-First, there were some good things about last night's game that got lost in the disappointment. Graham Mink was the man last night. He looked good out there, he said he felt good afterwards, and his four-point night was the kind of stuff this team needs down the stretch. Great effort by number 21. Keith Aucoin had another big night and started the game off on a good note. Alexandre Giroux continues to roll along, now with 40 goals down and still a quarter of the season to go.

-Other good things from last night included the boys getting help out of town. Despite the shootout loss, Hershey still gained a point on the Penguins who got thumped by Hartford 5-1. Bridgeport kept pace with the Bears, and the Sound Tigers are a legit threat at only five points back now, but they also lost in a shootout. As disappointing as last night was, it wasn't as costly as it could have been.

-The following is my editorial on last night's goaltending performance at Broome County. This is my opinion, and not necessarily representative of anyone else inside or outside the locker room at Giant Center:

There's no question that Daren Machesney is struggling right now. There's no question he has to be better, and without any goaltending help available, he is the biggest reason this team is struggling right now. No team can endure the kind of goals that are going in right now. No coach anywhere can put together a game plan where where the last line of defense is giving up more than one soft goal a game. But I give tremendous credit to Machesney for his character. He was one of the first at the rink today. When he could have hid from the media, he stood up and talked to Tim Leone this morning in the Patriot-News http://blog.pennlive.com/patriotnewssports/2009/02/mayotte_scheduled_to_start_for.html He feels the weight of the world on his shoulders right now, and he's more than aware of the circumstances surrounding him. And he is still doing the right thing. He's standing up and being accountable. It's not helping the Bears win games right now, but you have to credit Daren for being a man and not running and hiding because things aren't going well. I have more respect for Daren Machesney the person today than I have at any other time during his stay here. It is during the bad times that people in any walk of life see the true character of another. Anyone can be happy when times are good. It is what people do in times of crisis that show what they're made of.

It is ironic that last night's game was a tale of two goaltenders not surviving the first period. I don't know Martin Gerber. I've never even met him. But his body language last night suggested to me (and the fans at Broome County, who wildly cheered Jeff Glass's insertion into the game) that he's not real interested in helping Binghamton win anything. I used the word "disinterested" last night, and I don't back off that at all. He looked like he had better things to do than tend goal for the B-Sens last night, and for a former NHLer, that's unfortunate. I'm sure he's not happy about being back in the AHL, but his lack of effort nearly sunk his team last night. I don't see a lot of character there. I do see it in Daren Machesney. The bottom line in this business is winning, and Hershey is struggling right now to get the victories. But it isn't through lack of heart or character. Machesney is living in a personal hell right now, I don't think there's much question about that. But I don't believe his character can be questioned, especially when he's going through his darkest hour as a Hershey Bear.

On that note, take it away Randy:

CAPS LOOK TO BOUNCE BACK VERSUS ATLANTA

by: Randy "Rock" Johnson

JohnWaltonHockey.com

The Washington Capitals wrap up their five-game homestand tonight against the Atlanta Thrashers looking to wash the bad taste if Tuesday night’s 4-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Caps were up 2-0 against the Flyers, only to give up the game’s final four goals, including three in a 3:19 span of the third period.

With a victory at Verizon Center against the Thrashers, the Caps would finish the homestand with a 3-2-0 record.

Even with a win tonight, the focus may well be more on the points that got away during the homestand instead of on the points that didn’t. The 4-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche last Friday night can’t be acceptable to coach Bruce Boudreau, not with the Avs rolling into the District as the last-place team in the Western Conference. However, if you want to throw that game into the “one of those nights” category, fair enough. Every team has games like that. The loss to the Flyers on Tuesday, though, is a different story.

Up 2-0 in the second period, the Caps were in good shape. The game was a spirited contest, with the proverbial “playoff-like atmosphere” being thick as molasses. It was fast, intense, and physical, which is exactly what you expect from a Caps-Flyers game. Claude Giroux scored a power-play goal midway through the second period for Philadelphia to make it 2-1, which is what the score was heading into the third period. While you wouldn’t have chiseled a win in stone at that point, the Caps were still in control, especially with the way goaltender Jose Theodore was playing.

The third period, however, turned sour for the Caps. Scott Hartnell buried a shot high on the glove-side of Theodore at 9:11 to make it 2-2. At this point, the wheels started to fall off the cart for the Caps. The Flyers took the lead just eight-five seconds later. The Caps failed to clear the zone, and Hartnell picked up a loose puck and fed Joffrey Lupul in front of the net. Theodore made the save on Lupul, but Jeff Carter came in untouched and buried the rebound to make it 3-2.

Nothing makes coaches happier than getting offense from the fourth line, which is exactly where the Flyers got their fourth and final goal at 12:30, once again resulting from a Caps’ defensive-zone breakdown. Mike Green failed to get the puck out of the Caps’ zone while under pressure from the Flyers’ forecheck. Eventually, Arron Asham ended up with the puck. He skated around Caps’ defenseman Jeff Schultz, and beat Theodore on the stick-side.

It is fair to wonder or not the Flyers are in the Caps’ heads a tad. It seemed that when Hartnell tied the game in the third, the Caps lost their cool. Chances are good that the Caps will meet the Flyers at some point in the playoffs, so if there are any mental roadblocks the Caps need to work through, the game at Wachovia Center in Philadelphia on March 12 will provide a perfect opportunity to do so.

As for tonight’s game, the Thrashers come into the game in fourteenth place in the East while trailing the Buffalo Sabres by eighteen points for the final playoff spot. My guess is that the Caps have been stewing about Tuesday night’s loss non-stop for forty-eight hours. This may be a night you want to play any-and-every Capitals’ player on your fantasy team, because I have a feeling the Caps’ are in for a huge night.

INJURIES---Brian Pothier (concussion) indefinite; Chris Clark (wrist) indefinite; Brent Johnson (hip) six-to-eight weeks; Viktor Kozlov (groin) day-to-day, though the Washington Post is reporting he may be able to play tonight.

WHAT’S ON CAP---Tonight, VS Atlanta; Saturday, at Boston; Sunday, VS Florida.

Until next time…