With the NHL Trade Deadline approaching, the Capitals had better make up their minds pretty quickly whether they’ll be buying or selling. With starting goaltender, team leader and future saint Olaf Kolzig on injured reserve for three weeks with a torn ligament in his knee, the team is undoubtedly thinking “sell”, if not thinking about reaching for the cellar of the league standings and getting into the lottery to draft Angelo Esposito.

However, the Caps have yet to be eliminated from the playoffs, and last night they held off the Tampa Bay Lightning all the way through overtime. In last night’s game, backup goaltender Brent Johnson stopped all the shots he should have stopped and a few that he probably shouldn’t have, including a brilliant surprise pokecheck on Vincent Lecavalier in the shootout. He looked more like the Brent Johnson who averaged less than three goals against in each of his first six NHL seasons and posted winning records in five of those six than the Brent Johnson who has had losing records and allowed more than 3.5 goals per game in the two years since Washington claimed him off waivers.

Further complicating the decision is the solid play of defenseman Milan Jurcina, who has contributed at both ends of the ice, and worked well with his former minor-league partner Shaone Morrisonn to give the Capitals a better top defensive pairing than they’ve had all season. Jurcina was a frequent healthy scratch this season for Boston, who are currently one point ahead of Washington in the standings, and was acquired for future considerations that are reportedly likely to be a fourth round draft pick, so it’s surprising to see him playing at such a consistently high level.

Photo of Olaf Kolzig by James Calder