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Penguins Game 48, Great 8 Awaits; Lines, Notes, & How to Watch vs. Capitals

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Pittsburgh Penguins game, lines, Washington Capitals

WASHINGTON D.C. — The Pittsburgh Penguins (19-20-8) remain below .500 after leaving a smoldering crater where a five-game homestand was supposed to be. However, the Penguins clicked with A-level goaltending Friday night against the Buffalo Sabres and got back on the winning track. They’ll need their very best against the first-place Washington Capitals (30-10-5) at Capital One Arena on Saturday.



The puck drops just after 7 p.m., and the Capitals fans shout, “Red!” glare

Penguins goaltending has dominated the news cycle this week. First, the team waived Tristan Jarry on Wednesday. He cleared and reported to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Friday, the Penguins power play and Alex Nedeljkovic were “the difference,” according to coach Mike Sullivan. Nedeljkovic scored an empty net goal and made NHL history by becoming the first goalie to register an assist and a goal.

Read More: GOALIE GOAL! Nedeljkovic Shoots and Scores, Makes NHL History

Nedeljkovic also made 40 saves in the 5-2 win over Buffalo. The Penguins notched three power-play goals in the somewhat sloppy effort, but after being tagged with losses after a few good games, they happily accepted. Cody Glass had a goal and an assist. Defenseman Matt Grzelcyk had a pair of assists.

The Penguins’ goalie news will continue Saturday when they return rookie Joel Blomqvist to the net. Blomqvist was called up after Jarry cleared waivers. Blomqvist last started on Nov. 11 in a 7-1 loss to the Dallas Stars. He was pulled after making five saves on eight shots. However, the Penguins poor play continued in that game as they gave up six first-period goals.

Blomqvist, 23, made eight starts in his previous NHL stint and posted a .904 save percentage, which stands as the highest among all Penguins goalies this season.

Washington is riding the wave of successful offseason moves. They gambled by trading Darcy Kuemper to the LA Kings for out-of-favor center Pierre-Luc Dubois and his hefty eight-year contract. The gamble is paying off, as Dubois has 34 points (7-24-34) in 45 games. Washington also acquired highly sought defenseman Jakob Chyhrun, who has 30 points in 40 games.

Several Capitals stalwarts that many Penguins fans remember from the last decade-plus of bare-knuckled battles are essentially retired due to injuries. T.J. Oshie and Nick Backstrom are no longer part of the battle, but 39-year-old Alex Ovechkin has 21 goals this season and is furiously chasing down Wayne Gretzeky’s all-time goals record (894). Ovechkin is 21 short.

*Penguins defenseman Kris Letang was out Friday due to illness. His status for today is unknown. Grzelcyk assumed right-side duties Friday, and Owen Pickering drew into the lineup beside Erik Karlsson.

Penguins Lines

Rickard Rakell-Sidney Crosby-Bryan Rust

Michael Bunting-Evgeni Malkin-Anthony Beauvillier

Drew O’Connor-Kevin Hayes-Philip Tomasino

Blake Lizotte-Cody Glass-Noel Acciari

Defense

Marcus Pettersson-Kris Letang?

Matt Grzelcyk-Erik Karlsson

Ryan Graves-P.O Joseph

Capitals Lines, Per Daily Faceoff

Alex Ovechkin-Pierre-Luc Dubois-Aliekei Protas

Connor McMichael–Dylan Strome–Tom Wilson

Taylor Raddysh-Lars Eller-Ethan Frank

Brandon Duhaime-Nic Dowd-Andrew Mangiapane

Defense

Rasmus Sandin-John Carlson

Martin Fehervary-Matt Roy

Jakob Chychrun-Trevor van Riemsdyk

Goalies: Logan Thompson/Charlie Lindgren

Special Teams

Penguins power play: 27.0%, 4th. Penguins penalty kill: 79.2%, 16th.

Capitals Power Play: 23.4%, 10th. Capitals Penalty Kill: 83.9%, 3rd.

Penguins Game Notes

The Penguins have points in six-straight visits to Capital One Arena (5-0-1) and are 7-1-1 in their last nine road games against the Capitals.

Tonight, the Penguins conclude their 10th set of back-to-back games. Thus far, the team is 8-11-0 in back-to-backs (2-8-0 on the first night and 6-3-0 on the second night).

With four hits last night, Noel Acciari has reached his third-straight and sixth season overall with 100 or more hits. He leads all Pittsburgh skaters with 100 hits.

With his fourth multi-point effort of the year last night (0-2-2), Matt Grzelcyk has established a new career high in assists (23), passing his previous high of 22 set in 75 games with Boston in 22-23.

How to Watch

TV: SportsNet Pittsburgh

Radio: 105.9 The X