The Capitals head to PPG Paints Arena Thursday night to begin another meaningless 82 game slog. They’ll be playing in the same place that used to be called CONSOL Energy Center, which was a stupid name, before the bottom dropped out of the coal market. Now the Uptown Pittsburgh rink has new a corporate-backed tongue twister emblazoned on the side so you be super super aware that PPG ain’t no glass company. They also make sniffable goods.
Before the game, the Penguins will raise a banner honoring their 2016 Stanley Cup championship. For the benefit of Caps fans, the Stanley Cup, also known as just “the Cup,” is a trophy awarded annually to the winner on the National Hockey League’s postseason.
The Caps roster is largely intact from last year’s squad which dominated the regular season and younger players like Evgeny Kuznetsov, Andre Burakovsky, and Dmitry Orlov look poised to improve. Let’s see what happens. The puck drops on NBCSN at 8:20. Liveblog and recap the night away with us.
| Team (2015-16) | Record | Possession | PDO | Power Play | Penalty Kill |
| Washington Capitals | 56-18-8 | 52.0% | 101.1 | 21.9% (5th) | 85.2% (2nd) |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 48-26-8 | 53.0% | 100.6 | 18.4% (16th) | 84.4 % (5th) |
Projected Lineup
I Enjoy These Lines
Cool? Cool.
Storylines
- Penguins center Sidney Crosby is officially out for tonight’s game against the Capitals, though the generational talent says he’s “confident that things will be okay.” Head coach Mike Sullivan is still classifying him as day-to-day.
- The Pens are no longer for sale. Don’t even think of starting a GoFundMe page and sending to the team to the Northwest Territories now.
- Auston Matthews became the first player in NHL history to score four goals in his debut. Alex Ovechkin eloquently described his feat: “My friend text me, ‘He score first one.’ Then, ‘he score second one’ … [H]e scored four goals.”
- Will the Capitals watch the Pens raise the banner? Barry Trotz is keeping this information classified.
- PK Subban wants to expand hockey in the land of the free.
- RMNB has some spiffy new writers.
- And an updated podcast.
Cruel Fate
According to the Capitals, this is merely the second time in team history they’ve opened the regular season against the defending Stanley Cup champions.
Game on. Thanks for joining us for another season.
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