UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- For Capitals goaltender Olaf Kolzig, the sniper terrorizing suburban Washington is striking close to home.

	Kolzig

Kolzig said he passed by the school where a teen-age boy was shot last week only five minutes after the attack.

"The fortunate thing is I don't live off a major highway or anything and that seems where he's striking the most,'' he said Saturday night after a 2-1 victory over the New York Islanders. "I feel for the victims' families and what they're going through and what everybody in D.C. is going through. It's just another form of terrorism.''

On Friday night, the Capitals opened their new season at home, just hours after an eighth confirmed death was linked to a sniper who has attacked at least 10 times.

"We were indoors, that's probably the one good thing,'' Kolzig said Saturday. "It's gotten to the point that, yeah, you think like that.''

The Capitals are on the road until the end of the month. Another Washington team, the Redskins, play at home Sunday against New Orleans.

"It's totally scary,'' Capitals star Jaromir Jagr said. "Until they catch the guy it's going to be scary.

"You pay attention to it, it's on the TV all the time. Of course, it's a strange thing. It's not easy.''

Jagr said that during Friday night's opener he was able to put it out of his mind as the Capitals went out and beat Nashville 5-4.

"It's weird,'' he said. "You don't pay attention to that during the game. When people go to the game, I don't think they're going to think about it.''

Kolzig has already thought twice about doing what used to be routine things.

"I don't know if I want to get gas,'' he said. "I don't know if I want to go stop to get a coffee.''

The Capitals won't be back at the MCI Center until Oct. 30 after an eight-game road trip that began Saturday night.

Being away, though, is not a relief.

"Not really, because my family is there,'' Kolzig said. "I have a pregnant wife and a little boy and you want to be there, obviously.

"I don't know how I could protect them. If it's going to happen, it's going to happen. But I'd like to be home with them right now.''