A little bit of sandpaper out on the ice, I think, might have helped the zone clearing cause during those 90-some-odd seconds that seemed like 90 minutes when five Capitals' skaters were powerless in the third period, clinging to a one-goal lead, to clear the puck from their end against New Jersey Monday night. The shift that ended up -- and didn't you just know it was coming! -- resulting in the game-tying goal. But there is no sandpaper -- well, certainly no sandpaper added from the offseason -- on this Capitals' roster. The absence of sandpaper, particularly on the blueline, seemed priority one for management to address during the summer after Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby read James Michener novels beside Semyon Varlamov's crease for so much of last spring. The Capitals looked helpless during that Devils' game of infuriatingly prolonged keep-away in the home team's zone, and sandpaper in hockey helps prevent and limit helplessness. Th...
Original Story:
