[05-Jan-2015] May the Injury Bug be Squashed FLAT and forcibly booted out of the Caps' locker room!!!

The Caps have been bitten hard by the injury bug of late, and it's been costing them...

• Top-pairing defenseman Brooks Orpik has been sidelined since Game 14 when he suffered a lower-body injury (details undisclosed). 
• If that wasn't bad enough, second top-pairing defenseman John Carlson was sidelined with a lower body injury of his own after Game 34, forcing the second defensive pairing (Karl Alzner and Matt Niskanen) into their skates. The number of minutes these two have had to take on has been rather high...
• Now, one of the Caps' best defensive forwards, a giant on the power play and in the faceoff dot, Jay Beagle, has been sidelined after having hand surgery following an injury he suffered in Game 36. He's expected to be out for six weeks recovering. 

It is fortunate that goaltender Braden Holtby appears to be made of adamantium, because Nick Foligno of the bottom-feeding Columbus Blue Jackets applied a high stick to Holtby's throat in the game they played on January 2nd.  This "accidental" play was not called for a penalty, despite knocking Holtby on his butt and removing his helmet for him. Perhaps Foligno thought it looked uncomfortable and wanted to help Holtby out of it... Or something like that... 

Let's hope that the Boston Bruins don't try any hijinks tonight... oh, who am I kidding? Let's hope that whatever they try, we foil, and we can beat their bear butts! Grr. 

I'm hearing that Orpik and Carlson will both be traveling with the team. Carlson skated this morning, but is not expected to play tonight; hopefully, both will be ready to come back soon, and hopefully, Beags won't suffer any setbacks with his hand... we need him back in the dot! 

Get well soon, guys!

Let's Go, CAPS!