Posted by Pierre LeBrun
WASHINGTON -- Team ESPN is in full force here tonight.
Barry Melrose, Steve Levy, E.J. Hradek, Scott Burnside and I are all here for the big game.
There are many media in the rink for this game. Senior Caps PR man Nate Ewell said it was the most he has seen since he joined the organization in 2000.
"We would have to double the size of our press box to accommodate everyone," Ewell said during warm-ups.
Meanwhile, veteran star blueliner Sergei Gonchar took the full warm-up and is in the starting lineup for tonight's game. Just how much of an impact will he have? Will he just be a power-play guy, or will he really affect the transition game in five-on-five if he feels good enough to play his regular minutes?
While Burnside and I chowed down on a hot dog in the press box, Russian hockey writer Slava Malamud dropped this note on us: Donald Brashear and Viktor Kozlov would play in the KHL next year. We'll check it out after the Caps' season is over, whether that's tonight or next month.
More from us during the game!
ESPN.com Stanley Cup playoffs blog
