Live from the Igloo (Updated)
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By Corey Masisak The Washington Times - October 16, 2008, 11:54AM
The Caps are going through the morning skate right now at Mellon Arena. Donald Brashear is not on the ice and Bruce Boudreau said he's not going to play tonight. Here are what the lines like:
Ovechkin-Backstrom-Clark
Laich-Fedorov-Semin
Fleischmann-Nylander-Fehr
NOTE: Boudreau SAYS Fedorov and Nylander will be flipped like they were at practice yesterday.
Steckel-Gordon-Bradley
Matt Cooke will not play for the Penguins tonight. When asked if it was upper or lower body, he said middle, but that it is not serious.
UPDATE: Cooke is starting to settle in with his new team. He is one of several new faces in the dressing room, and a couple of players at practice yesterday said the trip to Europe during the preseason helped the chemistry-building a lot.
That doesn't mean it isn't weird for Cooke to see his former teammates in the other dressing room.
"Obviously I have a pretty good bond with most of the guys in that room," Cooke said. "We went through a pretty emotional time and we came together in a hurry to play well. It is part of the game and these situations happen."
Cooke said there was a consideration from his end to stay in Washington, but it didn't work out. It became pretty from the Caps end when they re-signed Matt Bradley that there wasn't going to be a spot for Cooke in a crowded Washington forward group.
He does have the distinction of being the only guy to suit up with both Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby (he thought he was the second, but he is really the first). Kris Beech was a teammate of both, but has never been in the lineup with both.
"Yeah I hope that's not my only claim to fame," Cooke said with a laugh. "It has been special. My time with Alex — we hit it off and got along really well and have a mutual respect as do Sid and myself. I feel honored to have played with two such amazing players."
Lastly, Boudreau confirmed that Jose Theodore will get the start in net for the Caps. He's also not worried about not having Brashear in the lineup. The Penguins don't have Georges Laraque anymore, but Eric Godard isn't a lightweight when it comes to the league's pugalists.
"Godard is a really tough guy," Boudreau said. "Our guys hav been through wars against tough players before and they have a lot of courage."
As for Godard's bout with Riley Cote the other night: "It was pretty good. I am just glad I wasn't a recipient of either side of that."
Corey Masisak
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