Game 37 Preview: Penguins Host Capitals

Matt Bodenschatz | Pittsburgh Penguins

Dec 27, 02:49 PM | Hype this story!

 at

7:30 @ Mellon Arena
FSN Pittsburgh, CSNW (Washington)
Season Score: Pittsburgh 1, Washington 0
 
Inside The Game
It’s two days after Christmas and Santa Clause just keeps bringing the presents!  What better way to extend the Christmas holiday than to have a classic Sidney Crosby versus Alexander Ovechkin showdown?  Oh wait, I’ll stop.  This story is overplayed, so we’ll look in another direction…

The good news for the Pittsburgh Penguins is that forwards Maxime Talbot (ankle sprain) and Ryan Malone (leg infection) returned to the ice yesterday and are getting closer to returning to game action.  The bad news is that defenseman Mark Eaton (torn ACL) could miss the balance of the season and goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (ankle sprain) still is more than a month away from returning to action.

With Eaton out of the lineup, Brooks Orpik has an opportunity to reclaim a spot in the starting lineup and, according to ESPN radio out of Pittsburgh, will be paired with Kristopher Letang.  The other pairings will see Rob Scuderi replace Eaton on the top unit with Sergei Gonchar and the second unit will see Darryl Sydor paired with Ryan Whitney.  Ty Conklin, who has won both of his starts this season, will man the pipes.

The good news for the Washington Capitals is that their poor record is pointing them in the direction of yet another lottery draft pick.  The bad news is that, well, their poor play is…poor.  There’s not much good to talk about in D.C., other than Ovechkin, and even discussion about him in recent weeks has been focused around a potential trade.

Since I’m eliminating the prediction section the generally follows this segment, I figure I’ll point out that this is a game the Penguins should win.  And, since heavyweights George Laraque and Donald Brashear already have tangled this season, the likelihood of a good old fashioned throw-down is pretty high.
 
Standings
  GP W L OT Pts Division Conference League
Penguins 36 18 16 2 38 4, Atlantic 9, Eastern 19, NHL
Capitals 37 14 19 4 32 2, Northeast 15, Eastern 29, NHL
                 
Team Stats
  GF GA PP% PK% Home Away L 10 Streak
Penguins 103 108 19.0 79.3 8-8-2 10-8-0 6-4-0 1 win
Capitals 95 112 16.0 81.9 7-10-1 7-9-3 5-3-2 1 win
                 
Team Leaders
Stat # Penguins Stat # Capitals
Goals 16 Crosby Goals 25 Ovechkin
Assists 32 Crosby Assists 22 Nylander
Points 48 Crosby Points 42 Ovechkin
PIMs 59 Malone PIMs 49 Brashear
Wins 9 Fleury Wins 11 Kolzig
 
Injuries
Penguins Injury Capitals Injury
Eaton, IR
Malone, DTD
Fleury, IR
Talbot, IR		 Torn ACL
Leg Infection
High Ankle Sprain
High Ankle Sprain		 Gordon, IR
Clark, IR
Fehr, IR
 		 Fractured right hand
Groin
Back/hip
 
       
Note: Info up-to-date as of 1:45 am, Thursday, December 27, 2007.

Comments

  1. DaBich

    Dec 28, 06:36 AM

    Well, let me put it this way. I was happy for a win, even if it was in OT. But it’s not a good sign that we had to struggle to beat a struggling team.

  2. Matt Bodenschatz

    Dec 28, 11:23 AM

    Take away Gonchar’s two giveaways, and the Penguins win 3-1. From what I saw, the team played pretty well last night aside from Gonchar’s two setups. That can happen to any team if just one player isn’t completely focused.

    It’s also important to note that the Caps sit at the bottom of the standings, but they also have won eight of their last 13 or something like that. They’re a poor team, but they have been playing very well lately.

  3. DaBich

    Dec 28, 11:25 AM

    Giving away the puck is something we consistently do. If it’s not Gonchar, it’s Whitney. If it’s not Whitney, it’s Malkin. It’s always someone.
    Maybe I am pessimistic right now, but i don’t see this team going very far this season.

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