Not that the Washington Capitals need an alibi, but is it too much to put this entire three-game funk on the atrocity of NHL all-star balloting? Feeling intense disrespect from fans, unable to rock the vote, much less the red, they have now scored an anemic three goals in nine periods at Verizon Cen...

BOSTON...

In his second NHL playoff game, young Tomas Fleischmann was dropped hard to the ice by Mike Richards, a jarring, open-ice hit. No one in the pressroom could remember what period it occurred, until someone finally said, "I think he hit him every period."...