Who: Pittsburgh Penguins (41-23-16, 98 points, 2nd place Metropolitan Division) @ Washington Capitals (41-30-9, 91 points, 5th place Metropolitan Division)
When: 3:00 p.m. ET
How to Watch: Nationally televised game on TNT, streaming on HBO Max
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Pens’ Path Ahead: Only one more to go in the regular season after this! The Penguins jet over to St. Louis to play the Blues on Tuesday and then the real fun begins next weekend with Pittsburgh hosting a Game 1 on Saturday or Sunday.
Opponent Track: It’s about the end of the line for the Capitals, they finish up in Columbus on Tuesday and then start planning for next season, barring a collapse by the Flyers.
Season Series: There were only three PIT/WSH games this season, today being the third. Yesterday was the second, which kinda a bummer to only play Washington one time in the first 79 games. That ended up being a 5-3 Penguin win in Pittsburgh way back on November 6th. Next season the NHL will have an 84-game schedule that ensures all division opponents play four times per year.
Getting to know the Capitals
Projected lines
FORWARDS
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Anthony Beauvillier – Dylan Strome – Alex Ovechkin
Connor McMichael – Pierre-Luc Dubois – Ryan Leonard
Aliaksei Protas – Ilya Protas – Tom Wilson
Brandon Duhaime – Justin Sourdif – Ivan Mirshinchenko
DEFENSEMEN
Martin Fehervary / Rasmus Sandin
Jacob Chychrun / Trevor van Riemsdyk
Cole Hutson / Matthew Roy
Goalies: Logan Thompson and Mitchell Gibson
Potential scratches: David Kampf, Hendrix Lapierre, Ethen Frank, Declan Chisholm, Dylan McIlrath, Charlie Lindgren
Injured Reserve: none
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There’s a lot to like in the lineup with young players like Leonard and Sourdif taking steps forward this year and the emergence of Hutson, I. Protas and Mirshinchenko. The Caps won’t be playoff-bound this year but still have some nice young pieces starting to matriculate to the NHL.
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The long-term injury to Dubois, who missed 55 games this year, ended up being a season killer. Dubois put up 66 points last season and helped both special teams units, it was an absence surely missed down the middle that a young player like Hendrix Lapierre just couldn’t fill.
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A lotta beef on that third line that goes 6’6” 250, 6’6” 225 and 6’4” 225. Also has the rarity of two brothers playing on the same line, which is pretty cool and hasn’t happened professionally with Aliaksei being six years old than his ‘little’ brother. (Hard to call any 6’6”, 225 pound 19-year old ‘little’, isn’t it?)
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The Caps might have to double dip and play Thompson for a second day in a row to keep their faint playoff hopes alive.
Season stats
via hockeydb (not including yesterday’s game)
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There’s a changing of the guard in Washington, John Carlson is out via a trade and Cole Hutson is in as the potential next top puck moving, point producing defenseman for the team. Hutson has looked the part, jumping straight into the NHL after his college season ended and already has five power play points in his first 11 career games. He’s still a teenager but it already looks clear that he will be a quality player for a long time to come.
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Veteran center Nic Dowd was also traded for futures and there’s a spot for young Ilya Protas (62 points in 66 AHL games as a 19 year old!) to make a move up the depth chart at that position. Somehow I. Protas fell to 75th overall in the 2024 draft, he too looks like he will be a keeper and is way ahead of the development curve of where his big brother was at the same age.
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Ovechkin leading the Caps in goals is nothing new or strange, but him being their top point getter this year is indicative of some of the problems. That team needed the supporting cast to step up and move past the aging star.
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Chychrun has 45 goals since the start of 2024-25. Only Cale Makar (50) and Zach Werenski (45) are even in the same neighborhood across the NHL as being consistent and very real goal-scoring weapons from the blueline.
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Charlie Lindgren went from secret weapon (appearing in 50 games with a .911 save% in 2023-24) to an outright liability this season. He’s locked in for the next two seasons at a $3.0 million cap hit, the Caps are going to have to hope for a bounce-back next season. Thompson can certainly handle things as the clear franchise goalie but the backup position and caliber of play was a big sore spot on the season.
And now for the Pens
Projected lines
FORWARDS
Egor Chinakhov – Rickard Rakell – Ville Koivunen
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Anthony Mantha- Tommy Novak – Justin Brazeau
Rutger McGroarty – Kevin Hayes – Avery Hayes
Elmer Soderblom – Joona Koppanen – Noel Acciari
DEFENSEMEN
Ryan Shea / Connor Clifton
Sam Girard / Jack St Ivany
Ryan Graves / Ilya Solovyov
Goalies: Stuart Skinner and Arturs Silovs
Potential Scratches: Blake Lizotte (injured), Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Ben Kindel, Erik Karlsson, Parker Wotherspoon, Kris Letang, Bryan Rust
IR: Filip Hallander, Caleb Jones (season-ending shoulder surgery)
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Since the Penguins pulled the plug on most of their top players yesterday at home, no reason to think any of them are going to come back for today’s game. Now that Mantha appeared in his 80th game and secured his last performance bonus, maybe he even joins them.
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Thought it was funny that the team didn’t even bother to list temporary alternate captains for the day. Rakell, Kevin Hayes and Acciari would have made good ones as a little reward for playing.
One last time for Ovi vs the Pens?
Alex Ovechkin has punted an official decision on any playing next season until the summer. He got a nice ovation from the crowd in Pittsburgh yesterday and the Caps were sure to swoop up the puck from the officials after Ovechkin’s empty net goal yesterday. That might have been a “just in case” move, but it’s crazy to think that could have potentially been his final goal in the NHL.
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