Caps Postgame
By: Brian McNally
Examiner Staff Writer
11/01/09 9:36 PM EST
Columbus 5, Caps 4 (OT)
Another overtime loss for the Caps. But that pales in comparision to the status of forward Alex Ovechkin, who left the game in the second period thanks to an upper-body injury and is listed by the team as day-to-day. We'll see if that holds when the Caps reconvene on Tuesday for their next practice. Ovechkin appeared to be favoring his left shoulder - but that's just speculation based on TV replays and a view from six stories up at Verizon Center. Could be a wrist or an elbow or even a rib injury, too. He could have been hurt during the scrum with Columbus' Jason Chimera - or maybe when tough guy Jared Boll forced his way into the mix. A bunch of players were pushing and shoving right in front of the Blue Jackets' bench at that point. Either way, Ovechkin served his two-minute penalty and then took one more shift before leaving for good. His collision with Raffi Torres could have aggravated his injury or been the main cause.
Ovechkin later said he didn't know if the injury was serious. But he also wasn't moving his left arm much - sipping a postgame drink with his right. He was not wearing a sling. I'd love to give a better answer, but Ovechkin was tight-lipped during a brief postgame interview and while most media members were quizzing him, Caps coach Bruce Boudreau was answering questions down the hall at Verizon Center. Boudreau answered three or four questions from the assembly and then bolted. He would only confirm again that Ovechkin was "day-to-day" - although he was also upset with the late peanlties by his team that proved their undoing. In that respect, this game was no different than a half-dozen others where Washington was the better team, but either didn't put a team away or lost in the overtime/shootout.
Other news and notes:
» The Caps have earned points in nine straight games (6-0-3). But they are 2-4 in overtime games.
» Brooks Laich recorded his second multi-goal game of the season. He is tied with Ovechkin now for the team lead with three power-play goals.
» Center Nicklas Backstrom is now seventh in the NHL with 18 points (four goals, 14 assists). He scored Washington's first goal at 12:13 of the first period.
» Defenseman Mike Green extended his point streak to a career-best nine games. Only Tampa Bay's Martin St. Louis (10) has had a longer streak this season.
» Alexander Semin registered his sixth multi-point game of the year with a pair of assists.
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