WASHINGTON - Although the Caps lost to the Winnipeg Jets 4-1Thursday, there were in the company of a familiar face.

Former Caps forward Eric Fehr- traded to Winnipeg in July - is back in his home province and hosted a few of his former teammates to dinner Wednesday night.

Fehr told the Capitals Radio Network Thursday afternoon that he's kept an eye on his former teammates this season and that he's even caught a few Caps games on television. Fehr has caught quite a few games on the television, as he remains sidelined after offseason shoulder surgery.

"I'm feeling pretty good," says Fehr, who has now undergone three shoulder operations in his NHL career. "Over the last couple of weeks, I think I've taken steps in the right direction and I hope to be playing in the next week or two."

Fehr was the Capitals first round pick (18th overall) in the 2003 entry draft, and played 230 games with Washington, collecting 46 goals and 93 points.

With one year and $2.2 million remaining on his contract in the off-season, Fehr may have fallen victim to the salary cap as Capitals general manager George McPhee sent him to the Jets for a 2012 fourth round draft pick and minor leaguer Danick Paquette.

"I was in my hometown in Winkler, [Manitoba], hanging out with my brother on the golf course," Fehr said of the day he was traded.

"I got the call and I was definitely shocked. It wasn't something I was expecting and it's really tough the first time you get traded. It's a tough feeling to have. It made it a little bit easier knowing that I was going to be in Winnipeg- close to my friends and family- but it still leaves a bit of hole in your stomach after you get traded."

The Capitals are the only professional organization Fehr had ever known, as he came up through the Caps minor league system, winning an AHL Calder Cup with the Hershey Bears in 2006.

"We've had a lot of good teams in the past," Fehr says.

"I think the Capitals are really close to having a successful team and obviously I wanted to be a part of it. But now that I've moved on to Winnipeg I have the same dreams for this team. I think we have a good young core and players that want to win and I'm excited to have that challenge here in Winnipeg."

While the disappointment of being traded from Washington still lingers, Fehr is also embracing this special season in Winnipeg, where the NHL has returned for the first time since 1996.

"They've been super excited," Fehr said of the fans in Winnipeg. "They've obviously sold out the rink every game… I think over the past couple of weeks especially, the fans have gone from real excited to having a team to now really wanting wins."

(Copyright 2011 by WTOP. All rights reserved.)

Ben Raby, wtop.com

WASHINGTON - It had been five years since Capitals goalie Tomas Vokoun last played for the Nashville Predators but the Czech Republic native still has fond memories of his time in Music City.

"I was just really happy they gave me the chance to be a starting [goalie] in the NHL," says Vokoun, who was selected by the Predators in the 1998 NHL expansion draft, despite one game of NHL experience under his belt.

Tuesday, Vokoun is expected to make his 644th career start as the Capitals begin a three-game road trip at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena (Caps pre-game at 7:30 p.m. on WFED 1500AM).

"I'd say that 90 percent of the people who were there the first day are still there - not so much from a player standpoint, but from an organizational standpoint."

The Predators celebrated their 1000th game in franchise history over the weekend and among those who have remained in Tennessee since day one are Predators general manager David Poile and head coach Barry Trotz.

"I think that [consistency] is one of the reasons that, for a small-market team that is challenged money-wise, they have been able to stay competitive and somewhat successful over the years. They do a great with the resources they have- they've been able to draft well and develop players."

Vokoun remains Nashville's franchise leader among goalies for games played (383), wins (161) and shutouts (21). Although it's only a matter of time before those records are broken by Nashville's current goalie Pekka Rinne, who signed a seven-year extension last week, Vokoun will always have a place in Predators' history.

"I'm never going to forget the first shutout in team history which he registered [Jan. 15, 1999 vs. Phoenix]," Predators play-by-play voice Pete Weber told the Capitals Radio Network. "He began that season third on the depth chart behind Mike Dunham and Eric Fichaud."

Voukoun calls that season a learning experience.

"It was hard for a goalie," he says. "We weren't a very good team, but in a sense, it was good for me. I faced a lot of shots and we had a lot to deal with [as a team in its first year], so it made me a better player. It wasn't an easy year, but at that point in my career, I didn't care. I was just happy being in the NHL."

Catch the Capitals and Predators tonight at 8:05 p.m. Coverage begins with Caps Pregame at 7:30 p.m. on Federal News Radio 1500AM and online at www.wfed.com.

(Copyright 2011 by WTOP. All rights reserved.)

Ben Raby, wtop.com

WASHINGTON - There are only so many things a visiting hockey player can do on a given road trip. Much of these trips are spent in arenas and hotels with the possibility of some shopping or dining out if time permits.

But with the Capitals in Nashville for Tuesday night's game against the Predators (7:30 p.m. Pregame on WFED 1500 AM), Caps forward and former Predator Joel Ward will make the most of his limited down time.

Following the Capitals morning skate at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena, Ward will cab 2.6 miles to LEAD Academy, a public charter school that serves 5th-to 9th graders.

Among the students at LEAD Academy is ninth grader Malik Johnson. Ward first met Johnson two years ago while volunteering with the Big Brothers & Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee.

"It was something I wanted to do to give back to Nashville," Ward said of becoming a Big Brother. "They were very supportive of me and I thought maybe it was a way I could help an individual a little bit."

Ward was immediately matched with Johnson and the two have remained in touch ever since. With the Caps making only one regular-season visit to Nashville this year,

Ward is making it a point to see his little brother even if that means tracking him down in school.

"It's going to be good for myself to get a chance to see him and take a look at his school and try to catch up with him and see how he's making out.

"We try to speak as often as we can. It's obviously a little different now with our schedules but we try to catch up a couple of times a week. When I was there we hung out a couple of days a week whether it was going to the ‘Y' or shooting some hoops, but we still connect on the phone and he's got email now, too."

Ward can sense some mutual excitement as both big and little brother look forward to their reunion. The frequent afternoons together had to end when Ward left Nashville over the summer after signing a four-year free agent deal with Washington.

"Yeah he called me," Ward said of the day he signed with the Capitals. "He realized leading up to it what was going on and what the outcome could be so I think he understood it but was still a little disappointed obviously. I had a really good connection with him and his family."

In addition to their playing sports together, Ward says he also brought Johnson to a number of Predators homes games and practices. Converting the teenager into a Capitals fan though hasn't been easy.

"I think he's still leaning toward being a Preds fan but I'm trying to move him to the Caps. But he's got a lot of guys on that team that he connected well with [during locker room visits] like [Shea] Weber, Colin Wilson and Nick Spaling."

The challenge of finding his little brother a last-minute ride to Tuesday night's game means that Johnson will likely be watching from home. But seeing Ward and the Capitals play in-person this year isn't out of the question.

"With [Alex] Ovechkin here, he could get to see some high-profile guys," Ward said. "So he's excited now and he just keeps itching to get a trip up here to Washington so I told him we'll just have to see how the grades are going and how school is going and we'll try to get him connected up here later this season."

Catch the Capitals and Predators tonight at 8:05 p.m. Coverage begins with Caps Pregame at 7:30 p.m. on Federal News Radio 1500AM and online at .

(Copyright 2011 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

Ben Raby, wtop.com

WASHINGTON - New Jersey Devils General Manager Lou Lamoriello has never been one to shy away from shaking up his team. Consider the 11 different coaching changes he’s made- including twice naming himself interim head coach- since 2002.  

But the one name that remains synonymous with the Devils’ on-ice success of the past 18 years and the one player that Lamoriello may never ship out of town is goaltender Martin Brodeur.

The 39-year-old future Hall of Famer is expected to start tonight when the Capitals visit New Jersey and while Brodeur’s best days are behind him (he finished below .500 for the time in his career last year at 23-26-3) his body of work cannot be ignored.

Brodeur holds NHL records for most career games played by a goalie (1137), most wins (627) and most shutouts (116). He is widely considered among the best goalies of all-time despite the inevitable drop in production the last few seasons.

 “It’s not an easy task to play this long,” said Capitals goalie Tomas Vokoun. “I’ve played a lot of games, but he’s played twice as [many]. For a goalie to play over 1,000 games is unbelievable. It says a lot about his durability and his skill. What a career.

Brodeur played in at least 70 games for 12-straight seasons, and led all NHL goalies in games played on six different occasions.

Finally during the 2008-09 season, Brodeur suffered his first major injury when a torn biceps tendon sidelined him for all but 31 games. Last year a combination of injuries limited Brodeur to just 56 games.

“He’s got a lot of mileage,” said Capitals forward Mike Knuble. “He’s been playing the game at such a high level for such a long time. The human body, especially at the goaltending position, can only take so much.”

Brodeur is 36-16-4 lifetime against the Capitals with a 2.28 goals-against-average, .908 save percentage and six shutouts. He’s a three-time Stanley Cup champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist.

 “I remember playing for coaches that just were so psyched out by him,” Knuble said. “They’d structure a whole game plan around keeping the puck away from him and this and that and [saying] ‘don’t get psyched out by Brodeur’, when [the coaches] are psyching their whole team out talking about Brodeur.”

Knuble could not remember at the top of his head how many of his 270 career goals have come against Brodeur but joked that whatever the total, it’s “not enough.”

Knuble, and every other NHL player for that matter, could be running out of chances to beat the NHL’s all-time wins leader. Brodeur is in the final season of a six-year $31.2 million deal he negotiated himself.

“I don’t care who you are, probably as a forward you get a little bit of a kick or a sparkle in your eye if you’re lucky enough to get a goal on him because he’s got that reputation… He’s a hall of famer.”

Catch the Capitals and Devils tonight at 7:05. Coverage begins at 6:45 with Caps Pregame on Federal News Radio, 1500AM and online at www.wfed.com.

Ben Raby, wtop.com

WASHINGTON - For the better part of Mike Knuble's first two years in Washington, the power forward was in the enviable right wing position on the Capitals' No. 1 line alongside Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom.

But after signing a one year extension with the Caps last April, the 39-year-old has found himself in a much different role so far this season.

When the Capitals visit the Devils Friday, Knuble is likely to play on a line with grinders Jeff Halpern, 35, and Matt Hendricks, 30, for the third time in four games.

"I think they both take a lot of pride in their end zone play and they try to be good defensive players," Knuble said Thursday before the Caps took off for Newark, N.J.

Knuble explained that if "Backstrom's line is going to score and Marcus [Johansson's] line is going to score, you have to realize that and try to get your victories in other ways -- finish your checks and just be a hard working line."

The 6-foot-3, 229-pound Knuble -- with a knack for the net and eight straight 20 goal seasons -- understands that he needs to play to his linemates' strengths, and finding the back of the net is not necessarily among them.

"You've got to have almost a different priority coming into the game," Knuble said. "I think the three of us can keep it simple and at times our job is to go out there and try and tilt the ice in a certain direction and play in their end. It might not always be about getting a goal or something like that as much it is swinging momentum and trying to get them to play in their own end."

If it doesn't sound glamorous, well, that's because it's not. Players like Hendricks and Halpern are valuable to the Caps for things that may go unnoticed by the casual fan -- little things like cycling the puck and winning battles in the corners. It's a blue collar mentality that Knuble is ready to adopt himself.

"For us, our success is logging time in the offensive zone," Knuble said. "If we could chip in [a goal], we'll chip in, but you have to face reality of who you are and what your priorities are."

In most NHL circles, the Hendricks-Halpern-Knuble trio would be referred to as Washington's fourth line. Head coach Bruce Boudreau prefers to call them his "energy line" or "secondary checking" line.

Either way, one thing the trio won't be called any time soon is Washington's most offensively prolific line and that could take some getting used to for Knuble after skating with the Caps' two leading scorers in each of the past two seasons.

Between them, Knuble, Hendricks and Halpern have a combined three goals this season.

"It is an adjustment and that's the way it's looking like it's going to be," Knuble said, sounding like a man who has accepted his fate. "I'm not naïve to the fact that it's a young guys' game. I'm thrilled just to have a chance to contribute and still be on a solid team -- a great team with the potential to do a lot of great things -- and if that's going to be my role and if that's where I have to be, then I have no problem doing it."

Catch the Capitals and Devils Friday at 7:05. Coverage begins at 6:45 p.m. with Caps Pregame on Federal News Radio, 1500AM and online.

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(Copyright 2011 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

WASHINGTON - Capitals forward Mike Knuble was brutally honest in his postgame assessment after the Dallas Stars beat the Caps 5-2 Tuesday at Verizon Center.

Knuble was critical of the Caps defensive effort against Dallas and suggested that if things don't change, the Caps two-game losing streak could quickly spiral into something worse.

"It's like embarrassing when you're on the ice and guys are beating you," Knuble said.

"[We're] just playing like a bunch of losers. You're going to lose if you play like that - you're going to lose every night in the league. Let alone talking about playoffs and all that. You'll lose every night in the league and I think we all went through that last year."

The Capitals were outshot 36-32, but the Stars it seemed were in control of the game for much of the night. Dallas used its speed to gain the Washington zone, and once inside the blue line the Stars kept mounting pressure on a Capitals bunch that appeared just a step slower.

"It takes a commitment," Knuble said of playing better defensively. "We practice it in practice. We can't say we're not prepared. We know what we're doing, we talk about it- we watch film about it. And then it's just a commitment to doing it on the ice. Maybe through the first five games I felt top to bottom it was a better commitment. Of late, I don't know if we're all committed."

After winning seven straight games to begin the season, the Caps have lost four of their last six. They have also allowed at least four goals in four of their last five games.

"It's sad to say, and we all look bad because of the result - because we don't all commit. We look great when we're all committing. We look all like a bunch of clowns when we don't. A very average team when we're not all committed."

Knuble also suggested that there is a lack of urgency among his teammates.

"I don't know if it's because it's November - there's not that urgency yet. Nobody's really under the gun at all. We still feel like the season's early."

STARS SHINING:

With Tuesday's win in D.C., the Stars improved to an NHL-best 11-3-0 on the season. Free agent signee Michael Ryder scored twice and combined with linemates Loui Eriksson and Jamie Benn for six points, a plus-six rating and 15 shots on goal.

The Capitals No.1 line of Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Troy Brouwer meanwhile had one assist between them, while combining for a minus-six rating and seven shots on goal.

Dallas goalie Kari Lehtonen also continued his strong start to the season, stopping 30 of 32 shots while earning his league leading 11th win (11-1, 2.13 goals-against-average and .936 save percentage).

The Stars have won four straight and are 2-0-0 on their current four-game road trip which also includes stops in Pittsburgh on Friday, and Detroit on Saturday.

AVS WATCH 2012:

Johan Franzen had a hat trick and Jimmy Howard made 24 saves as the Detroit Red Wings beat the Colorado Avalanche 5-2. Colorado has lost four straight and six of seven overall as the Avs drop to 7-7-1 on the year.

The Capitals received Colorado's first round pick in next June's NHL Entry Draft as part of the deal that sent goalie Semyon Varlamov to Denver last summer.

Varlamov is on a personal four-game losing streak, and was pulled in the second period Tuesday after allowing three goals on 16 shots. The Avs host the New York Islanders (4-6-2) on Thursday.

Catch the Capitals and Devils Friday at 7:05. Coverage begins with Caps Pregame on Federal News Radio, 1500AM and online at www.wfed.com.

WASHINGTON – Playing against the Dallas Stars has always been special for Capitals defenseman John Erskine, who was selected by Dallas in the second round (39^th overall) of the 1998 NHL draft.

But Tuesday’s meeting with the Stars at Verizon Center could be particularly meaningful for Erskine who is expected to skate in his 400^th career NHL game.

“I should have played 400 [games] a long time ago,” Erskine said. “I’ve been through a lot of injuries and healthy scratches, but if I’m in the lineup [Tuesday] facing the first team that drafted me, it will be a good experience.”

Erskine has played just three games this season after undergoing shoulder surgery last May. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound defenseman has been a frequent visitor to the Caps training room since signing with Washington in 2006 but finally stayed healthy last season.

Erskine had a career year in 2010-11, appearing in 73 games and recording four goals and 11 points – all personal bests. He was also rewarded last December with a two-year extension that will keep him in D.C. through the 2012-13 season.

But as Erskine has grown comfortable with his surroundings in Washington, the 31-year-old still appreciates the opportunity provided to him by the Stars to start his professional career more than ten years ago.

“The team was unbelievable to me,” Erskine said. “They brought me up and the older guys like [Mike] Modano and [Derian] Hatcher and [Richard] Matvichuk kind of took me under their wings and helped me along.

“When I played there, the majority of the team was old. They would take guys out for dinner all the time. [Sergei] Zubov would take me out for dinner in training camp, so little things like that would help young guys along the way and it meant a lot.”

Erskine played 107 games for Dallas from 2001-05, before being dealt to the New York Islanders. After a 26-game stint on Long Island, Erskine signed with the Capitals as a free agent, where he has since played 258 games.

Erskine’s status for Tuesday likely rests on the health of Mike Green. Green has missed five straight games and does not appear ready to return. If Green is cleared to play, Erskine could be a healthy scratch.

Catch the Capitals and Stars Tuesday at 7:05. Coverage begins with Caps Pregame on Federal News Radio, 1500AM and online at www.wfed.com.

Ben Raby, wtop.com

WASHINGTON - Washington Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom was named the NHL’s third star of the week, the League announced Monday.

In three games last week, Backstrom had three goals and three assists. He also scored both the game-tying and game-winning goals in the Caps’ 5-4 overtime win over Anaheim last Tuesday.

“I’m scoring points and it feels good,” Backstrom said, “but I think we’ve gotten to another level as a team.”

Coming off a career-low 65 points last season, Backstrom has been instrumental in the Capitals best start in franchise history (a 9-3-0 record through 12 games).

The Caps’ No.1 center leads the team with 18 points (five goals and 13 assists), and is third overall in NHL scoring, behind only Toronto’s Phil Kessel (21 points) and Philadelphia’s Claude Giroux (19 points).

“I haven’t really noticed anything different, except maybe he’s shooting a little more,” head coach Bruce Boudreau said of Backstrom’s game this season.

“But with Nicky, whether he’s scoring or not scoring, he’s such a contributor at both ends of the ice that you’d never know as a coach whether he’s playing a bad game or a good game if you’re just looking at offensive statistics.”

Backstrom credits his quick start to the collective maturation of the team and to his beginning the season healthy.

The 23-year-old suffered a thumb injury last February that sidelined him for five games and slowed him down for the rest of the season.

In nine playoff games last spring, Backstrom was held to just two assists.

 “Obviously you play better when you’re healthy and I was struggling a bit with my thumb,” Backstrom said. “It wasn’t an excuse last year. There were just things that happened that we had to deal with, but obviously I’m feeling better now.”

Backstrom’s 10 power play points this season are also a League-best, and he enters Tuesday’s game against Dallas with four straight multi-point games.

Minnesota Wild goalie Josh Harding was named the NHL’s first star of the week after going 3-0-0 with a goals-against-average of 0.99 and a .968 save percentage.

Backstrom’s teammate at the 2010 Winter Olympics, Dallas Stars forward Loui Eriksson, was named the NHL’s second star of the week after scoring twice and adding four assists in a pair of Dallas wins.

Catch the Capitals and Stars Tuesday at 7:05. Coverage begins with Caps Pregame on Federal News Radio, 1500AM and online at www.wfed.com.

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Ben Raby, wtop.com

The Capitals have assigned D.J. King to the American Hockey League's Hershey Bears, the club announced Sunday.

King has dressed in only one of Washington's 12 games this season, skating a mere 6:58 in a 2-1 win against the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 15.

The 27-year-old appeared in just 16 games last season, and spoke to management late last month regarding his desire to play more.

In response, the Capitals placed King on waivers last Monday but none of the NHL's 29 other teams put in a claim.

"I need to play hockey," King said last week. "If I want to prolong my career in the NHL, I need to play hockey. No one can prolong their career if they're only playing 15 games a year."

With his assignment to Hershey, King should see more game action moving forward, albeit in the AHL. King is set to become a free agent next summer and would probably be best served to showcase his skills somewhere other than at the Kettler Capitals Iceplex.

King will continue to receive his full $650,000 salary, but his $637,500 cap hit will not count against the Capitals' salary cap while he is playing outside the NHL.

Without King, the Caps active roster now consists of 22 players (13 forwards, seven defensemen and two goalies), with forward Jay Beagle on injured reserve, and defenseman Tom Poti on long-term IR.

Back to Form for Backstrom:

Don't be surprised to see Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom among the NHL's three stars of the week when the league announces its weekly honorees Monday afternoon.

Coming off a career-low 65 points last season, Backstrom has been instrumental in the Capitals best start in franchise history (a 9-3-0 record through 12 games).

The Caps' No.1 center leads the team with 18 points (five goals and 13 assists), and is third overall in NHL scoring (through Sunday), behind only Toronto's Phil Kessel (21 points) and Philadelphia's Claude Giroux (19 points). Backstrom's ten power play points are also a league best.

"Offensively," head coach Bruce Boudreau says, "he's putting up (numbers) as good as he has before. But whether he scores or whether he doesn't, he's such an integral part (of the team) because he does everything else well."

Backstrom's ten power play points this season are also a league best, and he enters Tuesday's game against Dallas with four straight multi-point games.

In three games last week, Backstrom had three goals and three assists. He also scored both the game-tying and game-winning goals in the Caps' 5-4 overtime win over Anaheim last Tuesday.

Seeing Stars:

The Capitals return home Tuesday for their only meeting of the season against the Dallas Stars. The Stars have missed the playoffs in each of the last three seasons, but they sit atop the Western Conference at 10-3-0 through the first month of the season.

Dallas began a four-game road trip with a 5-2 win Sunday in Carolina. The Stars' top-line of Jamie Benn, Loui Eriksson and Michael Ryder combined for three goals and eight points.

Sheldon Souray, who spent last season with the Hershey Bears, has four goals and 12 points and is fifth in NHL scoring among defensemen. Souray's plus-10 rating is also a league-best.

The Stars have also benefited from solid play between the pipes, where Kari Lehtonen is an NHL-best 10-1-0, with a 2.14 goals-against-average and .936 save percentage.

Avs Watch 2012:

The Colorado Avalanche fell at home Sunday, 2-1 to the Calgary Flames. Colorado has lost three straight and five of six overall as the Avs drop to 7-6-1 on the year.

The Capitals received Colorado's first round pick in next June's NHL Entry Draft as part of the deal that sent goalie Semyon Varlamov to Denver last summer.

Varlamov is on a personal three-game losing streak, having allowed 12 goals in the three games. The Avs visit the Detroit Red Wings (6-5-1) on Tuesday.

Catch the Capitals and Stars Tuesday at 7:05. Coverage begins with Caps Pregame on Federal News Radio, 1500AM and online at www.wfed.com.

Follow Ben Raby and WTOP on Twitter.

(Copyright 2011 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

Ben Raby, wtop.com

WASHINGTON - Capitals forward Jay Beagle plans to skate Friday for the first time since suffering a concussion in an Oct. 13 fight against Pittsburgh’s Arron Asham.

“When you go down like that, it’s kind of scary,” Beagle said Thursday, speaking to reporters for the first time since the injury.

“You don’t want to come back too early and get hit and turn something into a two-month, maybe a [season-long] thing. You don’t know with head injuries.”

Beagle would not go so far as to call his injury a concussion, but the Capitals have been particularly cautious in treating his head injury.

The 26-year-old admits that he was looking forward to practicing with the team the day after the Pittsburgh game before being told that he would have to sit.

“I’ve been feeling great and they’ve just been really holding me back and making sure that this doesn’t turn into something worse… Even the day after, I came to practice and I was like, 'OK let’s practice.’ I was in the meetings, I watched video and then they pulled me aside and said, 'Hey we have to make sure that this doesn’t turn into something a lot worse.’”

The NHL has taken steps regarding concussion protocol and when a player can return from a head injury. Even in Beagle’s case, there is still one more test he must pass Friday before he can skate.

“I’ve never had a concussion that I know of,” head coach Bruce Boudreau said. “They didn’t identify them when I played, but if you feel good you want to get out there. You need somebody, for your own protection, to tell you, 'No, you’re not ready to go yet.’”

In the meantime, Beagle says that he has been lifting weights, riding the bike and working out in the gym. He says he has no lingering symptoms and is hopeful of a return to the lineup by next weekend.

“I think once I get on the ice, I’ll be ready to go hopefully in a week. I like to work hard so once I get out there and as soon as I get back in shape, I’ll be ready to go.”

Beagle has played in just two games this season, registering seven penalty minutes and three shots on goal. Despite the aftermath of his first career NHL fight, Beagle does not plan to shy away from any physicality.

“It won’t change my game at all, that stuff happens," he said. "You get hit in the jaw a certain way and you go down. It won’t change my game or anything. If I have to fight I’ll fight and hopefully that never happens again, but it's hockey.”

Catch the Capitals and Hurricanes tomorrow at 7:05 p.m. Coverage begins with Caps Pregame on Federal News Radio, 1500AM and online at www.wfed.com.

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(Copyright 2011 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)