By Douglas Holtz-Eakin
The young drop coverage to avoid higher premiums
In the corner of the Boston Bruins' locker room, hanging from the hooks in Andrew Ference's stall, is a yellow running singlet with the team's "Spoked B" logo on the front.
Who knew Mike Ribeiro's overtime goal on Friday would be the Caps' last of the season and that 72 hours they'd be sitting in their locker room wondering what happened.
Toronto opened a 4-1 lead in the third period of the decisive game, but Boston cut the deficit to two midway through the third period and then scored twice in the final 82 seconds to force overtime.
With one more game left that has no bearing on their seed, the Caps are left to wonder whether they'll face the Ottawa Senators, New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs or New York Islanders in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs when they begin next week.
Growing up playing hockey, Matt Hendricks remembered the kind of language he would hear. It wasn't always appropriate. "Words were probably thrown around a little bit too loosely," the Washington Capitals forward said.
Beating up on inferior division opponents helped put the Caps on the verge of making the playoffs, but right wing Troy Brouwer hopes this streak proves something bigger.
Erat is settling in now, playing on the power play, penalty kill and scoring his first goal since the trade Tuesday in a 5-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
John Carlson had a cousin run in the Boston Marathon a year ago, and the Washington Capitals defenseman recalled his aunt and uncle going to watch the race. The Natick, Mass., native still has friends and family there and called Monday's bombings "terrible."
There is more to the Capitals' win streak than the play of those expected to play at such a high level. Steve Oleksy's play on defense, Jack Hillen's solid defense as well as his scoring surge, Jason Chimera showing he still has "it" – pretty much the entire roster is playing at a high level.
Jay McClement shoved Nicklas Backstrom's head into the boards, and Alex Ovechkin came to his teammate's aid. Washington Capitals fans roared at the replay, and it didn't even matter that the captain took a penalty by jumping the Toronto Maple Leafs forward. From that moment on, the Caps dominated the Maple Leafs on the way to a 5-1 rout, their eighth straight victory.
It's no coincidence that the Caps are 12-2-1 in their past 15 games since Ovechkin and Backstrom were reunited.
The Caps have won 11 of their past 13 games, a stretch that turned up the likelihood of playoff hockey in the District this spring. But the final six games are all against teams in the hunt, including five vs. those in playoff position.
Ron Rolston has little time to worry that his job title with the Buffalo Sabres is no different than his current place of residence: They're both temporary.
According to the NHLPA, 73 percent of players are wearing a visor this season, up from 69 percent last season. The Hockey News reported just 28 percent of players wore a visor in 2001-02.
Canadian country-folk singer Stompin' Tom Connors, whose toe-tapping musical spirit and fierce patriotism established him as one of Canada's biggest cultural icons, has died, his promoter said Wednesday night. He was 77.
