Shades of Red D.C. On Wednesday night, at 8 p,m., the Washington Capitals will host the Pittsburgh Penguins. As always, the game will be on national television for fans around the NHL to tune in and watch the bitter rivalry. There's no doubt the action will be of playoff caliber which leads to my encouragement for all hockey fans to clear their schedules.
Ovechkin and Crosby Feud: When fans think about this rivalry, two names come to mind. Anyone care to guess? Yep. Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby. They are totally different players and their differences manage to re-energize the rivalry even while they play in separate divisions. Although much of the media war has come to somewhat of a cease fire, their thoughts about each other still linger and it shows on the ice. They have finally seemed to realize that nothing positive comes from voicing their displeasures behind the microphone. However, since it plays a significant part in where the rivalry stands today, we'll take a short look at the feud.
Ovechkin was drafted first overall in the 2004 NHL draft and Crosby was drafted first overall the year after. Due to the lockout of the 2004 season, both ended up as rookies in 2005. Every time the two faced off, they made it very clear they didn't like each other. In the Feb 22, 2009 game, Ovechkin and Crosby got into a confrontation near the Caps bench, and they had to be separated. Crosby was obviously disappointed that Ovechkin had been pushing his team around all game and was laying down a ton of hits in the matchup between the rivals. After the game both players had something to say: ''What I can say about him?'' said, Ovechkin, who scored his 43 goal, ''He is a good player, but he talks too much. I play hard. If he wants to do something like hit me again, try to hit me again -- and I'll talk to you guys (about) who plays dirty. That's my game. It's not cheap shots; it's a game moment. But he doesn't like it. It's his problem.'' Crosby responded: ''Like it or lump it, that's what he does. Some people like it, some people don't. Personally, I don't like it.'' What more could you ask for out of a great rivalry? Two young captains who are completely different, sticking up for themselves and their team. With the NHL realignment, we get to watch these two battle it out in interdivisional matchups. This Wednesday should be interesting.
2009 Conference semi-finals - Capitals vs. Penguins The 2009 conference semi-final series between the Capitals and the Penguins, is regarded as one of the best playoff series in the history of the NHL. It's what the hockey world had been waiting for and it didn't disappoint. In game two, Ovechkin and Crosby BOTH had hat tricks. Three of the seven games required overtime, and it was the league’s highest single-series point total since 1995. Crosby finished with 13 points in the series and Ovechkin finished with 14. The Caps were forced to sit back and watch as the Penguins advanced and had their names engraved on the Stanley Cup. The rivalry was heightened.
2011 Bridgestone Winter Classic By now the rivalry is marquee, one of the greatest in sports. So great, that fans of other teams around the league tune in and watch. As such, these games are almost always nationally televised since the number of viewers is always off the charts. The league recognized this and decided to let the Caps and Pens faceoff in the 2011 Bridgestone Winter Classic. It was the first Winter Classic that was scheduled for prime time and was played at Pittsburgh's Heinz field. HBO's "24/7" TV series, took fans deeper into the preparation and activities for each team leading up to the Winter Classic. The road to the Classic ended on New Year’s Day when the two teams faced off. Over 68,000 were in attendance and watched as the Caps came away with a 3-1 victory. Eric Fehr scored two goals and Mike Knuble scored one for the Caps. Evgeni Malkin had the lone goal for the Pens, which he scored on a breakaway. Ovechkin talked about the game afterwards: "It was one of the best feelings in my life," he said. "When you see it's soldout, it's like I can't imagine when football players play every game like this. It's unbelievable." Crosby was concussed in the matchup when he blindly collided with David Steckel in the second period. He left the game, but returned to play in the third period. The collision was accidental and no suspensions or fines were dealt out. It contributed to a serious problem for Crosby in the future. He missed a ton of games due to ongoing concussion symptoms.
Quotes From Fans on the Rivalry These two teams have been through a lot together and they both still have the core players who were together when all these things happened. Here's what another Shades of Red writer, Brian Smith, had to say about the rivalry: "That's the thing about a rivalry like the Caps and the Pens. No one has to say a thing. No blackboard material. If you can't get up for this game, you shouldn't be on the ice,” Smith said. We also asked a couple of Caps fans to comment on the rivalry between the Pens and the Caps, and they offered their opinions. "My family loves Ovie an the Caps, we have been huge hockey fans for years. People are always gonna hate on someone who is happy or doing well. Crosby is the Canadian hockey Jesus and the NHL loves to love him and Ovie is the one they love to hate,” said one local Cap fan. "My schedule has been cleared for this game since the Capitals schedule was released. I have food in the crockpot so I won’t have to worry about cooking and I will watch every second of this game, Go Caps!” said another dedicated Cap fan. Let's move on to the Game Preview. GO CAPS!
Washington Capitals (12-8-1) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (13-8-0) The Capitals and Penguins will square off in a battle for first place Wednesday night at Verizon Center. Puck drop is scheduled for 8 p.m. The Penguins currently sit in first place in the Metropolitan division- just one point ahead of the streaking Capitals. The Penguins are coming off of a Monday night win over the Anaheim Ducks. They were off to a shaky start and didn't register a shot on goal until 18 minutes into the first period. The first two periods were scoreless, but the Penguins scored three goals in a 4-minute time frame within the third period to get the 3-1 win. Brian Gibbons tallied his first NHL career goal in the matchup followed by goals from Brandon Sutter and Sidney Crosby. The win pushed the Penguins past the Capitals and back into 1st place in the Metropolitan Division. The Capitals are coming off a dominating 4-1 win against the St. Louis Blues. The Caps are red hot and have won three straight games and a total of seven of their last nine games. Tonight they will look to add another win to their home game winning-streak against the Penguins, which currently stands at six. To review the strength of our players this season, Ovechkin scored two goals against the Blues, which brings his total to 17 goals on the season. Holtby has looked like a wall as of late and has been better at holding the rebounds. The third line, featuring Chimera, Grabovski and Ward is still working magic and will be rewarded for their productivity against the Pens. Tonight everyone will need to do their jobs and stay disciplined so Oates can keep all four lines rolling. Good news is Mike Green was able to participate in a full practice on Tuesday and will be eligible to return to the lineup just in time for Wednesday night's matchup. He has been sidelined the last two games with a contusion to the lower body and will most likely be a game time decision. Green leads the Capitals defensemen in points with 11 assists. His defense has been rather shaky to start the season as his minus six in the plus/minus category would suggest. But the chemistry he has with his power play mates is a big reason the Caps boast the second ranked power play in the league. He knows what this rivalry is all about so lets hope he's in the lineup and playing with his "A" game on Wednesday night. Projected starting goalies: Holtby should get the start for the Caps. For the season he has a 2.62 goals against average and a.925 save percentage. Marc-Andre Fleury should get the nod for the Penguins and has a 2.06 goals against average and a .918 save percentage. Zach's Three Keys to the Game: *Defense: The defense will have to be solid in this game. They should look to keep the puck to the boards and at all costs avoid giving the center of the ice to Crosby and company. As always, taking away shooting lanes and shot blocking will be key. *Power Play: The Caps 2nd ranked power play needs to capitalize on whatever opportunities they are dealt. It should be a decent matchup against the Penguins 8th ranked penalty kill. *Traffic: Marc-Andre Fleury has always been a bit of a pain in the Caps side. They'll need to get traffic in front of the net and attack the net for any available rebounds that may squirt free. If you'll be in attendance, ROCK THE RED!
Zach Hart, Brian Smith, William Facciolo and Richard Facciolo are Shades of Red D.C., a group of local fans who have fun analyzing their favorite pro sports teams in the DC area. Catch them o n Facebook and on their blog.
By Zach Hart Shades of Red D.C. On Wednesday night, at 8 p,m., the Washington Capitals will host the Pittsburgh Penguins. As always, the game will be on national television for fans around the NHL to tune in and watch the bitter rivalry. There's no doubt the action will be of playoff caliber which leads to my encouragement for all hockey fans to clear their schedules. 
