Scouting the enemy: Washington Capitals (or as it's commonly known: Sidney Crosby vs Alexander Ovechkin)

I sometimes wonder if the Sidvechkin rivalry will last far into their geriatric years.  Wheelchair vs wheelchair, walker vs walker, the seeded hatred between the two knowing no bounds.

At least we know it'll be a good game.  ANY game where Niklas Backstrom helps out the Penguins is a good game.

More after the jump...

Lame journalism warning in 3...2...1...

In reality, though, the only rivalry on the ice has been between Ovechkin and Crosby (with apologies to Evgeni Malkin) since the Penguins have come out on top in 10 of the teams' 12 meetings over the past three seasons.

But that could be about to change.

Washington Post

I've fallen victim to that format a few times myself over the years, but I always kick myself for it.  Consider it a pet peeve of mine when journalists use short, punchy sentences to change the flow of the article.

Just like this.

And just how fast do they expect a 2-10 record to change (not including overtime losses, if there are any)?  It's going to take eight wins just to balance out to .500.

Stupid punchy sentence here.

Unlike most Capitals fans who make an effort to outright hate Sidney Crosby, I will openly admit I like Ovechkin.  His personality is great for the game, and his skills aren't too shabby either.  He's gritty, talented and exciting to watch, even if he's going to make every effort possible to chop into the Penguins.

The Washington Post says the Caps are without Viktor Kozlov on the wing for at least two weeks, so at least he's out of the lineup. 

Veteran Sergei Federov logged some time on defense the other night for the Caps, and it might just happen again tonight.  Especially when you consider he skated for over 20 minutes and was a plus-3 by the end of the night.

Japers' Rink gives the rundown on tonight's matchup from a Caps perspective.  Safe to say they're Penguin haters, but at least give some props...sorta.

Remember to get your SPG picks in.  I'll toss up another reminder later as well.