When you’re on a four-game losing slump, the very best thing you can do is play one of your biggest rivals on the second day of a back-to-back.
The Pens are pretty banged up, but the Capitals are full-on desperate right now. I’m expecting fireworks. It’s on that NBC Sports’ rivalry night thing at 8 PM.
Crash the net.
| Team | Record | Possession | PDO | Power Play | Penalty Kill |
| Washington Capitals | 24-14-9 | 52.5% | 100.1 | 23.9% | 80.1% |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 27-12-8 | 52.3% | 100.7 | 23.0% | 87.1% |
Projected Lineup
What would you do if you were stuck in one place and every day was exactly the same, and nothing that you did mattered?
Optional skate today. Here were the lines last night. We’re expecting Holtby in net again.
Ovechkin – Backstrom – Burakovsky
Johansson – Kuznetsov – Brouwer
Laich– Fehr– Ward
Chimera – Beagle – Wilson
Orpik – Carlson
Alzner – Niskanen
Hillen – Green
Holtby
Protect the Steps!
After the game, Pens fans tend to gather at the steps of the American Art Museum. Of course we will be gracious and welcoming to them, but we’ll also be louder and prouder.
Just a thought, maybe we sing this at them?
Tonight we dance
I leave my life in your hands
We take the floor
Nothing is forbidden anymore
Don’t let the world be my side
Don’t let a moment go by
Nothing can stop us tonight
Bailamos
Let the rhythm take you over
Bailamos
Te quiero amor mio
Bailamos
Wanna live this life forever
Bailamos
Te quiero amor mio
Te quiero
Either way, I’m sure we’ll all be nice and polite to the filthy brutes.
Storylines
- Sidney Crosby is a game-time decision. Like Torrance Shipman, I define being the best as competing against the best there is out there and beating them.
- Great interview with Hooks Orpik of Pensburgh by the PuckBuddys. Read it!
- Brooks Laich on playing the Penguins: “This is the best day of my life so far.”
- Here’s to Nick Backstrom and the next 400.
- Tonight is Brendan Witt tribute night. Witter was on EITM earlier. I’ll link it the interview when it’s up.
- Pat wrote this thing about how the Caps should play with the lead. First they gotta GET a lead.
- Also at Verizon Center tonight: my brother in law Rob is attending his first NHL game! He’ll be in section 210 with an RMNB t-shirt. If you see him, say hi for me. He’s good people.
- Ian alerted me to NBC Sports’ vine promo for tonight’s game. I’m not ready for this modern life.
- Today is #BellLetsTalk day, wherein people drop the stigma and discuss mental health more openly. It doesn’t raise a lot of money, but it raises a lot of spirits. Here’s Mike Babcock talking about it.
- Here’s a fun tweet in reply to my article this morning, which was totally serious, you guys:
@russianmachine What a sexist article! Who started those tweets? All were FROM RMNB! Coming from the same Trolls who tlk abt bnging wmen?
— CALSGR8 (@CALSGR8) January 28, 2015
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