Caps at Pens pregame: Two to go (Game Six)

Sunday night, the Edmonton Oilers demolished (seriously, this isn’t an exaggeration at all) the Anaheim Ducks and forced the first Game Seven of the 2016-17 postseason. Monday night, the Washington Capitals have the chance to be the second team in the 2016-17 postseason to do so. All they have to do is win tonight in Pittsburgh. Simple.

The Capitals will need to play some impeccable hockey tonight against not only the disadvantage of being on the road, but also against the return of the HBK line.

Penguins lead the series 3-2.

Puck drop is at 7:30 PM on NBCSN. We’ll see you then.

Projected Lines

You know exactly what’s goin’ on. An Ovi on the third and a 7 D.

The good boys:

Burakovsky – Backstrom – Oshie
Johansson – Kuznetsov – Williams
Ovechkin – Eller – Wilson
Winnik – Beagle – Carey

Orlov – Niskanen
Orpik – Carlson
Schmidt – Shattenkirk
Alzner

Holtby

Trevor Daley is out for Game Six with a lower-body injury. Chad Ruhwedel might possibly play tonight.

The baddest boys:

Sheary – Crosby – Hornqvist
Guentzel – Malkin– Rust
Hagelin – Bonino– Kessel
Kunitz – Cullen– Kuhnhackl/Wilson

Dumoulin – Hainsey
Maatta – Ruhwedel (?)
Cole – Schultz

Fleury

Barry Trotz

This guy. Firing off inspirational quotes and takin’ a peek at what the other guys are up to juuuuust in case.

Barry Trotz on Game 6: “There’s no room for anybody not to be at their best. All it’s going to take is all we have.”

— Craig Custance (@CraigCustance) May 7, 2017

Barry Trotz on Caps playoffs narrative: “The past is what it is. We can’t change it but we can change our future.”

— Katie Brown (@katiebhockey) May 8, 2017

Barry Trotz gets a peek at Penguins morning skate pic.twitter.com/MjhIYvb0u3

— Jonathan Bombulie (@BombulieTrib) May 8, 2017

Storylines

• Nashville Predators forward Kevin Fiala is out for the season with a fractured femur. But he still came back to cheer his team on before they eliminated the St. Louis Blues. I’m not crying, you’re crying.
• Former Capitals captain, Jeff Halpern, helped a fan’s incredible dream come true.
• It ain’t over ’til it’s over! RMNB’s Nathan Sick has your sick numbers (sorry, Nathan) for the morning after Game Five.
• The steps were reclaimed after Game Five! Fans in deadguins shirts stormed the steps after we won and it was beautiful.
• Alex “doesn’t show up for the playoffs” Ovechkin continues to make history. He now has the third most goals by a Russian player in the NHL postseason.
• Mark Rypien, Kirk Cousins, and Josh Norman all showed their support for the Capitals. Now if only their football team could start pulling some weight around here, that’d be super.
• Need some Bears news to help you not think about the Capitals for like five seconds?
  • Game One didn’t end so great for the Bears in their series against the Bruins. The Bears fell 3-1.
  • But, have no fear. Boyd is here! Travis Boyd scored the OTGWG to bring the Bears-Bruins series 1-1.
• There is a lady that goes to Penguins games, sits in front, and knits her heart out. She is my hero and I should really take up knitting to reduce my stress…
• During Game Five Mama and Papa Ovechkin broke an old tradition. They finally sat together.
• Some Game Six history for you to digest:

The Capitals are 13-15 all-time in Game 6s, 9-10 on the road and 6-7 when trailing 3-2.

— Ted Starkey (@TedStarkey) May 8, 2017

Good Guy Kyle

After Kyle Turris scored the game winning goal for the Ottawa Senators against the New York Rangers, he raced to a ballroom of 300 of his friends to join the Capital City Condors at their end of season banquet. Turris and his wife regularly attend Condors’ practices and events during the year. Turris joined the team as honorary captain back in 2012. The Capital City Condors are a family of ice hockey teams for those who are unable to play on any other hockey team due to a developmental disability.

Photo: @CondorsOttawa

Photo: @CondorsOttawa

Full Coverage of Game Six

Headline photo: Nick Wass