If you’re under the impression that Bruce Boudreau and Capitals’ management are impressed with John Erskine’s postseason performance, you’re perceptive. You could also simply take a look at the scoresheet from Saturday’s game 1: Erskine took 28 shifts and skated just under 19 minutes. Apparently, Boudreau isn’t in the least bit reluctant to have this former tough guy castoff out on the ice against the best hockey players in the world, in any situation. He said as much in his post-game press conference today.
“He’s playing really good,” the coach claimed. “He’s underrated — there are eight teams left in the National Hockey League, and we’re one of them. And our defense has been much maligned during the course of the year. But these guys that are playing 15, 18, 20 minutes, they’ve gotta be pretty good to be in this company that they’re playing against.
“John’s just one real competitive guy.”
The coach went on to say that Erskine has evolved into more than just a tough guy — he’s counted upon to take regular shifts and to perform strongly during them. And he is. He is also paying the warrior’s price: we caught up with him well after the conclusion of today’s game, after all of his teammates had filed out of the arena, waiting nearly an hour as Erskine received treatments for his battle scars.
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