The Battle for Russian Supremacy, part II

Tonight at the V, Ilya and Alex go one on one (5 on 5, actually, but you get the idea). I wrote about this earlier, but it bears reinforcing. I fully expect Alex to have a monster game, and break out of his mini-slump. Hopefully Kovalchuk will bring his A game, which should really set AO off.

I also expect a Brashear beatdown, but then again, there really isn't a night these days that I don't.

Caps pull out a squeaker, 4-3. I'd be a lot more confident about this pick if Erskine were back in the lineup. I think he's much more important to this team than anyone realizes. The Caps NEED toughness on the backline to keep teams from pressing at them all night long. A good solid rib rattling check keeps forwards thinking twice about how they attack the net. And Erskine brings that. Not in a Mark Tinordi way, but enough to make folks account for him.