The Pittsburgh Penguins face the Washington Capitals for their first meeting of the season.
The Pittsburgh Penguins journey to the nation's capital to face their bitter rivals, the Washington Capitals. These two teams are in unfamiliar territory early into the season, as both teams are underperforming and have many wondering if this is the year one or both teams fall out of playoff contention.
The Penguins (4-6-2) are still desperate to end their losing streak, while the Capitals (6-6-2) aim to pick up momentum after a win over the Edmonton Oilers. Here are three things to watch for in this game.
1. Sid vs Ovi
The Penguins versus the Capitals means one thing: Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin face-off in their 62nd regular season matchup. These two generational superstars have carried the league since 2005, and are now firmly transitioned into the elder statesmen of the league. Despite their veteran status, it's still incredible to watch these go head-to-head.
Both the Penguins and Capitals will be relying on their captains to lead the way in this matchup. Ovechkin is still going strong in his age 37 season, leading his team with eight goals and 13 points in 14 games so far. His captain counterpart, Crosby, leads the Pens with 14 points in 12 games. Expect both captains to be at their best for this game.
2. New D Pairings for Pens
Coach Mike Sullivan made some adjustments this week at practice, and the Penguins will be running new defensive pairings against the Capitals. Here's how the defense looked in practice:
Marcus Pettersson - Kris Letang
P.O. Joseph - Jeff Petry
Brian Dumoulin - Jan Rutta
Expect this to be the defensive lineup for the Penguins going forward. Hopefully they are able to acquire chemistry quickly, or the Pens will be struggling again in this divisional game.
3. Injuries Plaguing Capitals
One of biggest issues with the Capitals, is they are decimated with injuries. They've been without top centerman Niklas Backstrom all season, and don't expect him back any time soon. Fellow forwards Connor Brown, Carl Hagelin, T.J. Oshie, and Tom Wilson are out for various times as well. On defense, they are also without top defenders John Carlson and Dmitry Orlov.
The Capitals have fared well given the injuries to their roster, and have hobbled out to a 6-6-2 start. Whether they will be able to continue this pace without so many key contributors remains to be seen. The Penguins need to take advantage of this shorthanded team if they want to snap their seven game losing streak.
The Penguins meet the Capitals at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., for a 7:30 PM faceoff.
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