I hope to god Nick is back soon because this team is incredibly thin at C without him, but he needs to stay out until he is 100%, concussions are no joke.  Caps need to start thinking long term(as in remainder of season) without him, even if he does end up coming back.  

Go Caps!

Also, Craig Adams played last night. Not sure how, not that it mattered, but you can probably anticipate him taking up space on the penalty kill and the 4th line, likely with Arron Asham on one side.

Brent Johnson got the start last night and was yanked. Simon Despres, called up for the sick-ass Paul Martin, left with an injury and didn’t return. 

This is a delightful time to be a Penguins fan, when each game is like an Agatha Christie novel where you end up with one less than you started. Or like that story “The Lottery,” choose whichever is more familiar to you. The effort is there from a select few (see: Malkin, Evgeni), but we were frankly running around last night and doing a lot of watching rather than playing. I understand Ottawa has made some vast improvements, but the lethargy and palpable lack of urgency on display at times last night was just head-shaking material. And as depleted as we are, I wish Tyler Kennedy would just get hurt or leave town, ’cause I will never be a fan of that livestock-looking mess, no matter how hard he ‘tries’.

And tonight, perhaps in a blessing, I’ll only watch some of tonight’s tilt because I have to take the ice around 10:15. Good luck to you asshats, and if you should somehow lose to us tonight (and, like, have Steve Sullivan notch the game-winner), you deserve all the trolling you may get.

-AK