Much to the NHL's dismay, tonight's game in Pitt against the Caps won't be a display of the combined brute force known as Sidvechkin. It will, however, be the Pens' second straight attempt at winning without their captain over the surprisingly improved Capitals team.
Don't be surprised to see the Caps shoot out of the gate tonight and potentially even look like another team. That's because, in all honesty, they are. After being near the very bottom of the Eastern Conference by the end of November, the Caps have since gone 8-2-1 to put themselves into the playoff hunt. To make things even more interesting, they've won their last three.
"I have been trying as hard as I can, but I'm going to try my best. I will try to be the leader of this team."
Evgeni Malkin
If anything, the guy's stock value is definitely on the rise.
This season the Pens lead the series with Washington 2-0, the latest victory coming on a 4-3 OT win back on December 27th. Considering how you'd like to remember that game, it was either Gonchar's worst game, or one of his best.
Crosby was officially placed on injured reserve today. And MRI was scheduled, however it was delayed due to swelling around the ankle. For those who may have still had hope he'd be back soon, let this unfortunately seal the deal for ya.
Since Sid's rookie year, the Pens are 1-3-3 in games without him. FYI - that one win just came against Montreal on Saturday night.
The Pens have posted a January record of 7-1-1, and are hoping to head into the All-Star break with three straight wins.
Pens vs Caps tonight at 7:30.