The Washington Capitals

Washington Post staff writer Tarik El-Bashir was online Friday, March 14, at 2 p.m. ET to examine the team and the rest of the National Hockey League.

A transcript follows.

Post Coverage:

NHL News

Washington Capitals

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Tarik El-Bashir: Good afternoon and thanks for joining me for our weekly hockey chat. Just in case you missed it, the Caps have recalled defenseman Sami Lepisto for tonight's game against the Thrashers. He'll replace John Erskine, who is out with the dreaded undisclosed upper body injury.

So with that, let's open it up for questions.

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Washington, D.C.: Have you spoken to Eminger since the trade deadline? On deadline day you reported he was pretty sure he was leaving. And, now, he's still here and will be lucky to have played 1/4 of the games. Has he become more frustrated and bitter or his mood about the same?

Tarik El-Bashir: I speak to Steve a lot. He's actually one of my favorite guys to chat with.

He definitely expected to be moved at the deadline, and is definitely not happy with his current situation. How could he be? A guy (Erskine) goes down, and instead of playing him, they call up Sami Lepisto.

Eminger is beyond frustrated at this point. Something tells me that on breakup day (whenever that arrives), he's going to have plenty to say.

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Friendship Heights: Has there ever been this much parity in the NHL?

The Caps are 7 points out of first place in their division, 5 points out of 8th place and the final playoff spot and only 3 points out of being in the draft lottery.

And the west is just as muddled.

Are all of these extra points from overtime losses a good thing or a bad thing?

Tarik El-Bashir: Is that you Gary Bettman? I didn't know you participated in my chats. I'm honored.

Just kidding. The parity in the league right now is pretty amazing. Like you said, a few teams like the Caps are chasing the playoffs, but are only a few points out of the lottery, too.

All the three point games have a lot to do with it. I've never been a fan of rewarding a team for losing. But I don't run the league, either.

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Rockville, Md.: Why is nobody talking about Poither? What is his status

Tarik El-Bashir: I tried to get an interview with Pothier the other night. I saw him near the locker room, but he declined to talk through a team spokesman.

So I asked George McPhee about him yesterday. GM just shrugged and said nothing has changed.

I took both of those things as a bad sign.

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Newark, Del.: Are the Caps talking contracts with Huet, Ollie or Green?

Tarik El-Bashir: Last I checked (and it was recently), the Caps were in talks with Green. A deal was not close, though.

Kolzig and the Caps have not talked about an extension, and Kolzig said he does not expect there to be any news on that front until after the season.

Huet told me a couple of days ago that there hadn't been any negotations between his agent and the Caps, at least that he was aware of. (Players are always aware, so I took that as a 'no'.)

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Arlington, Va.: As someone who has a pretty good pulse on the team, what do you feel our chances are to put together a significant win streak down the stretch? Do the guys have enough in the tank physically and emotionally?

I really think we'll win these next two at home, but we are going to struggle with this 6 game road trip, and that could be our undoing.

I do like the struggles in Boston and Philly, lets hope those continue.

Tarik El-Bashir: I thought the Caps were done after Sunday's loss to Pittsburgh. There just seemed to be sense of resignation in the room.

But now, after the win over Calgary, I'm not so sure. My sense is that the guys know it's a longshot. But I think the overall attitude is that they've worked too hard the past three months to quit before the finish line.

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Washington DC: Tarik, how did Brooks Laich look today?

Tarik El-Bashir: Brooks was fine this morning. No ice bags on his limbs, nothing. Looks like he's going to play with Fleischmann and Fehr tonight.

He's got 11 games left to crack the 20-goal plateau. Considering he's an RFA this summer, getting there could put him in a new tax bracket.

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Takoma Park: So Carolina loses Brind'Amour and then reels off, what, five straight and then eight of nine? Sounds like a plan. Who should the Caps lose so that they can get things going?

Tarik El-Bashir: It's really amazing what Carolina has done without their captain. Many (including myself) had written them off.

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Hershey, Pa.: Any news on a new affiliation agreement between the Bears and Caps?

Tarik El-Bashir: I'm hearing that the Caps and Bears are planning to continue their affiliation. But nothing is signed -- yet. So stay tuned.

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Injury Reports: When will we first see use of the phrase "body injury" ?

Tarik El-Bashir: That's actually been an inside joke amongst the media for a while now.

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Pittsburgh: Tarik,

I'm a huge Caps fan stuck in Pens country. As such I hear local sports talk hosts put Crosby on a pedestal (perhaps deservedly so), but damn Ovechkin with faint praise ("He's a great goal scorer, but . . . " or he's selfish because of the number of shots he takes).

That last comment cracks me up. Nationally, how is Ovey perceived, and is he the MVP regardless of whether the Caps make the playoffs?

Tarik El-Bashir: Ovechkin and Crosby are such different players and such different personality-wise that they are impossible to compare.

Among the national media, I think Ovechkin has surpassed Crosby in popularity. Ovechkin's quotes are funnier and more genuine and he's a lot more accessible. I'm not sure he's turned down an interview with a major outlet yet.

That said, I don't think Ovechkin has to get into the playoffs to win the MVP. But that would help tremendously, obviously.

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Oakton, Va.: Tarik,

How hard is it to come up with ideas for articles on non-game days? Have you ever thought about giving periodic updates on how the Caps draft picks are doing? It would be great to know the progress some of them are making.

Tarik El-Bashir: It's not always easy to find something compelling on off days. But there's always something interesting to write about if you look close enough.

I sometimes post updates on prospects on the blog or in my notes. But I don't do it very frequently because I get very little feedback from readers when I do feature a prospect.

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Washington, DC: Do you think that Ted Leonsis truly enjoys owning the Caps or is he just waiting to get the Wizards & Verizon Center?

Tarik El-Bashir: I know Ted enjoys owning the Caps. I talk to him quite frequently, and he gets really down when the team isn't doing well. You should have seen him back in November.

But he certainly wants to control the whole enterprise -- Caps, Wizards, Verizon Center, Ticketmaster and the Mystics -- eventually. He figures it would be a cash cow, worth well over $1 billion. He fiures it would also be good for all the teams to be brought under one umbrella.

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Rockville, Md.: The Caps have to keep Federov, he has been great on the PK.

Tarik El-Bashir: Although Sergei hasn't contributed much offensively -- he's only got two assists -- he been a monster on faceoffs and very reliable in his own end.

I think he's also coming around to playing in Washington. But I don't see him coming back for one reason: $$$.

He's probably going to command more than the Caps are willing to spend on a player his age.

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Wheeling, WV: What has Brent Johnson been doing, and if the Caps stay alive, will Johnson even see any action (barring injury to Kolzig or Huet)?

Tarik El-Bashir: I talked to Brent this morning. He's handling an awkward situation about as well as you could expect. He's been a pro's pro throughout the whole ordeal.

But I don't see him getting back into the lineup this season unless there's an injury or the Caps are eliminated. I do, however, see him as the Caps backup next season.

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Washington, DC: Your update on Pothier hints that there may be more to the story. Is it really a concussion that has kept him out for so long. Or is it another Eminger-Like situation?

Tarik El-Bashir: No. It's definitely a concussion. I just think he didn't want to talk about it. Which is somewhat understandable.

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Washington D.C.: Tarik,

Do the guys ever ride the Metro?

Tarik El-Bashir: I don't think so. I know most of them drive (and carpool together) because I usually pull into the garage around the same time.

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Washington, DC: Related to Ted wanting to own everything, any truth to the rumor that the league said the VC needed dehumidifiers to make the ice better and Polin told them to pound sand unless it would help the Wiz?

Tarik El-Bashir: I have not heard that rumor. But it would not surprise me one bit. Lots of buildings, particularly in the Southeast Division, have dehumidifiers. And I do know that the league sent a specialist to Verizon Center recently to help fix the ice.

I'll dig around and see what I can find out.

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Washington, D.C.: I was at a really good seat at the Calgary game the other night. Usually I watch the games on TV. Was that game unusually fast and hard-hitting, or is it the difference between TV and having a seat 15 rows from the ice?

Tarik El-Bashir: That's the difference between watching on TV and being in the seats.

But I can say that Calgary was incredibly fast. It seemed like all of their breakouts began with a crisp pass defense to winger pass, and then boom, they were at full speed streaking into the Caps's end. The Caps, by the way, are also a very fast team.

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Man, IA: Not sure if you're in my (older) age bracket to get this reference, but would it be fair to say that Crosby is the Beatles and Ovechkin is the Rolling Stones?

Tarik El-Bashir: I would say that is a great analogy.

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Rockville: What is the relationship of Semin and Sergei like? Semin seems to be making better choices recently (no dumb penalties and not losing the puck entering the zone).

Tarik El-Bashir: I see Fedorov spending a lot of time with Kozlov. But I'm sure he also talks to Semin. I really wish I could tell you all more about Semin. He seems like a very interesting guy. He just doesn't want to talk to the media.

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Alexandria, Va.: I was really glad to see Backstrom get the assist on the first goal Wednesday (and initially, of course, it was announced that he had the goal). From my seat I couldn't see how the rest of the team reacted. Any updates? I assume they were quite glad he shook off Sunday. (Is it true that Crosby was laughing at him?)

Tarik El-Bashir: I think Nick has put it all behind him. It was very important for him to get that goal (even if it was later changed) right off the bat. That had to have been huge for his confidence.

I thought the Calgary game was also one of his better all around performances in recent weeks, too.

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Manassas, Va.: My friends won't allow me to attend games anymore. Caps have always lost when I attend. Most recently 4-2 at the hands of the Pens. Any advice on how to break the so called curse?

Tarik El-Bashir: Funny you should say that. The Caps are 33-30-8 when I'm in attendance. Yet my friends still let me go.

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Chevy Chase: What is your projection for Alex Ovechkin's final goals total? Will he win the goals and points titles?

Tarik El-Bashir: I said before the season that he would finish with 61 goals. Now it's looking more like 64-65.

I think he's a lock for the goal scoring title and has a great shot at getting the points title, too.

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Ashburn, Va: Tarik:

What is Quinten Laing's contract status for next season? Public sites dispute whether his contract was for one season or two.

Tarik El-Bashir: My info has Quintin signed through next season.

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Chicago: Just wanted to report that, for the first time in a long time, people in Chicago are talking about the Blackhawks. The team probably won't make the playoffs, but the front office has done a lot to make people excited about the future. Good young players-- Kane and Toewes....brought back Makita & Hull for special ceremony.... Rocky Wirtz has even put home games on TV.

Have you heard similar things?

Even so, when Gary Bettman was in town, he seemed like he was either unaware of, or wanted to downplay, the progress that the team is making in getting fans on board. I didn't understand that.

Tarik El-Bashir: People around the league are talking about the Blackhawks and the bright future that organization seems to have, particularly after some really, really dark years.

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Tokyo, Japan: As a die-hard Cap fan, I used to hate the Flyers but now I direct my hate at the Penguins. It seems like they've owned us for a decade - and just last weekend they pulled it off again (pure luck). Is this in the players' heads, too - or is just us Cap fans?

Tarik El-Bashir: It's not just the fans. The Pens are in the players' heads, too.

I can say that with confidencen betcase they take losses to Pittsburgh much, much harder than others. They talk about it. Ovechkin for example, really gets down after losses to the Pens.

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Washington, D.C.: Tarik, no question just a request - please ban use of the "P" word until further notice. Thank you.

Tarik El-Bashir: Done.

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Floris, Va.: Tarik: The Raleigh paper has an article this morning that shows suspensions of one-game or more greatly favor the six Canadian teams escaping the penalties while being prejudical against the 24 American franchises. Do you think the referees favor the Canadian teams vs. the American ones as the Hurricanes home town outlet implies?

Tarik El-Bashir: The author of that story is a good friend of mine and he forwarded me a link to it this morning. I had never thought about referee bias in those terms. But there seems to be some pretty compelling facts to back him up.

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Crosby's reaction...: Sid was mic-ed up for the game, and after the goal, he wasn't so much laughing at NB as he was just in utter disbelief (and elation), saying over and over again, "Did he just shoot that into his own goal?"

Tarik El-Bashir: I agree. I don't think Crosby was making fun of Backstrom so much as he couldn't believe what he had just witnessed.

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Tarik El-Bashir: As always, thanks for joining me today. There were more questions today than usual, so I didn't get to all of them. If I missed yours, please stop by my blog and ask it again in the comments section. I'll try to respond.

Let's talk again next week, same time, same place.

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