WASHINGTON -- Chicago Blackhawks forward Kris Versteeg left the Bridgestone 2015 NHL Winter Classic with a hand injury and did not return.

Versteeg blocked Washington Capitals forward Eric Fehr's shot from the slot 48 seconds into the third period Thursday at Nationals Park, and left the playing surface with a towel covering his left hand. He also left the Blackhawks' dressing room with his hand wrapped in medical gauze.

Washington's Troy Brouwer scored with 12.9 seconds remaining in the third period to claim a 3-2 victory.

"We'll know more tomorrow, but we'll see," Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said. "He could be out for a bit, but we'll know more tomorrow."

WASHINGTON -- The Chicago Blackhawks and Washington Capitals finished the second period tied at 2-2 on Thursday in the 2015 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic at Nationals Park.

Blackhawks forward Brandon Saad tied the game with a redirection goal 3:15 into the second period. It was Saad's ninth goal of the season. It came off of a Capitals giveaway that led to two bang-bang passes from Marian Hossa to Jonathan Toews and from Toews to Saad.

Capitals defenseman John Carlson tried to send the puck around the end boards to Brooks Orpik, but his soft backhanded pass off the end boards from the left circle never made it to Orpik on the other side.

The puck hit off the boards and caromed off the back of the goal, where it was intercepted Hossa. He quickly found Toews in the right circle; Toews one-touched a pass to Saad, who was cutting through the left circle with his stick out for the redirection.

With the assist, Toews became the NHL's all-time leader in points in outdoor games with five on two goals and three assists in three games. He also played in the 2009 NHL Winter Classic at Wrigley Field and in the 2014 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series game at Soldier Field.

WASHINGTON -- The Washington Capitals took a 2-1 lead into the first intermission of the 2015 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic at Nationals Park on Thursday.

Eric Fehr and Alex Ovechkin gave the Capitals a 2-0 lead, but Blackhawks forward Patrick Sharp scored a power-play goal at 13:36. The Capitals outshot the Blackhawks 15-13.

Fehr scored his 11th goal of the season on a breakaway at 7:01 to give Washington a 1-0 lead. He became the NHL's all-time leading scorer in outdoor games with three goals. Fehr also scored two goals in the 2011 NHL Winter Classic at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.

Fehr sprung himself for a breakaway after Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook was unable to keep the puck in at the right point. Fehr gained a step on Seabrook and went in alone on Chicago goalie Corey Crawford, deking to his forehand to tuck it inside the right post.

Ovechkin scored off a rebound from the lower part of the left circle to give Washington a 2-0 lead at 11:58. Crawford fumbled Mike Green's shot from the right point, leaving the puck out for Ovechkin, who had an open net to shoot at from the left side.

Sharp cut the deficit in half seven seconds after Nicklas Backstrom was called for holding Jonathan Toews in the offensive zone. Sharp beat Capitals goalie Braden Holtby with a wrist shot through traffic coming out of the sun and into the shade from the right point. Andrew Shaw was in front of the net screening Holtby.

WASHINGTON -- The question was set up on a tee for Washington Capitals defenseman Karl Alzner to knock it out of the park.

He crushed it.

Every Capitals player was issued Oakley sunglasses on Wednesday, but Alzner was the only player to wear them during the practice at Nationals Park. Alzner was asked why he was the only one who did.

"Because I'm the only smart one," Alzner joked.

OK, we'll leave the IQ tests for another day. On Wednesday, though, Alzner's solution to practicing in the sun became the envy of his teammates, and also brought about a legitimate question:

Is it legal for players to wear sunglasses during the 2015 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic on Thursday at Nationals Park if the sun is as bright and the glare on the ice as challenging as it was Wednesday. The forecast calls for a sunny day.

The answer is that the NHL is currently considering it, according to Kris King, the senior vice president of hockey operations. No decision had been made as of Wednesday night.

WASHINGTON -- Chicago Blackhawks center Brad Richards has become an outdoor-game regular. He's also undefeated in these games.

The 2015 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic at Nationals Park on Thursday will be Richards' fourth career outdoor game and third in just over 11 months. His previous three came while he was a member of the New York Rangers.

Richards made his outdoor debut in the 2012 NHL Winter Classic in Philadelphia, a 3-2 win for the Rangers thanks to Richards' game-winning goal at 5:21 of the third period.

He also played in both 2014 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series games at Yankee Stadium. The Rangers beat the New Jersey Devils 7-4 on Jan. 26, and the New York Islanders 2-1 three nights later.

WASHINGTON -- The Washington Capitals have put a white decal with the initials 'CR' in red on the back of the helmets they will wear in the 2015 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic on Thursday to honor Clint Reif, the Chicago Blackhawks assistant equipment manager who recently passed away at the age of 34.

Capitals coach Barry Trotz said the idea to put the sticker on the helmet came from the Capitals training staff.

"I think what you find in this community--the hockey community--it's a lot smaller than people think, and the trainers are very close. They're very tight just like all the players are across the league, the coaches; all that," Trotz said. "When a member goes down they all want to show the respect."

WASHINGTON -- Washington Capitals defenseman Brooks Orpik will skate in warmups Thursday at Nationals Park and will be a game-time decision for the 2015 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Orpik sustained a knee injury Monday in a 4-3 overtime loss to the New York Islanders.

"Brooks Orpik is taking warm-up and then he will tell me if he's playing," Capitals coach Barry Trotz said. "He's feeling much better and we will not put him at risk."

Orpik did not participate in practice Wednesday as he stayed back at Kettler Capitals Iceplex in Arlington, Va., to receive treatment on his injured knee.

Washington Capitals coach Barry Trotz has figured out that cutting ties with an organization after 17 years isn't easy, so he has stopped trying.

Trotz said he has made time to follow the Nashville Predators this season, and he likely always will, particularly because after nearly two decades with the franchise he now calls Nashville home.

"I check the scores. I've talked to [Predators general manager] David Poile a few times," Trotz said. "I thought at first if they had success I'd be a little bit jealous, but I haven't been at all. I'm actually cheering like heck for them because of the relationship I have with David and a lot of the staff there, and all the players."

Trotz said he has enjoyed seeing goalie Pekka Rinne's strong return to the net this season after missing most of last season following hip surgery and a subsequent infection.

Rinne is the biggest reason why the Predators are second in the Central Division with 48 points. He has 23 wins, including three shutouts, a 1.81 goals-against average and .935 save percentage in 30 starts this season.

Here is the Dec. 24 edition of Rosen's weekly mailbag, which will run every Wednesday during the season. If you have a question, tweet it to @drosennhl and use #OvertheBoards.

Let's get to it:

Will my #SJSharks finally win a significant playoff series? -- @Doug_WilsonGM

Well, this is on you Doug. This is your team. This is your roster. You put it together…

OK, I know you're just a parody account of San Jose Sharks general manager Doug Wilson, but this is on him anyway because this is his team, his roster, all of his players. To answer your question, I think the Sharks have won a few significant series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They did get to the Western Conference Final twice. That's significant. But for this team with this collection of talent, obviously just getting to the Western Conference Final twice is not good enough. And not getting back there since 2011 definitely is not good enough. The West is tough, but the Sharks should have done more with their talent by now. I'm not breaking any ground by saying that.

With that said, I don't think this is the season the Sharks win a significant playoff series. They look better now than they did early in the season, but I need to see them play consistent for 40-50 games before I buy in. And even then they still have to prove it in the playoffs. I'm leery about their goaltending and their young players. They talk about rebuilding on the fly, and to do that you have to go through some growing pains with your young players. It's hard to say that they're ready to beat teams like the Chicago Blackhawks, Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues or even the Anaheim Ducks in the playoffs.

NEW YORK -- They didn't want to actually come out and call it the biggest game of the season to date, but it's hard to find a game on the New York Rangers schedule that has been bigger than the one they will play Tuesday at Madison Square Garden against the Washington Capitals.

"It's hard to say, but it is an important game," Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist said. "We're playing a team that is right there with us."

The Capitals should feel the same way considering where each team is in the standings, the hot streak both teams have been on, the rivalry that has blossomed from four meetings in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the past six seasons, and the fact that their three-day holiday break begins after the game is over.

Washington enters the Garden with a two-point lead on the Rangers for third place in the Metropolitan Division. The Rangers have two games in hand, but Washington has one more regulation/overtime victory.

The Capitals have won three consecutive games and have points in nine straight (7-0-2); the Rangers have won six games in a row.