NOTES

"He likes offense. Last year you were scared to do something. I like it, the offensive type. I am surprised, I mean, 14 goals in three games for the Washington Capitals. Last year, (you'd expect) 14 goals in 14 games." -- Washington Capitals forward Richard Zednik on new coach Ron Wilson's offensive style that has led to the Capitals' 3-0 start and league-best 14 goals. A pure goal scorer, Zednik has moves that remind many of fellow teammate Peter Bondra. Strong legs that he works hard to keep in shape give him balance and strength that make it difficult (if not almost imppossible) to knock him down. Extremely fast, and has good puck control...first instinct is usually to shoot instead of pass, and that is very refreshing on a team of playmakers. Richard doesn't concentrate too much on the defensive aspects of the game, though is improving on that and it shouldn't be long before he is as complete a player as Bondra. Zednik, who started Washington's rally from 2-0 down in the second period: "I hope this game can turn everything around and we can start winning games, feel better and get confidence on the ice. When I scored the first goal, it seemed to turn everything around. We all started playing better." Zednik responded to being benched in Boston Tuesday with two goals. The effort not only produced the Caps' first goal of the afternoon, and the go-ahead goal in the third period, but also vaulted Zednik into the lead among rookie goal scorers with 17 in 59 games. Goalie Olie Kolzig (Germany) and two members of the Slovakian team -- wingers Peter Bondra and Richard Zednik -- didn't make it out of the preliminaries and into the medal round. Of course, their teams were playing before the players ever arrived in Japan. Wilson obviously hopes that trio gives opposing teams the same fits it gives computer spell-checkers. The second line combination isn't flashy, but it's effective. That threesome has Steve Konowalchuk at left wing, Jan Bulis at center and Zednik at right wing. Richard Zednik, Slovakia: It is easy to overlook Zednik's performance in Washington this season, even though he is the team's third-leading goal scorer with 13 goals. That means he is always around the net, making things happen, forcing action and reaping the rewards. At 5-11 and 190 pounds, Zednik is missed easily. But do not underestimate him, or he will hurt you. The biggest obstacle he will face in Nagano is working his way onto a regular shift. He has proven he can adapt his style; that is what finally made things click for him after two cups of coffee with the Capitals. Now he has the opportunity to do the same thing on a larger stage. But even if that doesn't happen, 2002 is only four years away. The third line of Dale Hunter centering Craig Berube on the left and Kelly Miller on the right has had time to come together and it shows. What would you expect from three of the team's old-timers? And some teams would kill for a fourth line including left winger Steve Konowalchuk, center Michel Pivonka and right winger Richard Zednik. But of that three, only Zednik, with 13 goals, has created much offense. Defenseman Joe Reekie, a locker room cutup, when asked if he was razzing any of his teammates who are going to the Olympics: "No way. Olie has worked so hard in his career to get to this point, I think it's great. And Calle is captain of the Swedish team. It says a lot about him and about our team. Peter and Richard (Zednik) going. Yeah, they're all playing for their countries and not mine, but I've played with these guys so long, I'm just proud of them. And I wish I was going. But, hey, you can't have everything." The third and fourth lines have been the most settled of late. Jan Bulis is centering Richard Zednik on the right and Steve Konowalchuk. Would you be surprised to know that Zednik's 12 goals are the second most by a Washington forward and third-highest on the team? These guys get far too little credit for their offensive contributions. Both defenseman Mark Tinordi and left wing Richard Zednik suffered broken noses in the first period of Thursday's game, but returned to the ice after treatment. Rookie Richard Zednik (flu) and left wing Todd Krygier (bumps and bruises) both missed practice Thursday, but are expected to be available Friday night. Richard Zednik leads all rookies in shots taken (77 in 31 games) and is fifth in shooting percentage (10 goals on those 77 shots for a 13.0 success rate. Along the way, they've seen Chris Simon (one goal, two assists), Joe Juneau (one goal, one assist) and Jeff Toms (two goals) come to life. Rookie Richard Zednik (three goals) also has re-emerged among rookie scoring leaders. Zednik, working with Adam Oates and Simon while Peter Bondra recovers from a bruised ankle has been on fire in the team's last two game. After assisting on Zednik's game-tying goal Sunday afternoon, Dale Hunter is within seven points of joining teammates Oates and Phil Housley in the 1,000 point club. Since Bondra was a late scratch against the Rangers, Wilson was forced to mix and match. The biggest beneficiary was winger Todd Krygier, who is stuck on 99 goals and eager for the century mark. Krygier was promoted to the first line with Oates and Simon, but didn't make the most of the opportunity. By the second period, Zednik had supplanted him. But without Bondra, the first line looked a little lost. Washington isn't out of the woods yet -- the Capitals still have plenty of injured players that are forcing rookies and inexperienced players like Gratton, Richard Zednik and Jan Bulis to carry heavy responsibility. the Caps' young players, Zednik, Svejkovsky and Bulis, have been getting a lot of ice time and have impressed. Richard Zednik - Great speed and goal scoring ability. He should soon be ready to make the team but like Volchov will have to show he can produce offensively before he gets a regular shift. But the Caps seem to have another rookie standout in their midst in Richard Zednik. The feisty winger has flip-flopped with Samsonov and Elias in the rookie goal scoring lead and currently leads with 17. Zednik has been one of the brighter youngsters out there with his devil-may-care attitude and the durability of a rubber band until he too was knocked out of play with one of those damn concussions. Zednik was obviously not invincible to the Capitals’ injury curse that has plagued the team for the past few seasons. In just his second career playoff game, Washington rookie RICHARD ZEDNIK scored the first goal in the Capitals' 3-2 OT win over Boston Sunday Zednik took a beautiful up-ice feed from D Sergei Gonchar in the high slot and stickhandled the puck into shooting position. Instead of getting off one of his patented blasts, however, Zednik actually knocked the puck under Dafoe by accident as he was trying to set it up for a shot. The mishap caused coach Ron Wilson to joke with Zednik on the bench after the play. "First playoff goal eh, Zed?" Wilson was caught saying by network television microphones. "It was a beauty. You roofed it." Zednik missed 14 of the final 15 regular-season games with a concussion and a strained abdominal muscle, but still managed to finish third on the team in goals Zednik on reaching the NHL: "It was my dream. I'd see these guys on the TV, and they looked so strong. I never imagined I could play against them. When I was 16 years old, we went -my team and I- to Canada, and we went to one game. It was Montreal against Calgary. We went to the locker room and I saw those guys, and they were so big and strong, I said to myself, 'Oh geez, I'll never play at this level.'" Q: What about Zednik's speed factor? A: Everyone said we were slower, but we didn't have Bonzai or Zednik [in the last round]. I'm very confident about Zednik — he's better defensively than he was earlier in the year, and I'm confident to play him during the whole 60 minutes. LW Richard Zednik (age 22): Incredibly strong legs, a sniper's touch, a potential star. Dominant going outside, busting to goal. His shot must be respected. Washington rookie RICHARD ZEDNIK's 7 playoff goals was the most by a rookie since 1991, when Chicago C Jeremy Roenick totaled 11. Dino Ciccarelli, who scored 14 goals with Minnesota in 1981, holds the NHL record. Both clubs have up-and-coming youngsters who have played huge parts in getting their respective teams to the Cup. And, surprise! Most of them are Euros. Detroit's TOMAS HOLMSTRÖM has been one of the team's top 6 forwards, while ANDERS ERIKSSON continues to develop into the solid performer he was projected to be heading into last season. Those 2 played in 1 playoff game last year combined (Holmström), and Eriksson did not play enough in the regular season to have his name put on the Cup. As for the Capitals, RICHARD ZEDNIK (6 goals) looks like the second coming of PETER BONDRA, although Bondra says his Slovak buddy is even better at this stage of his career than Bondra was. In the back, SERGEI GONCHAR has shown flashes of brilliance that lead some to consider him a future Norris Trophy winner. If his game is on, he has the ability to disrupt Detroit in much the same way that a flying SERGEI FEDOROV can give opponents fits. THE OTHERS...ANDREI NIKOLISHIN's name isn't likely to generate much response among fans, but watch him play and that will change. He's an extremely gifted setup man who helps linemates Bondra and RICHARD ZEDNIK look very, very good. His next assist will set a franchise record for helpers in a single playoff year. He's also very competent without the puck...ZEDNIK is Washington's most willing shooter (yes, he passes less often than Bondra), and that could help loosen up Detroit G Osgood. He's also faster than anyone Detroit has, although open ice is not something often associated with the Red Wings defensive zone. With Bondra opposite him, Zednik could find himself the beneficiary of Detroit's understandable over-emphasis on stopping the 52-goal scorer. If so, Zednik could shock Detroit fans much like he did to rooters in Ottawa and Buffalo. Wilson on Zednik in 2nd round of playoffs last season: "He's improved. He's much better defensively now than he was at the beginning of the season. I can pretty much play him for the whole 60 minutes." Detroit coach Scotty Bowman is well aware of the dangers PETER BONDRA presents when he's on the ice. But he's also aware that Washington's impressive run to the Stanley Cup, during which 3 other Capitals contributed as many or more than Bondra's 6 goals -- indicates the team has more than just one guy who can score big goals. "Everything used to be on his shoulders," Bowman said of Bondra. "Now he has got a lot of support. Now, they have a European line -- like we've had -- with [ANDREI] NIKOLISHIN, RICHARD ZEDNIK, and Bondra. They have some good strength down the middle." . BONDRA'S ABSENCE DOESN'T SLOW CAPS For the most part, the Washington Capitals were without leading goal scorer Peter Bondra in their first-round match-up with the Boston Bruins. But that did not stop them from advancing to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 1994. Bondra injured his ankle in the second period of Game 1 when Bruins D Hal Gill took him down awkwardly behind the Boston net. Bondra was helped off the ice, telling coach Ron Wilson that he broke his leg as he was carried past the bench and into the locker room. Bondra's injury was actually a severely sprained ankle and he returned to the Caps' bench for the final period. He played sparingly in the 20 minutes, leaving once to repair a chipped skate blade, of the Caps' 3-1 win. In Game 2, Bondra took just 5 shifts before returning to the locker room in obvious pain. He planned to stay there until the game stayed tied after one OT. Bondra then laced the skates back up and hit the bench, much to the delight of the crowd. Unfortunately, the Bruins ended the game in the first minute of the second OT before Bondra had a chance to leave the bench. His ankle worsened after Game 2, and he sat out Games 3, 4, and 5 as a result. Meanwhile, his team took control of the series, leading 3 games to 2 heading back to Boston for Sunday's Game 6. With so much on the line, Bondra was back on the ice, skating next to centerman Andrei Nikolishin and left wing Richard Zednik (see below for more on Zednik). Bondra was not 100%, and did not factor in any of the scoring. Washington's 3-2 OT win means Bondra gets 3 days of rest before Thursday's second round opener at home against Ottawa. If the Capitals can keep it up and Bondra gets back to his 52-goal regular season form, this team could have a few more between-series rests coming up before summertime hits. In just his second career playoff game, Washington rookie RICHARD ZEDNIK scored the first goal in the Capitals' 3-2 OT win over Boston Sunday. Zednik took a beautiful up-ice feed from D Sergei Gonchar in the high slot and stickhandled the puck into shooting position. Instead of getting off one of his patented blasts, however, Zednik actually knocked the puck under Dafoe by accident as he was trying to set it up for a shot. The mishap caused coach Ron Wilson to joke with Zednik on the bench after the play. "First playoff goal eh, Zed?" Wilson was caught saying by network television microphones. "It was a beauty. You roofed it." Zednik missed 14 of the final 15 regular-season games with a concussion and a strained abdominal muscle, but still managed to finish third on the team in goals One guy who looks like he's ready to make some noise is Washington F RICHARD ZEDNIK. After missing the first 4 games with an abdominal injury suffered in mid-March, Zednik scored in just his second career playoff game. He got significant ice time on a line with Slovak countryman Peter Bondra, who himself was getting back into the flow after injuries kept him out of Games 3-5. Bondra about Zednik: "He's got a lot of talent, and in the long run he's going to be one of the really good players. He could score 50 goals one day, I can see it. He's got the chance right now for those goals even though he doesn't play as much. The more he plays, the more experience he'll get and the better he'll read the game when he's on the ice."