticed that I've added Ovechkin to the banner, by the way? Ovechkin, Halpern, Zubrus, Witt and Kolzig.

Mellanby rings the post, Aubin scores on the rebound. 4-1.

Assists: Mellanby and Exelby.

I believe we should have rested Olie in the third.

Mellanby shoots and scores! 5-1. Let's pull Olie.

The assist goes to Aubin.

Yes, already 9 goals in the Bruins-Pens game. Record to break: 10 goals (Islanders-Sabres on opening night, with one ENG, and Thrashers-Caps yesterday, with 2 ENG).

Savard on the PP (5-on-3). 6-1 Atlanta. Assists: Modry and Coburn.

Can Ovechkin play defense?

Hard to forget a 7-3 loss when you meet the same team the day after.

Hossa scores! From Kozlov and Savard. 7-1 Thrashers.

Yes, I'll be off Monday afternoon for the game.

You missed a good scrum, Marc- Kolzig finally had enough, and a Thrash landed in his crease- Olie decked him twice with crosschecks (7-1... Hossa), and then the fights started- Eminger squared off with Petrovicky, got twisted down, and P hit him in the face while he was face down on the ice.... SE got back to his feet and got a few in himself before the refs got them apart. Now, Peat and Sutherby get into it with someone right in front of Dunham, (Sutton took Peat down, right into Dunham)..... more calls, and the Thrash to the PP again. 3:42 left 3rd.