It seems like just yesterday this rivalry was a marquee matchup between two of the NHL’s elite teams. However, thus far this season, the Penguins have been the only team that has proved to be elite. It’s also the first game in the post Ben Lovejoy era for the Pens.

NOTABLE STATS
The Pens have won four straight games; outscoring their opponents 18-6 and will be looking to win back-to-back home games against the Capitals for the first time since 2007, when they won seven straight against the Caps.

The Capitals enter tonights game with just two wins on the season. They’re looking for ways to get Alexander Ovechkin more involved. Currently Ovechkin is having the worst season of his career and looking for answers on the right wing – a new position for the star forward.

Sidney Crosby is nearly averaging two points per game as he’s riding a 5-game point streak (1G-8A).

Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom. has just 1 goal against the Penguins, but has racked up the points with 23 assists.

Brandon Sutter, who is on a 3-game point streak, is the only player who has played at least five games on the Penguins to be a plus or even in every game this season. Sutter has given up just one even strength goal while on the ice.

Five of the previous six games between these two teams have been one-goal games.

The nine-goals scored between these two teams last Sunday was the most combined goals between the two clubs since April 6, 2010 in Mellon Arena.

COMPARING CAPTAINS

Probable Capitals lines
Wolski-Ribeiro-Ovechkin
Johansson-Backstrom-Brouwer
Chimera-Crabb-Ward
Hendricks-Beagle-Fehr

Alzner-Green
Poti-Carlson
Schultz-Kundratek

Neuvirth

Probable Penguins lines
Kunitz-Crosby-Dupuis
Boychuk-Malkin-Neal
Cooke-Sutter-Kennedy
Glass-Vitale-Adams

Letang-Despres
Orpik-Martin
Bortuzzo-Engelland

Fleury

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