The Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins may currently not be battling at the top of the NHL’s Metropolitan Division, but it’s never a dull affair when these two teams are involved. This is the first trip back to DC for the Pens since Braden Holtby absolutely stole two points against them in early November. Can he produce some more of that magic tonight?
Puck drop is an hour later than normal at 8 PM as this one is a national TV audience game on NBCSN. However, you can still catch exclusive Caps coverage of both pre and post game live on NBCSWA+ or on your mobile devices with their streaming service. Peter has your recap, you’re in for a good one.
 |
 |
|
|---|---|---|
| Record | 15-12-6 | 20-9-3 |
| Shot Attempt % | 51.5% | 49.5% |
| PDO | 100.9 | 103.3 |
| Power Play | 22.8% | 26.3% |
| Penalty Kill | 82.1% | 75.2% |
Projected Lines
Andre Burakovsky is expected to sit out healthy again, along with Chandler Stephenson and Tyler Lewington. Expected lineup from Isabelle:
Ovechkin – Backstrom – Oshie
Vrana – Kuznetsov – Wilson
Connolly – Eller – DSP
Jaskin – Dowd – Boyd
Kempny – Carlson
Orlov – Niskanen
Siegenthaler – Bowey
Holtby
Italian Chefs React
Here’s a bunch of Italian chefs arguing about the correct way to make a Carbonara. Aka here’s what my Christmas will sound like.
Storylines
- Kuzy wants to get Ovi some toilet paper for Christmas?
- Lets talk about Andre Burakovsky with Peter.
- A review of some Caps players original artwork available for charity auction in which Braden Holtby further proves that playing in the NHL is probably just his side hobby.
- Evgeny Kuznetsov has a new puppy and I have a semi-new kitten named ‘Kuzy’. Look at all of this cute animal shenanigans.
- You can gamble on your favorite sports teams now, DC.
- According to Forbes, the Capitals are the tenth most valuable franchise in the National Hockey League. They’re number one in our hearts though.
- The Capitals ‘Wish Upon A Par’ charity event will be taking place January 13 at TopGolf Loudoun. Get bidding on those golf sessions!
- The whole Caps team got in the holiday spirit with their visit to MedStar Georgetown University Hospital.
- Travis Boyd‘s daughter helped bake him a cake to celebrate his first NHL goal.
- Currently shelved defenseman, Brooks Orpik spent some time with the Tucker Road Ducks in the Capitals locker room after the game against the Sabres.
- Alex Ovechkin was named first star of the week in the NHL after he scored seven goals in three games against the Red Wings, Hurricanes, and Sabres.
- The Capitals Monday morning skate was a mess of bad luck and near injuries.
- Ovi and his wife Nastya sat courtside as John Wall and the Wizards took down Lebron James‘ Lakers team in DC.
Chris’ favorite movie of 2018
I’m all about that mainstream hype, so give me Avengers: Infinity War because I’m a filthy Marvel fanboy and this totally isn’t just a way for me to shoehorn in my recent MCU rewatch rankings. Whoops:
Did a rewatch of all the MCU films and have my totally professional personal rankings: pic.twitter.com/CjxWIy5WVj
— Chris Cerullo (@CJC_95) December 13, 2018
Full RMNB Coverage of Caps vs Penguins
Headline photo: Gene J. Puskar
