ARLINGTON, Va. Dane Sanzenbacher Jersey . -- The Washington Capitals awaited word Monday on the severity of Brooks Laichs left knee injury, a setback that comes at a crucial time in the teams hopes for a fifth straight Southeast Division title. Coach Dale Hunter said Laichs injury was "not major" and that the durable centre was "day-to-day," but the coach also said that Laich had yet to be evaluated by team doctors. "Well see what they say," Hunter said. Laich was injured Sunday when he was rammed into the boards on a clean hit by Dennis Seidenberg in the second period of a 4-1 loss to the Boston Bruins. Laich was on crutches and wearing a knee brace after the game and did not attend practice Monday. Losing Laich for a substantial length of time would be a severe blow for the Capitals, who are already without Nicklas Backstrom (concussion) and Mike Green (abdominal surgery) and are in the unaccustomed position of fighting for a playoff spot deep into the season. The Capitals are in ninth place in the Eastern Conference and have been a .500 team since Hunter replaced Bruce Boudreau in late November. Still, they trail the Florida Panthers by only one point for the Southeast lead -- and the two teams meet with first place on the line Tuesday at the Verizon Center. "We miss Backstrom, Greenie and now Brooks," forward Alex Ovechkin said. "Its tough. Right now we have to be ready to play much harder for those guys and without those guys." Laich has 10 goals and 18 assists and is one of the most versatile players on the roster, a regular on both the power play and the penalty kill. He has also missed only four games over five seasons. Hunter said it would take "a committee" to replace him. "You dont try and replace him," right wing Troy Brouwer said. "Everyones got to bring a little bit more in their games. Its not like we can tell a player to be a Brooks Laich." Backstrom hasnt played since Jan. 3, yet he still leads the team with 42 points. Green hasnt played since Jan. 7. Neither appears to be returning any time soon. Ovechkin is having another subpar season, with 20 goals and 19 assists with 30 games to play. It all makes for a more suspenseful regular season homestretch for a team that was a shoo-in for the playoffs the last few years. "This time of year, weve been just kind of cruising and just kind of waiting, and not really evolved too much," forward Mike Knuble said. "So now this is the fun part. Thirty games to go, and were going to play meaningful hockey games, and every night matters." Marvin Jones Bengals Jersey .Y. - Centre Corban Knight scored 3:30 into overtime, and the Abbotsford Heat rallied to edge the Utica Comets 5-4 on Wednesday in American Hockey League play. Dre Kirkpatrick Jersey . Bautista led off the 10th inning with his second homer of the game, lifting the Toronto Blue Jays to a 5-4 win over the Cleveland Indians on Saturday night.The Philadelphia Flyers have signed defenceman Nick Schultz to a one-year contract worth $1.25 million. Schultz, 31, split the 2013-14 season between the Edmonton Oilers and Columbus Blue Jackets, posting five assists and 28 penalty minutes in 69 total games. Originally drafted in the second round (33rd overall) by the Minnesota Wild of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, he has appeared in 880 games with the Minnesota Wild, Oilers and Blue Jaskets. Schultz was traded to Edmonton in exchange for Tom Gilbert on February 27, 2012 and spent parts of three seasons with the Oilers before being traded to Columbus for a fifth-round draft pick at the trade deadline on March 5, 2014. Dane Sanzenbacher Bengals Jersey. . The club also signed forward Zack Stortini to a one-year, two-way contract later in the day. The 28-year-old spent the 2013-2014 season with the Anaheim Ducks organization, playing with their American Hockey League affiliate, the Norfolk Admirals. He scored four goals and added five assists with a league-leading 299 penalty minutes. ' ' '
