Gameday Preview (Preseason Edition - Take 2)

Who: Your Nation’s Capitals vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
Where: Mellon Arena
Pittsburgh, PA
When: Friday, September 22, 2006, 7:30 pm

Media Notes (Slim pickings today):
WashingtonCaps.com
PittsburghPenguins.com
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Broadcast Information: Radio broadcast available on both team sites; no TV broadcast

2005-2006 Season Series: Washington 1-3-0-0, Pittsburgh 3-1-0-0

Last Game: 3/8 in DC, Caps won 6-3
- The Caps got their only win (argh...) against the Pens last year in the final game of the series
- Ovechkin finally bested Penguins rookie phenom Sidney Crosby, collecting his 42nd goal and adding two assists for good measure.
- Ivan Majesky scored his first goal of the season on a clearing attempt that took an odd bounce and confused goaltender Sebastian Caron; the puck went right, he moved left, and just like that Ivan was on the scoresheet.
- The game became even stranger with the appearance of an errant pigeon in the first intermission. This highly intelligent creature dodged zambonis and later faced the wrath of both goaltenders' sticks as it continuously landed on either end of the ice...

Things to watch for tonight:
- Tonight's game will be without the three young superstars, as Ovechkin, Crosby, and newcomer Evgeni Malkin will all be watching from the stands. Ovechkin is nursing what is being described as a very minor injury as a precaution, while Malkin is recovering from a dislocated shoulder from a run-in with fellow Penguin John LeClair on Wednesday night. As for Crosby, Pittsburgh GM Ray Shero doesn't want his little snookums playing 3 games in three days and so he will sit out tonight. The other 29 guys can just suck it up, apparently. Anyways, should be a barn-burner of a game.
- With the absence of Ovechkin, Crosby and Malkin along with the many veterans still nursing injuries on both sides, look for Hanlon and "Tough Love" Therrien to look to some younger players to fill the void.

Projected Lineups: Neither team has released a lineup for tonight's game at this time. According to Penguins' GM Ray Shero, however, we will apparently get our first look at Staal: the Sequel...because seeing big brother Eric 8 times a year plus once in preseason just isn't enough of the Staal family for us...

Did You Know...?
- Penguins, while graceful and quick in the water, are often awkward on ice and will sometimes travel on their stomachs to increase velocity
- A natural predator of some species of penguins is the sea eagle...hmmm...

A Look Ahead: Washington has tomorrow off and will travel to Hershey for an early evening exhibition showdown with the New Jersey Devils at Giant Center on Sunday.