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Sunday, December 23, 2001

Compiled by Dave Molinari

Penguins vs. New Jersey Devils, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Continental Airlines Arena. TV, radio: Fox Sports Net; WWSW-FM (94.5), WBGG-AM (970).

The Penguins scratched C Mario Lemieux (hip), LW Martin Straka (leg), D Ian Moran (foot), RW Aleskey Morozov (shoulder) and D Hans Jonsson last night. The Capitals played without D Calle Johansson (shoulder), LW Steve Konowalchuk (shoulder), RW Dainius Zubrus (groin), LW Ulf Dahlen (foot) and D Rob Zettler.

The Penguins did not have their customary game-day skate yesterday morning. The ice at the MCI Center was not available because of a Britney Spears concert Friday night, and the Penguins opted against taking a long bus ride to the Capitals' practice facility in Odenton, Md.

Playing on the Swedish Olympic team is nothing new for Penguins G Johan Hedberg -- he was on the roster for the 1998 Games in Nagano -- but he might be in line for an upgraded role at Salt Lake City. Hedberg, the No. 3 goalie behind Tommy Salo and Tommy Soderstrom in 1998, was one of 11 players named to the team yesterday. And while his precise niche hasn't been determined, Hedberg figures to have at least an outside chance to supplant Salo as Sweden's No. 1 goalie. "I think I'm going to have more of a chance to be involved than I did [the previous] time," said Hedberg, although he acknowledged that "I don't know what [team officials] are thinking" and that Salo has a history of playing well in international events. "Salo's played great for the national team every time he's been on it," Hedberg said. "I really think they're considering him the No. 1 guy, but you never know what's going to happen." Hedberg learned that he had been selected for the team late yesterday afternoon, when his wife relayed a message from his brother in Sweden. Penguins D Hans Jonsson, who had been a long shot to play for Sweden in Salt Lake City, was left off the roster. So were several fairly prominent NHL players, including Chicago C Michael Nylander, Toronto RW Jonas Hoglund, Florida RW Kristian Huselius and twin brothers Daniel and Henrik Sedin of Vancouver.

Penguins D Andrew Ference seemed to take Coach Rick Kehoe's admonition about Capitals RW Jaromir Jagr -- "We can't let him be wheeling all over the ice" -- to heart on Friday night, because he initiated contact with Jagr at every opportunity. "You have to play him hard, or he'll eat you alive," Ference said. "That's the only way you can play against the guy, to be in his face."

Washington's defense corps has been one of the franchise's strengths for nearly two decades, but rarely, if ever, have the Capitals had a defensemen with the offensive abilities of Sergei Gonchar. He was the highest-scoring defenseman in the league before last night with 11 goals and 18 assists in 34 games and has a knack for following his forwards into the zone to give Washington an odd-man advantage. "Our forwards, whoever is coming back, have to be aware of where he is all the time," Kehoe said. "He's such a good skater. He jumps up on the play, reads the play. As soon as he sees that little opening where he can join the rush and make it a three-on-two or four-on-three, he's up on the play." Gonchar got a fluky goal during a power play Friday -- his shot from just inside the blue line caromed off penalty-killer Jan Hrdina and sailed into the net -- but he doesn't have to rely on luck to show up on the score sheet. "He can place the puck," Hedberg said. "He doesn't have to [overpower] the goalie all the time, but he can do that, too."

Washington General Manager George McPhee belongs to an extremely exclusive club: He is believed to be the only guy currently in the league who played for Penguins GM Craig Patrick at one point and later worked out a trade with him. McPhee was a forward with the New York Rangers in Patrick's tenure in Manhattan and, more than a decade later, negotiated the deal that made Jagr a Capital. Patrick, though, downplayed the significance of having someone he knew as a young man become a professional peer. "I feel old, anyway," he said, smiling. "It has nothing to do with that."

WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON (4-19-7-2) lost, 2-1, to Hershey at First Union Arena. RW Jason MacDonald scored his third goal. G Robbie Tallas stopped 36 of 38 shots.

WHEELING (14-13-1) lost, 6-2, at Toledo. C Jeremy Brown scored his ninth goal, D Mark Moore his third. G Tyler MacKay stopped 34 of 39 shots.