It’s a big rivalry weekend in D.C. Before the big football game on Sunday, however, two bitter hockey rivals take centerstage. The Washington Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins square off this Friday night in one of those exclusive games you can only get on Hulu and ESPN plus.
Tonight is the second meeting between the two rivals this season. The Capitals won the first matchup on Sunday Nov. 14 at Capital One Arena 6-1. The Caps have earned points in seven of their last nine games against the Penguins, posting a 3-2-4 record. Among active players, Alex Ovechkin‘s 36 goals against Pittsburgh rank first and are tied for 15th in NHL history.
Ovechkin is second in goals with 20 and third in points with 41. He’s 16 away from Jaromir Jagr. John Carlson is fourth in points among defenseman with 24 and his 18 assists are sixth among blueliners.
The Caps recalled goaltender Zach Fucale with tonight’s game being the first of a back to back. It’s likely Fucale could get his second start in that Buffalo Sabres game Saturday as Ilya Samsonov was first off the ice this morning, meaning Samsonov starts tonight against the Penguins.
Evgeny Kuznetsov, who left practice early yesterday with a lower body injury for precautionary reasons, was on the ice for morning skate. Peter Laviolette said he expects everyone minus Nicklas Backstrom to be available tonight for the Penguins. Nic Dowd, Trevor Van Riemsdyk, and Garnet Hathaway are still out due to COVID protocols.
Here were the lines via Samantha Pell of The Washington Post:
Ovechkin-Kuznetsov-Wilson
Hagelin-Eller-Sheary
Sprong-McMichael-Oshie
Malenstyn-Protas-Leason
Fehervary-Carlson
Orlov-Jensen
Irwin-Schultz
Two of the greats meet again. 🤝
— NHL (@NHL) December 10, 2021
Tune in at 7p ET on @ESPNPlus ➡️ https://t.co/6wfDvrZW8H pic.twitter.com/reA4n19rZM
Date: Dec. 10, 2021
Time: 7 p.m.
Where: Capital One Arena
What Channel Is The Capitals Game On: ESPN plus and Hulu
Radio: 106.7 The Fan and Caps Radio 24/7
Betting Odds: The betting odds on WynnBET have the Capitals as -1.5 favorites at home against the Penguins with the moneyline set at -145 for the Caps and +130 for the Pens. The over/under for tonight’s game is 6.0.
Live Streaming: fuboTV has live NHL games on ESPN in which you can stream from your phone, television, and all your favorite devices. This is a service that broadcasts live TV over the internet, no cable required. Watch your favorite teams, network shows, news, and movies on 100+ channels. Plus on-demand entertainment including full TV series. fuboTV is currently available in the United States, Canada, and Spain.
Reddit: Reddit can sometimes have streams of live NHL games but make sure they are legal. The official NHL Subreddit is located at https://www.reddit.com/r/nhl/.