Caps must Pounce on Malkin-less Pens
With 10 games to go in the regular season, we are finally going be treated to our first taste of playoff hockey tonight as the top two teams in the Eastern Conference square off.
An ordinary game? Not by any stretch of the imagination.
The Washington Capitals have been the cream of the crop in the Eastern Conference since the first puck was dropped in October, but regular season achievements no longer hold the same interest and fascination as in seasons past for these Caps. With 2 of their final 10 regular season games against the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington will finally get the chance to prove they have taken the steps necessary to take them to the next level.
Their games against the Penguins will be the most telling sign of the Capitals development and will demand nothing but the team’s best efforts of the season.
Yes, the Penguins are going to be without the services of Evgeni Malkin once again tonight as the reigning Conn-Smythe winner sits out his 11th game of the year with a sore foot, but is that a reason to panic for Pittsburgh?
If I was a Pens fan, I would be concerned.
During Geno’s absences this season, the Pens have been mediocre at best with the most telling example being the fact that Sidney Crosby has only managed to register 3 assists in the 10 games that Malkin has missed.
On that same note, the Capitals are going to be missing a few regulars from tonight’s showdown at the Verizon Center. The most important absence tonight will be that of Brooks Laich who will be out for the next couple games with a broken bone in his face after taking a slapshot to the face in practice. The puck, shot by Caps Dman John Carlson, actually rebounded off the cross-bar and dinged Brooks right below the eye. Laich’s injury will force him to miss his very first NHL game, leaving the Caps ironman streak to Nicklas Backstrom.
Also missing in action tonight for the Caps will be Scott Walker, out with a tweaked knee, Boyd Gordon, back spasms, and Milan Jurcina, sports hernia.
The Caps healthy scratches will be John Erskine and Tyler Sloan.
The sole beneficiary of the Caps recent bumps and bruises will be Quintin “shot blocking machine” Laing, as he will see his first action in over a week and only his 29th game of the season.
For the Pens, outside of the giant void left in the wake of Evgeni Malkin’s absence, it would appear that only Jay McKee will be a healthy scratch.
Jose Theodore gets the start tonight. This should come as no surprise as Theo has not lost a game in regulation since January and is clearly the Caps starting goaltender heading into the playoffs.
Marc-Andre Fleury is likely to get the start for the Pens as he seeks to regain some consistency in his game. The Pens netminder has not been terrible by any stretch of the imagination, yet he does not yet appear to have regained his level of play from the last two seasons and that may spell trouble for Pittsburgh in April.
That said, the Pens are in need of a win as they sit tied with the Devils for top spot in the Atlantic Division. It’s a must win because New Jersey holds a game in hand and more wins then the Penguins.
The Caps are only 2 wins shy of earning the title of Eastern Conference champions and hold a 7 point lead for the Presidents trophy.
Game Notes
Playing Pittsburgh – Goaltender Jose Theodore has played 24 career regular-season games against the Pittsburgh Penguins and has come up on the winning side in 17 of those 24 games. The Laval, Quebec, native has not lost in regulation to the Penguins since Jan. 3, 2006, when Theodore played for the Montreal Canadiens. Theodore was 3-0-1 last season against Pittsburgh and is 6-0-1 in his last eight games against the Penguins. His play this year has been stellar as of late, going 16-0-2 in his last 18 games, the longest stretch without a regulation loss in Caps history. The 33-year-old Theodore is four wins away from his fourth 30-win season in his career and his first in back-to-back seasons. He ranks seventh among active goalies with 241 career wins.
Summit meeting –These teams are the top two in the Eastern Conference. Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby, the No. 1 overall draft picks in 2004 and ’05, respectively, are tied for the league goal-scoring lead and have accounted for each of the last three Hart Trophies and Lester B. Patrick Awards. Add Evgeni Malkin to the mix and these teams have also had the last three Art Ross Trophy winners. Ovechkin, Crosby and Nicklas Backstrom are three of the top four scorers in the league and Ovechkin (517 points) and Crosby (485) are two of the top three point scorers in the NHL since the 2004-05 work stoppage (Joe Thornton has 504).
No way –Jose Theodore is 16-0-2 with a 2.40 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage since Jan. 13. He has wins in six straight starts with a 1.80 goals-against average and a .939 save percentage in that time. His 18 straight decisions without a regulation loss are the most in Capitals history and the most by any NHL goaltender in the last 10 seasons.
Home run –The Capitals, who own the NHL’s best home record at 26-4-4, return to Verizon Center for seven of their final 10 games. Washington has hosted sellouts for all 34 home games and a club-record 41 games in a row dating back to last season (49 games including playoffs). It is within reach of the club record for home wins (30) and home points (62).
Head and shoulders –The Capitals entered Tuesday’s games with a 16-point lead on the second-place team in the Eastern Conference. A win against Pittsburgh would put the Capitals in position to clinch the top seed in the conference this week, before any other team clinches a playoff spot.
Point noted –Washington is two points shy of matching the franchise record for points in a season (108), established last year.
Goal oriented –The Capitals lead the NHL with 279 goals, 46 more (or 19.7% more) than the next-closest team (not counting shootout “goals” reflected in the standings). Washington leads the league in goals per game (3.88), even-strength goals (205), power-play goals (73), home goals (133), road goals (146), first-period goals (82), second-period goals (92) and third-period goals (100). At their current pace the Capitals would finish as the highest scoring team since the 1995-96 Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Caps scored six or more goals in a game five times last season; this year they’ve done it 12 times.
Lineups
Washington Capitals
Ovechkin-Backstrom-Knuble
Semin-Morrison-Fleischmann
Chimera-Belanger-Fehr
Laing-Steckel-Bradley
Schultz-Green
Poti-Corvo
Morrisonn-Carlson
*Theodore
Varlamov
- Theo continues to get starts like he is the #1…is there any question of that at this point?
- From
Caps Insider -
“The veteran is 16-0-2 since Jan. 13 with a 2.40 goals against average and a .927 save percentage”
- Brooks Laich, Boyd Gordon, Scott Walker and Milan Jurcina are all injured and will be missing in action tonight in Pittsburgh.
- Tyler Sloan and John Erskine will be the healthy scratches.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Ponikarovsky-Crosby-Dupuis
Kunitz-Staal-Guerin
Cooke-Kennedy-Fedotenko
Rupp-Talbot-Adams
Gonchar-Eaton
Orpik-Letang
Leopold-Goligoski
*Fleury
Johnson
- Evgeni Malkin is still being bothered by a sore foot and will miss his 11th game of the year.
Special Note: the game will be broadcast on NHL Network.
Enjoy the Game! Puck Drop is @ 7pm!
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Go Caps!!!!!
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