OK, so Boyd Gordon did not play because his back seized up during warmups. It was too late for the team to insert Michael Nylander or Eric Fehr into the lineup.
He is not likely to play tomorrow night, and Sergei Fedorov is definitely not going on the trip to Montreal. The Caps are likely just being cautious with his ankle after he missed 26 of 29 games. More later after I finish up my game story.
SEE RELATED:
UPDATE: Here are some more notes/tidbits before I call it a night and rest up for an early flight to Montreal:
* Steve Mason has faced 71 shots from the Caps this year. Steve Mason has stopped 71 shots from the Caps this year. That’s pretty much it. The Caps had some good chances (at times), and the shorthanded Blue Jackets played some good defense (at times).
* Alex Ovechkin shot the puck 24 times tonight, 12 of which hit Mason — can’t say he wasn’t trying.
* Here is the deal with the race for the assistant coach spot on the Eastern Conference all-star team: It is winner take all tomorrow night — the winning coach gets a spot on the East bench, the loser does not.
* Columbus’ power play was clicking at a robust 10.2 percent entering the night, which was better than zero of the other 29 teams in the NHL. The Blue Jackets went 2-for-7 on the power play.
* Washington’s power play was operating at 23.2 percent, which was fifth in the league. The Caps went 0-for-6.
* Karl Alzner, who played with Mason on Canada’s world junior team last season, had this to say about Mason:
“He’s got the talent. He’s big, he plays the puck awesome, his angles are good and I guess I should have expected this from a guy like him.”
* Bruce Boudreau said he thought Alzner, who was on the ice for all three goals, didn’t have a very good night.
