The next chapter in the Sidney Crosby-Alex Ovechkin saga will be written when the Washington Capitals visit the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Ovechkin's season has correlated with his team's performance thus far in 2013. The Capitals are off to a woeful 2-7-1 start and are currently the worst team in the league. Ovechkin has only registered a meager five points in 10 games and has not been the explosive player that made him such a major NHL superstar. The Caps recently lost 3-2 against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday; the game featured a plethora of defensive miscues from the team including one on the opening goal. Washington goalie Michael Neuvirth caught the puck behind the net and left it for defenseman Tom Poti. Poti seemed hesitant to take the puck and Toronto's James Van Riemsdyk skated by, stole the puck, and wrapped it around into the Washington net.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are coming off their fourth straight win. In its last match, the team defeated the New York Islanders despite being outplayed. Goalie Marc Andre Fleury had his best game of this season and stopped 32 shots in the win. Center Brandon Sutter stated that the game was "a good road win for us... Showed a lot of character, and I think we did a really good job of being aggressive on them and it worked out."
Crosby had an assist in the match and extended his points streak to five games; he has 14 points on the year.
Previous Meetings: The Capitals hosted the Penguins on Super Bowl Sunday in a 6-3 win for the Penguins. Chris Kunitz broke out for four goals in the game while Crosby had three assists. Ovechkin registered an assist.
Predictions: The Penguins are the best team in the league right now; the Capitals are the worst. Look for the Penguins to win at the Consol Energy Center 5-1.
Start Time: 7 PM EST
TV: NHLN-US, CSN-DC, ROOT