Wideman hospitalized; Depleted defense corps

The good news stemming from last night’s overtime victory against the Columbus Blue Jackets was the two points gained in the standings.  The win brought the Caps to within one point of the conference leading Philadelphia Flyers.  Winning the conference remains an uphill battle for the Caps, as the Flyers still have two games in hand.  Regardless, if the Capitals want any hope of taking over the overall lead in the conference, they have to take care of their own business before worrying about other teams.

But that is where the good news ended.  News that Dennis Wideman was in the hospital hit the waves last night, courtesy of TSN’s Bob McKenzie.  If you recall, Wideman was injured Tuesday night against Carolina.  The injury occurred on a hit by Tuomo Ruutu that left Wideman in a heap on the ice.  He was able to skate off under his own power, and the team called it a lower body injury.  The diagnosis is a hematoma in his leg.  Hematomas can be tricky because recovery time depends on the severity of the injury.

On Wednesday, Wideman was listed as day-to-day with a lower body injury.  On Thursday that was down graded to week-to-week.  If there is anything to be optimistic about it is the fact that Wideman remains week-to-week.  At this point, all Caps fan can hope for is a speedy recovery, and that Wideman is ready for the playoffs.  He has been the team’s ice time leader since Mike Green’s injury.  He has been thrown into all situations on the ice and answered the call; whether it be on the power play, the penalty kill, or even strength.

But this wasn’t the only loss on the Capitals blue line last night.  John Erskine missed most of the game after a fight with Columbus’ Jared Boll.  John Erskine has voluntarily taken on the role of resident tough guy, and has fulfilled that role admirably.  But I couldn’t help but wonder if that fight was ill-timed.  The Caps had just four games remaining after the Columbus game until the playoffs.  With other defenseman already on the shelf, and the risk of injury, should Erskine have been fighting in the first place?  It is certainly easier to cast stones from my living room couch.  Erskine was playing the game as he plays, which I love, but with the playoffs just around the corner, I would advise all guys on the roster to pick their spots before putting themselves in situations that could result in injury.

Erskine is currently listed as day-to-day, and hasn’t been ruled out of the lineup for tomorrow’s game against the Buffalo Sabres.

The long line of injured defenseman also included Mike Green and Tom Poti.  Both are practicing with the team; however there is still no time table for either’s return.  Mike Green is hoping to get a game or two in before the playoffs.  So all we can do is wait.

The most important thing for the Capitals heading into the post season is health.  With a playoff spot already locked up, all we can do is hope the Caps dodge a bullet and don’t sustain any further injuries in the last four games of the regular season.

Up next is Buffalo on Saturday night; a possible first round playoff series preview.  Buffalo will be bringing everything they have.  It will surely be a playoff environment.  This is a great test for the Capitals as they prepare for the playoffs.

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