The game Thursday between the host Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals normally would be defined by the matchup between future Hall of Famers Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. It’s been that way for years.
Oh, the two will be on the ice come Thursday. Crosby sits atop the Pittsburgh leaderboard with 32 points and 63 points, while Ovechkin ranks second among the Capitals with 45 points.
However, there are a couple overriding issues this time for the Metropolitan Division foes.
For one, the teams are direct competitors in what is becoming a dire chase for a playoff spot.
Both teams have played 60 games. The Capitals sit seven points out of a playoff position, and the Penguins are a point behind Washington. Both are trying to avoid missing the postseason for the second season in a row.
For another thing, because of those precarious positions, both teams came into this week expecting changes to the roster with the NHL trade deadline looming at 3 p.m. ET Friday.
The Capitals made a move Tuesday, trading forward Anthony Mantha to the Vegas Golden Knights for two draft picks. That might not be the only move Washington makes. On the positive side, the Capitals signed defenseman Rasmus Sandin to a five-year, $23 million extension on Wednesday.
Capitals coach Spencer Carbery is trying to keep the focus on what is happening on the ice, especially after a disappointing 5-2 home loss against the Arizona Coyotes on Sunday — a game in which Washington forward Max Pacioretty said the first two periods “were some of the worst since I’ve been here.”
Washington had been on a 5-1-1 run leading into that game.
“We’re just focused on Pitt and going into their building and trying to find a way to get back on track and have a positive performance,” Carbery said.
Pittsburgh had a disastrous 1-3-0 western road trip, ending it with three straight losses, before returning home to beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-3 on Tuesday.
Still, the prevailing feeling that moves — perhaps significant moves — could come at any moment before the trade deadline have been on the Penguins’ minds.
“It’s obviously tough when you don’t know the situation around the team,” Pittsburgh goaltender Tristan Jarry said. “And with the trade deadline coming, there are a lot of unknowns.
“So I think it’s just about playing for each other and playing hard every night. That’s all we can do at this point.”
The biggest swirl of speculation surrounds injured winger Jake Guentzel, who has been not only prolific for Pittsburgh but also a perfect fit on Crosby’s line.
Defenseman Kris Letang, one of the Penguins’ longtime core players and part of three Stanley Cup teams, finds his team’s situation foreign and difficult.
“It feels awful, to be honest,” Letang said. “It was our job from the beginning of the year to put ourselves in a good spot, and we didn’t.”
Both teams are dealing with some injuries.
The Penguins already were without Guentzel and fellow top-line winger Bryan Rust, but depth forwards Noel Acciari and Jansen Harkins missed the Tuesday game because of undisclosed injuries, and forward Drew O’Connor left that game because of a concussion.
Carbery indicated that the Capitals could get back two injured players — forward Nic Dowd and defenseman Martin Fehervary — for the Thursday contest.
“Both guys, I would call them questionable for Pitt,” Carbery said.
–Field Level Media
