Trouble here

This from Grumpy Caps Fan #2, fresh off his return from vacation, if you can call 8 hour flights and 2 weeks with sick (physically, not mentally) in-laws vacation.

"No Erskine. No Green. No Muir (hahahahahahaha). Eminger (YIKES). Schultz (let's hope he doesn't fall down when Mats Sundin just looks at him this game. I mean Staal). Boyd FRIKKIN' Gordon as the SECOND LINE CENTER (stats: 2 goals, 3 assists in last 500 career games). Kris Beech centering Brashear and somebody else on the 4th line. We are SKEE-ROOD..."

I guess you can tell that a positive attitude runs in the family.

But wait, in another email from the Deuce:

"Mention that I give the Caps about a 6.3% chance of winning tonight. So they'll probably win."

So there. If the Caps do pull the upset over Carolina, we can thank him for that. Carolina has won 4 of their last 5, with the lone loss coming in a shootout against Atlanta. The Caps meanwhile have lost 3 in a row, and 6 in a row on the road. They're missing Greenie, probably their most mobile defenseman, along with Erskine, their most physical. Their power play put up a goose egg in five chances last game. And their goaltending as of late has been comparatively underwhelming (which had to happen sooner or later, as both Olie and BJ had been playing out of their mind for long stretches).

Unless they can win this game 10-9, the Caps are in a boatload of trouble tonight. My prediction: Canes roll, 6-3. And I throw something at the TV.

And yes, if you're wondering, I do believe in the Bill Simmons' Memorial Reverse-Jinx.