So it sure doesn’t seem like Caps right wing Mike Knuble is playing tonight in Game 4 of this Eastern Conference quarterfinal series against the New York Rangers. Not from the guarded comments of Bruce Boudreau. Not from the – slightly – more open comments from his teammates. Not from who was on the ice for the morning skate. Also haven’t seen the man hit the ice since Sunday. Common sense tells you he’s out. But no official declaration from the Caps. Knuble appeared to suffer a right hand injury late in the third period Sunday when a shot hit him there moments before he scored the game-tying goal.
“I’m not going to talk about any players today,” Washington coach Bruce Boudreau said following his team’s morning skate. “His equipment is up there [in his locker] and we’ll see tonight whether he’s here or whether he’s not.”
That was technically true. Believe the Caps’ equipment staff left everyone’s gear in New York after Sunday’s game so Knuble’s stuff was, in fact, hanging in the locker stall. He did not participate in the morning skate, however, and I never caught sight of him around the locker room area. Take all that for what it’s worth.
“Mike is terrific to go to the net and he scores all the dirty goals around the net,” said Caps center Nicklas Backstrom. “He’s always there. But hopefully we can find a way to be good there, too.”
If Knuble can’t go then expect Jason Chimera to start on the top line with Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin. That trio played together some in January – a benefit of Boudreau’s habit of juggling lines throughout the season. There aren’t many teams where a third or fourth-liner like Chimera would have that kind of experience under his belt. But don’t expect him to change his game, either. It will be straight-line speed into the offensive zone, get on the forecheck and retrieve the puck for two of the sport’s best players. Chimera admits a player can overthink things a bit when on the ice with those two.
“Sometimes you get caught watching, not skating like you usually do,” Chimera said. “I’ve done that before many times, just kind of getting caught doing their thing instead of your own thing.”
All eight healthy defensemen were out for the morning skate. Did not see Alex Semin or Marco Sturm on the ice. They took their option. Ovechkin watched for a bit from the bench in a t-shirt and shorts. Jay Beagle, D.J. King, Tyler Sloan and Sean Collins took part in the scratches’ skate.
Eric Fehr, however, did not. That suggests at the very least that he has a shot at playing tonight for the first time in the series. His comments after the skate indicated such.
“Just try to keep my feet moving, keep up with the pace,” Fehr said of jumping into a playoff series. “It’s pretty quick out there, and the first couple shifts you kind of just get a feel for things – maybe give a hit, take a hit and try to get into the game as early as possible.”
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