Wesley out - Caps hopes rising: Montreal is on fire, so it makes it look hard for the Capitals to beat them out for the last playoff spot in the East. However, the Carolina's best defenseman, Glen Wesley, will be out injured for 2-4 weeks. This gives the Caps the opportunity to beat out Carolina for the top spot in the shitty Southeast division. That would drop Carolina out of the playoffs and the Caps would get third seed!

Caps considering another jersey: I was mortified by the Caps' black away jersey when it came onto the scene (and never left). I can only hope that their proposed move to a jersey sporting their classic color scheme of red white and blue looks better.

Caps back in the eight seed: Gonchar, in his first game after missing five with a concussion, wasted no time proving his value. He scored his 24th goal, tops in the league among defenseman, and Peter Bondra scored twice as the Capitals beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1 Wednesday night. The victory moved the Capitals back into a tie with the Montreal Canadiens for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, although Montreal has played one fewer game than Washington.

But the Caps have two more wins than the Habs, which could make the difference over the next week...

Meanwhile...: The Penguins blew it, losing 3-2 to the dismal Florida Panthers.

I got to see bits of the game, thanks to the fabulous work of ESPN2 last night. They roamed the Center Ice dial last night during the Star-Blues game (just like I did last year when I subscribed to it) and showed a bunch of different games with playoff implications. Tons o' fun. I hope they continue the practice.

Kariya in the driver's seat in Anaheim: This summer Anaheim must qualify Kariya at around $10 million US to maintain his NHL rights. And, if he really was interested in money, he almost certainly would just keep a good monetary thing going, sign and quietly mumble about loyalty to his organization.

If he cares about his mental health, about winning, and even, ultimately, the long-term health of the Ducks, he will pass on the qualifying offer and refuse to sign anything the team puts in front of him. Such a move might mean less money in his pocket but a change in scenery almost certainly would re-energize this great player, who has been pretty much alone in an organization that cares nothing about winning. (Vancouver Province)

Jagr trade not looking good: Sam Ross Jr. evaluates the Jaromir Jagr trade at the end of one season and says, it still looks like Pittsburgh got shafted.

Let's misbehave: Tampa Bay goon Andre Roy was suspended for 13 games for leaving the penalty box and physically abusing a linesman in Monday night's 6-4 loss to the New York Rangers. Roy, who leads the Lightning with 211 penalty minutes, will miss the final seven games of the season and the first six games of the 2002-03 season.

He received 10 games for leaving the penalty box and three for physical abuse of an official. Both are automatic penalties.

After Roy and the Rangers' Sandy McCarthy fought, the Lightning forward left his penalty box and screamed at McCarthy to come out and continue fighting. He then refused to leave the ice and challenged the Rangers on the bench.

Beantown fright: The Bruins at Flyers game last night felt like a playoff game. Boston was down 2-0, but completely took over the game and won 4-2. The Flyers did not look that bad, but the Bruins looked fantastic. If the Caps do slip into the playoffs, having to face Boston in the first round is not an appealing concept...

All over: As columnist Sam Ross bluntly puts it this morning, "Elimination now a formality."

The Penguins' 3-0 loss to Montreal last night mathematically eliminated them from the playoffs. Fuck.

Leafs flutter in: Mats Sundin scored with 1:26 left in overtime and the Toronto Maple Leafs clinched a playoff spot with a 5-4 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Monday night. (AP)

Great news, but Toronto got some crappy news earlier. Goaltender Tom Barrasso will be out at least 2 to 4 weeks with a hamstring injury confirmed by an MRI exam on Monday. It was unclear whether the hamstring is torn or not, a Maple Leafs spokesman said.

The goalie formerly known as Swiss chees (Corey Schwab) was in goal for Toronto on Monday night in Detroit with rookie Mikael Tellqvist as his backup. Oh, nelly.

Pat Lafontaine still doing good:

... his book, "Companions in Courage," has been a resounding success along with his foundation that works to create interactive playrooms at children's hospitals. This year he has associated himself with Microsoft to create the Microsoft Hockey Challenge, which is a circuit of games to benefit the Companions in Courage Foundation. The circuit will hit seven locations, including Long Island April 6 at Nassau Coliseum. The game includes former hockey stars, celebrities, members of the NYPD and FDNY hockey teams and a club team from Microsoft. Among the host of former Islanders scheduled to play in the game is the team's former coach, Butch Goring.

LaFontaine, who had a stellar 15-season NHL career cut short because of concussions, said the idea of adding interactive playrooms and communications centers for children in hospitals is something pro athletes can benefit from, as well. (Newsday)

The King is a punk: Colorado Avalanche goaltender Patrick Roy was ejected Saturday night after smashing his stick against a goal post and then throwing it at the Phoenix rookie who beat him on a penalty shot 8:20 into the third period of the Coyotes' 5-3 win. Krystofer Kolanos beat Roy high on the glove side, giving the Coyotes a 4-3 lead. Roy, who had 16 saves, was upset that the penalty shot was awarded after officials ruled he threw his stick across the crease to stop Kolanos from scoring. (AP)

Skunked in St. Paul: Minnesota Wild forward Marian Gaborik said he used poor judgment this month when he was cited for underage drinking and driving. According to a police report, an officer in suburban Woodbury stopped Gaborik's car on March 4 because the license plate registration tab had expired. The officer smelled alcohol on Gaborik, who turned 20 on Feb. 14, and administered a breath test that showed Gaborik's blood alcohol level was 0.055 percent, below the legal limit of 0.10 percent, so he was issued a misdemeanor citation and released. (AP)