Game 11 Preview: Capitals Vs. Penguins
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – After spending the last two games on the road, the Pittsburgh Penguins will return home tonight to take on the Washington Capitals.
This will be the second meeting between the two clubs in mere days. On Sunday, the Penguins doubled up the Capitals 6-3.
Chris Kunitz scored four goals in the game and Sidney Crosby had three assists to help lead the Penguins to victory.
On Tuesday, the Penguins avenged an ugly home loss to the Islanders with a 4-2 decision on Long Island to extend their winning streak to four games.
As for the Capitals, they would probably like to push the reset button on this season with how things have gone so far.
Entering tonight's game, the Capitals are in last place in the Southeast Division with a 2-7-1 record. Making matters worse, the Capitals are 0-3-1 on the road.
The team has only scored nine goals on the road, while allowing 15. Overall, the team has scored 23 goals, while allowing 36. Their minus-13 goal differential is the worst in the NHL entering play tonight.
Mike Ribeiro leads the team with 11 points (three goals, eight assists), while Joel Ward leads the team in goals with four.
What about Alex Ovechkin? The "Great Eight" has struggled out of the blocks this season with only two goals and three assists to go along with a minus-four rating.
It's also worth noting that both of his goals have come on the power play, four of his five points have come on the power play and he has only recorded one point on the road.
In goal, Michal Neuvirth (1-4-1, 2.99 GAA, .893 save percentage) is expected to get the start against the Penguins.
He has appeared in four games against the Penguins and has a 2-0 record with a 1.46 GAA, .948 save percentage and two shutouts.
For Pittsburgh, Crosby continues to lead the way with 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) and has seven points in his last three games.
James Neal and Kunitz are currently tied for the team lead in goals with six each. Both also have three goals on the power play.
Tomas Vokoun (3-1, 2.08 GAA, .927 save percentage) was solid against his former club on Sunday as he turned aside 21 shots in the winning effort.
Against the Capitals, Vokoun is 11-12-1 with a 2.50 GAA and .923 save percentage.
Marc-Andre Fleury (4-2, 2.44 GAA, .907 save percentage) played a phenomenal game against the Islanders on Tuesday. His stellar play helped to keep the Islanders' power play off the board on all seven chances.
Against Washington, Fleury is 11-7-2 with a 2.71 GAA and .909 save percentage.
The puck is set to drop at 7 p.m. and you can watch the game on Root Sports.
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