1-0 Flyers already.

Kolzig in goal.

WASHINGTON Capitals

Ovechkin Zubrus Clark
Semin Beech Pettinger
Clymer Sutherby Gordon
Brashear Laich Klepis

Pothier Morrisonn
Eminger Erskine
Muir Green

Kolzig
(Johnson)

Heward replaced by Muir.

PHILADELPHIA Flyers

Gagne Forsberg Knuble
Fedoruk Umberger Reid
Eager Robitaille Dimitrakos
Calder Potulny Rosicka

Hatcher Zhitnik
Timonen Pitkanen
Picard Jones

Niittymaki
(Munroe)

Ovechkin taken down. First penalty of the game. Go, Caps!

Forsberg in the box.

Shorthanded chance for Randy Jones! Olie makes the save.

Now, our first PP unit. Semin very active.

Forsberg out of the box, with a chance, but he's stopped by Eminger.

Delayed penalty against the Caps... Clymer to the box.

Forsberg called again! 4-on-4.

Klepis and Pettinger with a 2-on-1 but Pettinger's shot is blocked by a defenseman.

16-second PP for the Caps, but no goal. Forsberg out of the box. Both teams back to even and full strength.

Zubrus to the box for hooking.

There was no penalty for the first 11 minutes, and now the ref can't stop whistling.

Penalty killed.

Semin shoots, Niittymaki makes the save, Zubrus scores on the rebound!

1-1.

Zoo-bee-doo!

End of first.

Shots: 11-10 Caps.
Hits: 8-7 Caps.
Faceoffs: 16-6 Caps (WOW: 73%, mostly thanks to Zubrus and Beech, both 4/5)

In Montreal, it's 2-1 Pens after one. Huet: 15/17; Fleury: 2/3.

The Rangers are also awfully outshot in Toronto, and it's already 5-1 Leafs at the first intermission.

Hi Marc good to see you

_____________________________________________
100% of the shots you don't take don't go in."
- Wayne Gretzky

Back to action in Washington.

Reid to the box. Caps on the PP again.

Hi, Misto.

Semin, wrap-around, SCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORES!!!!!

He's red hot tonight. 2-1 Caps.

Oddly enough, Knuble, Zubrus and Semin all scored their 13th goal of the season tonight.

Clark has 12 goals and should imitate them.

SEMIN SCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORES!!!!!

WOOHOO! 3-1 Caps.

That was a deflection on a shot by Ovechkin, who has two assists so far.

Semin: 2-1-3
Zubrus: 1-1-2
Ovechkin: 0-2-2

... for the game, and for the season:

Semin: 14-13-27
Zubrus: 13-16-29
Ovechkin: 21-21-42

Not bad.

Good old Pothier had his 16th assist, also.

Shots are 10-2 Caps so far in the second period (11:10 of play).

The Caps' three goals were scored at even strength: good.

Hope Roger stayed long enough to see Semin's two goals. The first one was a beauty, according to Kolbe.

Too many men on the ice: Semin will serve the penalty for the Caps.

Picard shoots, save by Kolzig.

Penalty killed.

Meanwhile, in other rinks...

It doesn't get any better for the Rangers in Toronto: it's now 8-1 Leafs. Wellwood has 3 goals and 1 assist.

Kovalev tied the game at 2-2 for the Canadiens against the Pens.

Laich called for holding with 47 seconds left to the second period. But Pitknanen also goes to the box 42 seconds later.

End of second. 3-1 Caps.

I left on the power kill to start the 2nd, but I see I missed 2 goals from Alex II- sweet.

Got home in time to hear the horn to end the 2nd.

Hi, Roger. Too bad you left a few minutes too early.

Wow: the Habs now lead the Pens 5-2, thanks to Koivu (two goals, he's awesome lately) and Souray. After being outshot 17-3 in the first, the Habs outshot the Pens 23-6 (!!!) in the second period.

Philly really had the sharper passes in the 1st, but the Caps hung in and seemed to be scrappier. Not sure what happened in the 2nd, but the scoreboard says the Caps were2 goals better (and I see they outshot the Flyers badly for the period).

3rd on, skating 4 on 4.

OVECHKIN SHOOTS AND SCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORES!!!!

4-1 Caps.

Ovechkin is tied for second in the league in goals, I believe.

'Canes-Bolts: 1-1 at the second intermission. Thrashers: trailing 4-0, with less than 10 minutes left. We're only 5 points behind them, right now.

Wellwood has a hat trick for the Leafs.... Crosby has an assist.

Ovie 1-2-3 so far, A II 2-1-3, Zubrus 1-1-2. Nice. Assists from Pothier, Muir.

With the Devils trailing 2-1 so far, I believe we're 5th in the East!

EDIT: Not trailing, but beaten earlier.

Wow- Flyers' team record is 6 losses in a row, they're sitting on 5 before tonight; and for the season, they're tied with worst ever record.

I love beating them, but I'd rather beat a champ than a chump.

LOL. It's true that, besides their top line, they have nothing. Worst team in the East. Forsberg is back from injury and is probably not at 100%. They miss Sanderson, Carter, Richards, Rathje, Gauthier and Esche.

Yeah, Floppa didn't have much hoppa tonight, at least while I was there. Watching on TV, you don't really notice him either. Clymer interview- right now- playing smart hockey, keeping the Flyers outside on the shots, etc.

Semin trying his utmost to get the hat trick, but then he goes to the box for hooking.

Caps win 4-1! 5th in the East.

But they kill it off, and it goes in the books a 4-1 win for the good guys!

Couple more weeks, I may have to start staying later..... this team is hanging tough for the playoffs.

Olie the interview.... "our best game this year, start to finish..... D did a great job keeping the Flyers outside (on shots).... guys enjoying the game, knowing the 3rd forward is responsible for the defensive zone (and doing the job)...."

Marc, have a great morning! See you Tuesday, I'll be home early again.

Two things we missed in all the excitement- one, Erskine took a puck to the foot (this happened while I was still there), and never returned to the lineup... day to day, from all indications.

Two, Forberg wasn't noticed because HE got knocked out of the game in the 1st- got hit cleanly by Ovechkin, and when he went down, his head hit Zubrus' knee.

Flyers coach John Stevens, noting that Forsberg received two penalties before departing, said the hard hit was simply part of the game. "It's hockey. Peter had a couple of big hits himself in the first period," Stevens said. "It's two great players going at it hard."

Usually when someone asks how so-and-so is doing I look at the shift charts and the play by play to see, but last night I didn't for some reason. My bad.

Talk about adding "insult" to injury.....

Defenceman Jamie Heward, who took a puck off of his chin Friday, was scratched, as were wingers Richard Zednik (groin) and Matt Bradley (hand). - Washington Post

And 10 more stitches, from what I've read. The guy is wearing a 3/4 visor to protect the skate cut, but it doesn't cover his chin.......... yikes.

Wow, poor guy. I believe he should play with a motorcycle helmet. Or not play at all until January. He deserves some rest. We need him, though.