Is it fitting the Penguins are playing Alexander Ovechkin tonight while trying to avoid loss number eight in a row? Fitting or not that is the task at hand for them. The team hasn’t had a game since Saturday. They’ve had a lot to think about. I would fully expect the moment is not lost on them and at a minimum you’ll see a highly engaged and motivated team.
Mike Sullivan has earned some criticism for the way he has handled player deployment. It was deserving. It looks like he is going to try and amend those mistakes. Yesterday I touched on Brian Dumoulin’s demotion. Today, I will focus on a forward who has earned a demotion.
Some new look combos at Penguins practice:
— Danny Shirey (@DannyShireyPGH) November 8, 2022
Guentzel-Crosby-Rust
Zucker-Malkin-Rakell
McGinn-Carter-Heinen
Hallander-Poehling-Archibald
Poulin-Blueger-Kapanen
Pettersson-Letang
Joseph-Petry
Dumoulin-Rutta/Ruhwedel
Kasperi Kapanen looks like he is going to get the healthy scratch treatment. Nobody can argue it is without merit. He’s been atrocious this season. It would be one thing if he was snake bitten while earning chances. He’s been flat out terrible. This was a predicted outcome before the season. I can’t think of anyone who was selling his signing as smart. Usually there are some people who stick up for a signing. Instead, it appears to be one of the few examples of the hockey internet all being in step with one another on how the signing was bad.
Kasperi Kapanen only has one goal on the year. Goal scoring is supposed to be the one thing that gives him any value. It is also why signing players who do nothing else well outside of scoring goals can be problematic. He’s on a seven goal pace while not doing anything of substance while on the ice. A terrible waste of 3M on the cap.
I don’t see him staying a healthy scratch. This is one of those “wake up call… scratches. Although, his entire career seems to exist in a “wake up call… kind of vibe.
While we have some very familiar foes at the forward position for the Capitals, their defense isn’t going to look quite as familiar
As for the Caps’ d-pairs… I think it was:
— Samantha Pell (@SamanthaJPell) November 9, 2022
Fehervary-Jensen
Gustafsson-TvR
Alexeyev-Irwin
Looks like no Carlson, no Orlov and Alexeyev might be in for the first time this season. If Alexeyev is in, he would need to be activated off LTIR, WSH would need make a corresponding move
About a week ago I recall reading about Ovechkin being in a slump and if you check the game logs that slump is over. He has goals in three straight games and now has eight goals on the year in 14 games. It is a 47 goal pace for the 36 year old superstar. Both he and Crosby are still playing great hockey this late into their careers and it is pretty cool to see. Who knows how many matchups we will have left where both players are still producing like top line players. We know tonight will be one of them. Enjoy.
Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin are completely even in career points heading into tonight's matchup... 🫣
— NHL (@NHL) November 9, 2022
📺: 7:30p ET on @NHL_On_TNT and @TVASports pic.twitter.com/HPOz5LMZJR
Thanks for reading!