The Bruins closed out a jam-packed preseason yesterday that saw them skate in four states, two provinces, and one district. Final cuts or possible trades will take place either today or tomorrow in advance of Wednesday's 3 p.m. roster-setting deadline.

Some observations:

* A lot of camp talk has centered on Blake Wheeler. Rightfully so. Wheeler wasn't just the most impressive rookie in camp, but one of the team's best forwards. Part of the reason for the chatter is because Wheeler was expected to require AHL development. But based on his camp, he's ready to play in the NHL. More importantly, the Bruins need his help to start a season that kicks off with four road games.

* One of the biggest question marks heading into camp was Manny Fernandez. Was his knee sound? Would his back hold up under the strain? Could he reclaim his game after more than a year removed from healthy NHL play? Fernandez isn't in midseason form yet, clearly. But he's trending in the right direction and not looking like the wreck he was in 2007-08.

* With Fernandez and Tim Thomas in their contract years, it's highly unlikely the Bruins would re-sign both goalies or let them both walk. So the guess here is that they re-sign one of the goalies, trade the other, and promote Tuukka Rask, who proved in camp that he's ready to play with the big boys.

* Veterans who had disappointing camps include Andrew Alberts, Marc Savard, and Peter Schaefer. One factor in Alberts's struggles may have been his long layoff after suffering head and neck injuries last season. Savard should be fine come the regular season. Schaefer, though, was on the bubble heading into camp. He was slowed by a hip injury, but he didn't help himself with his so-so play.

* Interesting to watch the once-conservative defensemen pinch, join the rush, and jump up in the play throughout camp. Claude Julien said he'd relax his leash on the D-men this year. Mark Stuart was especially aggressive, showing he can barrel into the rush but also recover when necessary.

* Put Matt Lashoff in the disappointing category. Lashoff only turned 22 last month, so perhaps he needs more time to develop. But considering all the skills he brings to his game, it's puzzling why he can't play with confidence.

* After Ottawa's win in Stockholm yesterday, favorite son Daniel Alfredsson threw pieces of equipment into the crowd.

Didn't know Alfie was auditioning for Slapshot. Da, da, da da da...

* Two games into the season, Barry Melrose is already ripping his star players.

They better get used to this.

* The Avalanche are optimistic after completing a 4-1-1 preseason.

Ryan Smyth, Paul Stastny, Milan Hejduk -- as nasty a line as you'll see.

For the first time this preseason, the Bruins went to the shootout. Phil Kessel and Patrice Bergeron, Boston's first two shooters, beat Jose Theodore five-hole with forehand shots.

At the other end, Manny Fernandez allowed a goal to No. 2 shooter Alex Ovechkin, but snuffed out Michael Nylander and Alexander Semin to give the Bruins the two points.

"Tonight was a good situation where I had to battle through," Fernandez said. "My team kept putting me back in the game, so that gave me a little more adrenaline and something to look forward to. I liked the outcome."

* David Krejci, who scored two goals, said he felt fine in only his third preseason game. Krejci had been slowed by groin and hip flexor discomfort. Krejci centered the third line and was on the No. 2 power-play unit. "Just tried to go out there and get back on track," said Krejci.

* Yet another solid game from Blake Wheeler, who played left wing on Krejci's line. On Krejci's first goal, Wheeler hunted down a dump-in along the left-side wall, protected the puck from Mike Green, and dished it to Krejci for a snap shot from the slot. "He really made the play," Wheeler said. "I just threw it over to him and he had a great one-on-one battle that he won." Despite Wheeler's cap hit, it's likely he'll break camp with the big boys.

* Andrew Alberts had a rough first 40 minutes. In the second period, he lost an edge and committed a giveaway that led to an Ovechkin goal. But Julien was encouraged that Alberts recovered in the third period and overtime. "What I liked about that is that he came back, redeemed himself, and played a pretty solid third," Julien said. "Those are things that I look at. There are mistakes made. But when you see a player being mentally strong, getting refocused, and do those kinds of things, that's what I like."

* The Bruins concluded the preseason with a 3-4-1 record. "Overall, I think it was a tough training camp," Julien said. "The travel that we had to do, the amount of games in a short period of time. Even when we were at home, we had a lot on our plate. Guys never really got a chance to rest. We're really feeling the effects of this training camp. The fatigue factor has certainly set itself in." With that in mind, the Bruins have tomorrow off and will resume practice on Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. at Ristuccia Arena.

STICK SALUTE: Kessel. Yet again, Kessel potted a shootout goal. But he also saw 1:34 of ice time on the penalty kill, indicating he might be due for PK duties during the regular season.

SIN BIN: Peter Schaefer. The left wing is on the bubble because of his inconsistent play and $2.1 million cap hit. Schaefer, playing alongside Marc Savard and Michael Ryder, had zero shots, zero hits, and zero takeaways in 12:49 of ice time.

Blake Wheeler is on the bench to start the third period.

Shawn Thornton gave the Bruins a 2-1 lead at 3:07 when Jose Theodore couldn't handle his bad-angle sweep shot.

But the Capitals tied the game with 64 ticks remaining in the second period. Andrew Alberts, starting the breakout, lost an edge and coughed up the puck to Alexander Semin. The Washington forward dished the puck to Alex Ovechkin, who rapped a one-timer past a helpless Manny Fernandez at 18:56.

* Blake Wheeler was shaken up with approximately two minutes remaining. After an open-ice collision, Wheeler lost his stick and was slow to get to the bench. Wheeler stayed on the bench for the rest of the period.

* Claude Julien has given Phil Kessel a good look on the penalty kill. Kessel has now been on the ice for two Washington power plays through the first two periods, totaling 1:34 of PK TOI. Last season, Kessel averaged four seconds of PK time per game.

* For several shifts, Julien flip-flopped Kessel and Michael Ryder. Ryder had a good scoring chance when he snapped a wrister from the slot that Theodore stopped with his blocker.

* A bad clearing pass by Zdeno Chara led to a scoring chance by Brooks Laich. Wheeler was forced to take a holding penalty to slow down Laich at 9:54.

Blake Wheeler set up Boston's only goal in the first period. Wheeler, playing left wing on the third line, won the puck in the offensive zone, then used his frame to keep Mike Green from taking it back. With his back to the net, Wheeler dished to David Krejci in the middle, and the center snapped a shot past Jose Theodore at 14:30.

Wheeler has one goal and three assists in six preseason games.

* The Capitals scored their lone goal when Manny Fernandez couldn't find the rebound of a Milan Jurcina one-timer. With Fernandez looking for the puck, Chris Clark pounced on the rubber and tucked it behind the goalie at 2:01.

* Andrew Alberts struggled in the first period. On one play in the offensive zone, Alberts pinched at the blue line and missed the puck, allowing Sergei Fedorov to break the other way for a scoring chance. Later in the period, Alberts had to retrieve the puck, but slowed as he approached it. That gave a forechecking Eric Fehr time to close on Alberts and force a turnover.

* Jose Theodore will start in goal for the Capitals.

Patrice Bergeron and Andrew Ference will be the alternate captains today.

Marc Savard, who wore the "A" for 51 regular-season games last season, didn't wear it during the preseason.

The Bruins must file their final 2008-09 roster to the NHL by Wednesday at 3 p.m. However, they must submit players who must clear waivers by Tuesday. Bubble players who must clear waivers include Peter Schaefer, Jeremy Reich, Nate Thompson, and Petteri Nokelainen.

Peter Chiarelli said with those factors in mind, the final round of cuts will take place either tomorrow or Tuesday.

Peter Chiarelli, Jim Benning, Cam Neely, and Don Sweeney have all made the trip, indicating that they're present for one last look at the current roster.

Only Chiarelli traveled to Montreal for Wednesday's preseason game.

A guess at today's lineup:

P.J. Axelsson, Petteri Nokelainen, Matt Hunwick, Aaron Ward, Nate Thompson, Jeremy Reich, and Vladimir Sobotka did not make the trip to Washington.

* Florida will feature a go-go attack this season under first-year coach Peter DeBoer.

These guys are my darkhorse in the East. Solid goaltending, above-average defense, and an aggressive attack.

* Alex Auld starts today after Martin Gerber got his shot yesterday.

Don't be surprised to see Tall Bald Auld make a run at the No. 1 job.

* Doesn't look like Marian Gaborik is close to re-signing just yet.

The Bruins are hoping Doug Risebrough takes a puck to the squash and trades Gaborik before Saturday's match.

WASHINGTON -- Good afternoon from the District, where the Bruins will conclude the eight-game preseason with a 5 p.m. match against the Capitals. WBZ Radio 1030 AM will carry the game.

Not exactly hockey weather down here today. Bright sun, not many clouds, nice breeze. Perfect weather for an outside brunch at Cashion's Eat Place, always a solid take.

The Bruins are not expected to make cuts prior to this afternoon's puck drop. There are 27 players remaining in camp. Only players who are dressing this afternoon are traveling to Washington. Hope to be getting a rundown of the traveling party before the Bruins depart.

* Manny Fernandez is expected to start in goal.

It's the annual Bruins media day and team owner Jeremy Jacobs is in the house. Now with 30-plus years at the helm of the Spoked-B franchise, the 68-year-old Jacobs doesn't sound like a man who will be investing in his hometown Buffalo Bills.

In fact, said Jacobs, the NFL does not allow a club owner to own another team outside of the league, and he said he is grateful for that stipulation.

''I kinda like owning the Bruins,'' said Jacobs, with son Charlie at his side during an afternoon news conference. ''The simple answer is, the Bruins aren't for sale, and they aren't going to be sold.''

On a follow-up question, Jacobs seemed to dismiss the possibility of his company, Delaware North Companies, Inc., or one of his sons, owning the Bills.

''It's a hypothetical,'' he said. ''But I like hockey.'' He also later added, ''I am in for the long haul [as the Bruins owner], as you've seen.''

Owning an NFL team nowadays, added Jacobs, ''is not as profitable as selling them.''

He also said, ''The days of making a bargain purchase [in the NFL] are long gone.''

* * *

The morning workout had the following lines:

P.J. Axelsson-Marc Savard-Michael Ryder
Marco Sturm-Patrice Bergeron-Phil Kessel
Peter Schaefer-David Krejci-Shawn Thornton
Blake Wheeler-Stephane Yelle-Chuck Kobasew
Milan Lucic-Vladimir Sobotka-Nate Thompson

Petteri Nokelainen and Jeremy Reich traded spots on the line centered by Krejci.

Coach Claude Julien still has eight blueliners in camp: Shane Hnidy, Andrew Ference, Dennis Wideman, Matt Hunwick, Andrew Alberts, Zdeno Chara, Aaron Ward, and Mark Stuart.

* * *

The Islanders will be at the Vault for a 4 p.m. exhibition tomorrow, and it's a good bet that GM Peter Chiarelli will make some roster moves by night's end.

Who doesn't make the Black-and-Gold cut?

Hard to read, due to salary cap implications specific to this upcoming season. Because the Players Association has yet to declare whether or not it will opt out of the CBA after this season, about one-third of the teams in the league, including the Bruins, have little room to deal around the $56.7 million cap.

In Boston's case, if Chiarelli want to keep Blake Wheeler on the team, it will come with a charge approaching $3 million against the cap. For that kind of space, Chiarelli might have to deal a veteran or two. Is there a taker out there for Peter Schaefer? Probably not. If he goes, it likely would be via waivers. P.J. Axelsson would bring bidders, but he remains a valuable piece of the overall team scheme, and his deal also limits the number of teams to which he would accept a trade.

All in all, tough work.

''If I could go back in time,'' said the amiable Wheeler, ''I'd slash my cap number in half. But, hey, that's the way things are, and I have no control over that situation.''

* * *
The club's cognescenti watched practice from a corner of the arena. Jacobs sat next to son Charlie, the club's executive VP, along with Chiarelli. Cam Neely, Jim Benning, and Don Sweeney also were in house.

* * *

The senior Jacobs remains optimistic that the players will not opt out of the CBA. Based on all-too-familiar history, NHL players without a collectively bargained deal usually end up locked-out, and out of work.

''Pragmatically,'' said Jacobs, who is also director of the league's Board of Governors, ''I think they should continue the course they've got--they've never been richer.''

Recognizing that, added Jacobs, he doesn't have a firm read what the players will do in the weeks and months ahead.

* * *

Julien on the upcoming season:

''We are going to push as hard as we can, to be the best we can--and that can be anything.''

Chiarelli credited Julien with bringing structure into the team's play, and helping to ''shore up'' the club's overall defensive play.

* * *

Chiarelli said that Tuukka Rask, the club's goalie of the future, was disappointed to learn Thursday that his address for the near future will be Providence (AHL).

The GM said he took time to explain to Rask that the 21-year-old 'keeper remains a vital part of the team's overall building strategy.

''I told him what we've got in mind for him,'' said Chiarelli. ''But I think it went in one ear and out the other.''

* * *

Harry Sinden, who remains on the payroll as senior advisor to the senior Jacobs, did not participate in the day's festivities. He has taken a discernably lower profile in the last 24 months, and especially since April, when he noted in a column penned by the Globe's Dan Shaughnessy that he was not a fan of top center Marc Savard's play. Some of Sinden's remarks, though left to interpretation, also seemed to raise the question as to whether he liked Julien's coaching style.

* Andrew Raycroft will make his Pepsi Center preseason debut tonight.

Think the Bruins will see Rayzor next Thursday in the season opener?

* Georges Laraque's groin injury is getting better.

Tough guys around the league were hoping Laraque's injury would keep sidelined for a just bit longer.

* Bobby Ryan might have to start the season in Des Moines because of his steep entry-level contract.

Unfortunate deal for the guy picked behind Sidney Crosby. He deserves to make the big club.

This fraud of a wanna-be GM made a big-league goof today by not including Glen Murray's buyout money in Boston's cap number.

By adding Murray's buyout dough to the cap numbers of the 23 players detailed earlier, the Bruins' total hit comes to $56,457,499. That's squeaking just under the $56.7 million cap ceiling, leaving virtually no flexibility.

Mark Stuart didn't practice today because the charley horse he sustained on his right leg last Saturday hasn't healed completely. Stuart said the leg started bothering him again last night against Montreal. But Stuart said he'd most likely be ready to practice tomorrow.

* Petteri Nokelainen (hip/groin) joined Stuart off the ice. Nokelainen is still considered day-to-day.

* Claude Julien said both Zdeno Chara and Shane Hnidy were sore today, as expected. Both defensemen appeared in preseason action for the first time last night. Both made it through practice today without limitations.

* The Bruins will most likely make one final round of cuts after Saturday's home game against the Islanders to get down to at least 23 players. "We've got some tough decisions," said Julien. "Some of it involves upper management. Some of it involves us as coaches."

No surprise that Tuukka Rask, Jeff Penner, Martin St. Pierre, and Matt Lashoff are the four most recent cuts.

* Rask had the best camp of the three goalies, but had several factors against him: his inexperience and his $3.2 million cap hit. Claude Julien was quick to point out that Rask had a terrific camp and can be counted on if either Tim Thomas or Manny Fernandez suffers an injury.

* Jeff Penner was one of the biggest surprises in camp. The first-year pro played with poise and did all the little things -- skate well, move the puck efficiently, position himself defensively. He needs to get stronger in the danger areas, but the Bruins like what they saw from Penner.

* St. Pierre, if he clears waivers, will center one of the top two lines in Providence.

* Lashoff had a disappointing camp. Not much development in his game from last year. Has all the skills but looked jumpy and didn't play with confidence. Needs to work on turning and retrieving pucks, then making quick, correct decisions when getting it up the ice. The Bruins like his game from the offensive blue line in.

Tuuka Rask, Matt Lashoff, Jeff Penner, and Martin St. Pierre have been assigned to Providence.

The Bruins have 27 players remaining in camp.