Game Day @ Washington, 12/10/08

After a seemingly endless stream of ho-hum opponents (yes Tampa and Florida, I mean you), the B's get to face some elite talent tonight. Now, we should be aware that the Caps are going through a major rash of injuries to some key players. Seven players are currently out with injury, most from the Defense. BUT, any team that boasts Alex Ovechkin as its center piece is dangerous enough, no matter who he plays with. AO is one of the few guys in any sport that is worth the price of admission on his own. When he's on the ice, ANYTHING can happen. And it usually does. Quickly. The guy plays the game at a break-neck pace. Not only is a natural goal scorer, he plays a pretty physical game as well. At last look, he was third in the NHL in hits. Granted, that stat is shaky at best most nights, but a Russian super-star goal scorer probably isn't who you'd expect to see on that list. I've said it before and I'll say it again; if AO was a better looking North American, HE would be the face of the NHL instead of Sidney Crosby. Both great players, but AO definitely brings more "flash" to the game. Anyway, before this page turns into an AO love-fest, let's move to the game. With their brush with disaster the other night against Tampa, I'm sure the B's will come out very focused tonight. And stay that way for the full 60 minutes. Any let down like Monday's, and the Caps (led by you know who) will blow past them. While Crosby had Malkin, AO has Alexander Semin (who may return to the lineup tonight) and Nicklas Backstrom to share the scoring load. All three have the talent to dominate a game by themselves. Just to make things more interesting, they also still have old friend Michael Nylander working his magic as well. Boston will need to get back to their strict adherence to coach Julien's system if they have any hopes of keeping those four off the score board. Not an impossible task at all for the B's, but it will require a full team effort. Emergency call-up Vladimir Sobotka may or may not play tonight. Reorts are that Stephane Yelle is on the ice this morning and looking good. Personally, as good as Yelle has been playing, I'd prefer to see him sit out tonight. Sobotka is ready to go, and it seems like every game latelym Yelle is getting dinged up. He could probably use a few days away from the banging he takes. I'd rather keep him healthy for the long run than throw him right back in if he isn't 100%. Now, as we know, the Bruins aren't exactly slouches in the scoring department. Savard, Kessel, Krecji and even Lucic and Ryder are right up there with the Caps top scorers. So, when I look at these two rosters, the consider each team's injury issue's....I give Boston a huge edge. Boston can score with these guys, with or without injuries. But considering the B's have a vastly superior defense and much, much better goal tending.....I can't see how the B's could lose tonight. Yeah yeah yeah....I know. Never say never. Anything can happen. I get it. But after having a scare thrown into them by Tampa, no way they come out with anything less than max effort.Besides, these guys rise to the challenge as well as any team I've seen in years. Now, I don't know if they'll shut them out. In fact, I can't imagine that happening. But 2, maybe 3 goals against is all I see. ROUGH STUFF PREVIEW: Donald Brashear. That's all you need to know. Brashear is still on the beat in Washington and hasn't changed his ways much over the years. If Boston comes out the way I expect them to, physical and fast, then I expect Brashear to step in and try to stem the tide. Obviously, this calls for Shawn Thornton to be the guy to answer the bell. Brash is a big strong man. But he isn't a guy that should dominate Thornton. Brashear gets into "hug mode" fairly often. So I think Thornton should be able to get a few in before that happens. Could be an entertaining bout (as always, I just hope Brashear doesn't tackle anyone, and hurt a Bruins shoulder or something). John Erskine, a rough & tumble defender, is out with an injury. So he's one less to "worry" about. He had a good bout with Lucic last year, and was one of the few bouts that Looch didn't get the decision in. PREDICTIONS: I've been going back & forth on a score all day. I started thing 4-3 Boston, but I'm settling on Bruins winning, 5-2. Brashear will go with Thornton in a good bout. Go B's-Kynch