Washington welcomes the Pittsburgh Penguins after beating Edmonton Monday night.
The Washington Capitals got back in the win column after beating the Oilers Monday Night. The team is looking to build on the success of that game by beating their rival’s the Pittsburgh Penguins, who have lost 7 straight games. This matchup is always very physical and high intensity.
Both, the Penguins and Capitals are banged up with multiple players on the injury list. The Capitals have over 40 million in payroll on the injury list, while the Penguins have around 5 players on the injury list. This brings the next man up mentality to the team. Alex Alexeyev is being activated from the injured non roster list, and is expected to make his season debut tonight.
Two of the leagues biggest superstars are playing in this game in Sidney Crosby, and Alex Ovechkin. The two players have been linked and compared almost their entire careers. They are tied in overall career points scored. This will be a game of which superstar wants to shine brighter.
The Capitals have been playing stellar on both sides of the ice, passing to find the open shot, as well as defending very well. The Caps have been utilizing the boards in order to get the puck out of the defensive zone as well as poke checking very well, to frustrate the opposition. This has allowed the defense to not only be more relaxed in the zone, but also in frustrating the opposition, makes them rush shots and take very poorly aimed shots.
In goal, Darcy Kuemper is expected to get the start, and his play in net has been phenomenal.
