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Caps at Penguins pregame: What a mess (Game Four)

There is not an ounce of drama in this series, nope. None at all.

I’m just kidding, there is a TON and Game Four kicks off tonight in Pittsburgh once again! The Capitals will need to make up for the loss of Tom Wilson who is serving a three game suspension for being a moron. There are, of course, some lineup changes to make up for this loss, including the shift of Devante Smith-Pelly to the top line. Here’s hoping he pulls some weight during the penalty kill, but the team might not need the extra fire… since they’re already sounding pretty gosh dang mad about the whole situation.

Peter will have your recap. Puck drop is a bit earlier this time at 7 PM. Turn your channels to NBCSN. *revs engine* Let’s go.

The final regular season stats:

Record 47-29-6 49-26-7
Shot Attempt % 52.3% 48.3%
PDO 98.5 101.4
Power Play 26.2% 22.5%
Penalty Kill 80.0% 80.3%

Projected Lines

To say “there have been some changes to the lineup” would be an understatement. Devante Smith-Pelly has moved up to the top line, replacing Tom Wilson while he serves his suspension out. Who else has waltzed into the lineup? Oh yes, Shane Gersich. Young Andre Burakovsky remains out after his upper-body injury. Thanks, as always, to reporter and susperstar Isabelle Khurshudyan at the Washington Post for the lines.

Ovechkin – Kuznetsov – DSP
Stephenson – Backstrom – Oshie
Connolly – Eller – Vrana
Gersich – Beagle – Chiasson

Kempny – Carlson
Orlov – Niskanen
Orpik – Djoos

Holtby

Back on Top

*knocks furiously on wood and reads the reactions below from nervous Caps fans*

Storylines

#CapsCuties

Alright, I started something ridiculous before Game Two and it’s been a good time. If you have a twitter account, we’ve been tweeting out #CapsCuties with pictures of ourselves, our kids, our pets, or anything cute! We’re making sure the Penguins are also tagged because this is a distraction. They have been so distracted by our cute, we’ve won the last two games and even inspired a successful Sharks campaign called #SharklyDressedFan. They won 4-0 last night.

So, please participate. Here are some examples:

Full Coverage of Game Four

Headline Image: @Highwang1

RMNB is not associated with the Washington Capitals; Monumental Sports, the NHLPA, the NHL, or its properties. Not even a little bit.

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