Varlamov out with a groin muscle strain

Let's start with the big news of the day: Semyon Varlamov, as I'm sure you've heard by now, is hurt.

The team has officially listed the rookie as day to day with a lower-body injury. But I'm told that he suffered a groin muscle strain on the last shot of the game in Tampa on Monday night.

Coach Bruce Boudreau said he hopes Varlamov will be able to practice Friday and play Saturday in Toronto. While that's a best-case scenario, I can tell you this: There's no worse injury for a goalie than a groin strain -- especially for a goalie with a history of them -- and sometimes these types of injuries take weeks to heal.

But there are some encouraging signs. Varlamov did not appear to be favoring either leg and was able to walk without even a hint of a limp this morning.

With Varlamov out, Jose Theodore is expected to get the start tonight against Ryan Miller and the Sabres. Miller, an early MVP candidate who has played all but three games for the Sabres, leads the league in goals against average (.935) and save percentage (1.90). Without him, there's no way the Sabres are challenging Boston for first place in the Northeast Division.

Theodore will be backed up by Michal Neuvirth, who has been recalled from Hershey and joined the team in Buffalo.

Theodore took a puck to the collarbone from defenseman Milan Jurcina (who has the hardest shot on the team) in the morning skate, but other than some minor swelling and a welt, he says he's good to go.

The same, however, cannot be said for Mathieu Perreault, who said he's not feeling well and thinks he has food poisoning. The rookie center is questionable for tonight.

Some other notes from HSBC Arena:

*Matt Bradley, who returned home for the birth of his son, has not rejoined the team. So he's out tonight.

*Alex Ovechkin on the suspension: "Can't do nothing about it. I'm not crying."

*Ovechkin on whether his reputation took a hit because of the suspension: "I don't care about reputation. I'm a hockey player. Sometimes you get in some bad situations. I don't want to hurt nobody."

*Ovechkin on whether he was bothered by the media criticism of his style of play: "No, not really. I just try to don't think about it. But I can't [ignore] it because of you guys [reporters] ask all time ... same questions. I just try to concentrate on my game and not some suspensions."

*Ovechkin on getting booed in visiting arenas: "Fans love me ... and I love them. Some fans like my style of game, some fans no. Everybody have a different mind and everybody can think whatever they want. It doesn't matter what happen, whether they boo me or not, I still love them because they are fans who come to watch hockey game and they support their team and not us."

*Bruce Boudreau on being asked the same questions about Ovechkin in every city: "I love talking about Alex because a) there's so much to talk about and b) he's so good and deserves it. But sometimes you would like [reporters] to talk about other people because the other guys are good as well."

*Boudreau on whether anything Ovechkin does still surprises him: "Oh yeah, he does that once a game. In Tampa, he comes over [the blue line], you could see it from our bench, Semin giving him the pass. As soon as it hit his stick, it was in the net. There was no chance a goalie could save it. We could hear it, the stick hitting the ice and the puck with such force. I turned to Dean Evason and said, 'No wonder he breaks so many sticks.'"



*John Erskine stayed on the ice for some extra work with Mike Knuble (broken finger) and Neuvirth. That could mean Erskine is the odd man out

*Although Michael Nylander has cleared waivers once, he was placed on waivers again today. That has to happen every 30 days -- just in case he accepts a deal that would send him to Russia on loan. There is, however, no indication that something is cooking.

I'll check in later with a lineup.