Ovechkin feeling 'a lot' better

Alex Ovechkin didn't take the morning skate and will miss his first game of the season tonight in New Jersey. But two-time MVP had some encouraging news for Coach Bruce Boudreau when the two spoke at Prudential Center earlier. "He said he's feeling better today, a lot better today," Boudreau said. "I was excited about that. I don't know how much better 'a lot better' is. But he's telling me he felt a lot better today. That's a positive sign. I think he's getting bored not practicing." Ovechkin suffered what's believed to be a strained left shoulder in Sunday's overtime loss to Columbus. He's officially listed as week to week with an upper-body injury. (link)