Some of the on-ice news got lost earlier as I tried to track down all things swine flu. Forward Alexandre Giroux has been sent back to Hershey. Meanwhile, forward Tomas Fleischmann is back with the Caps after a two-game conditioning stint with the Bears but has not yet been officially activated. That could come soon because he traveled with the team to Atlanta, where the Caps play Thursday night. Fleischmann said his timing was an issue at Hershey as he tried to mix it up with players who had been in action for almost a full month. But he feels a lot better with some games under his belt as he looks to return from the blood clot in his left leg.
Forward Boyd Gordon again missed practice with a bad back. Caps coach Bruce Boudreau had thought Gordon would be back today. He did not travel to Atlanta and is out for Thursday. Eric Fehr is questionable with bruised ribs – though he did skate at practice. Keith Aucoin is likely the odd-man out once Gordon returns. Check out tomorrow’s Examiner for a story on Aucoin, who has a goal and two assists in his last three games and almost scored a second goal Tuesday night against the Flyers when he jammed at a puck loose near the crease.
Final note – Nats third baseman Ryan Zimmerman was out at Kettler catching up with some of the Caps, including coach Bruce Boudreau. Zimmerman was fresh off his hour-long stint Monday night co-hosting a special edition of ESPN’s Baseball Tonight show devoted to the top “web gems” of the season. Zimmerman was crowned “web gem champion” for his defensive exploits this season. If he doesn’t also win a Gold Glove next month it will be an outrage.
