PITTSBURGH PENGUINS NOTES:
LAST 2 GAMES
Nov. 5: Seattle 3, Pittsburgh 2 – PPG Paints Arena
PIT Goals: Crosby, Guentzel
Multiple Points: Crosby (1G-1A), Guentzel (1G-1A), Letang (2A)
Goalie: Jarry (26 saves/28 shots)
Key Stats: Sidney Crosby became the 20th player in NHL history to record 900 assists as Pittsburgh dropped its first game at home in regulation.
PP: 0-3
PK: 3-3
Nov. 2: Buffalo 6, Pittsburgh 3 – KeyBank Center
PIT Goals: Zucker, Archibald, Guentzel (PP)
Multiple Points: Malkin (2A)
Goalie: DeSmith (27 saves/31 shots)
Key Stats: Casey DeSmith turned aside 27 shots in his 100th career NHL game and Josh Archibald found the scoresheet for the second-straight game.
PP: 1-3
PK: 3-4
INJURIES
Position Player Status Consecutive Games Missed Total Games Missed
F Teddy Blueger Upper-Body 12 12
F Jeff Carter Lower-Body 3 3
F Josh Archibald Undisclosed 1 1
2022-23 Total Regular-Season Man-Games Lost: 23
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Date Transaction
Nov. 7 F Filip Hallander recalled from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL).
Nov. 6 F Drew O’Connor re-assigned to WBS (AHL).
Oct. 31 F Drew O’Connor recalled from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL). F Drake Caggiula re-assigned to WBS.
Oct. 23 F Sam Poulin and F Drake Caggiula recalled from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL).
Pittsburgh’s All-Time Record vs. Capitals: 119-99-22
In Pittsburgh: 66-42-10
In Washington: 53-57-12
OT Record vs. Capitals: 19-6-11
Shootout Record vs. Capitals: 5-2
2021-22 Results: Pittsburgh went 1-2-1.
Penguins All-Time Point Leaders vs. CAPITALS:
Mario Lemieux: 61 GP, 101 PTS (51G-50A)
Sidney Crosby: 64 GP, 84 PTS (28G-56A)
Evgeni Malkin: 55 GP, 71 PTS (24G-47A)
TONIGHT’S GAME
- The Penguins hit the road for a three-game road trip as they take on the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena (TV: TNT; Radio: 105.9 The X).
- Since the beginning of the 2015-16 campaign, no team has defeated Washington more than Pittsburgh (18 wins).
- The Penguins have points in 11 of their last 17 games against the Capitals (10-6-1).
- Pittsburgh has won three of its last four games here at Capital One Arena.
- Starting with tonight’s game, Pittsburgh will play seven of its next eight games on the road.
QUICK HITS
1) Jake Guentzel led the team in points last season against the Capitals with one goal, four assists and five points. In his career he has recorded 22 points (9G-13A) versus the Capitals with two game-winning goals in 20 games.
2) Bryan Rust led the team in shots (16), goals (3) and power-play goals (2) last year against the Capitals in three games. He has 19 points (11G-8A) in 27 career games versus them, which includes five goals over his last four games against Washington.
3) Dating back to April 12 of last season, Jake Guentzel has 13 goals and 23 points (13G-10A) over his last 16 games.
4) Sidney Crosby is tied for eighth in the league with six even-strength goals.
5) Forward Jason Zucker enters tonight’s game two points shy of 300 in his career (157G-141A). The second-round pick (59th overall) in the 2010 NHL Draft is looking to become the 19th member of his draft class to reach 300 points. His 157 career goals are also 12th-best among his draft class.
TEAM NOTES
CROSBY VS. OVECHKIN
The 2021-22 season marks the 18th season that generational talents Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin face off. The two have taken part in 62 head-to-head matchups, where Crosby and the Penguins have gone 36-23-3 against Ovechkin and the Capitals. Below are their stats when facing each other in the regular season:
Player GP G A PTS
Sidney Crosby 62 28 56 84
Alex Ovechkin 62 32 29 61
Not only is the Crosby/Ovechkin rivalry one of the NHL’s best, but it’s also one of the league’s longest-standing rivalries. Crosby and Ovechkin are two of just three players in the NHL to play for the same team since the beginning of the 2005-06 season along with Patrice Bergeron (BOS).
D.C. DOMINATOR
Penguins captain Sidney Crosby has consistently produced points
throughout his career against the Capitals. Despite not playing in the
same division as Washington until 2013-14, Crosby ranks first in points
versus the Capitals among all active players:
Player GP G A PTS PTS/GM
Sidney Crosby 64 28 56 84 1.31
Eric Staal 85 32 44 76 0.89
Evgeni Malkin 55 24 47 71 1.29
Claude Giroux 57 24 28 52 0.91
Patrice Bergeron 60 18 32 50 0.83
No active players have more assists (56) against Washington than Crosby. He and Evgeni Malkin are also two of just five current players to score 20 or more goals versus the Capitals. With a point tonight, Crosby will surpass Martin St. Louis (84) for sole possession of the 9th Most points against Washington in NHL history.
METRO BOOMIN’
Tonight, the Penguins take on the Metropolitan Division rival Washington Capitals for the first time this season, and are 1-0-0 against teams
within its division (6-3 win at Columbus on Oct. 22) in 2022-23. Last season, Pittsburgh picked up points in 17 of 26 games against divisional
opponents (14-9-3), and are 3-1-1 in its last five games against teams in the Metropolitan Division dating back to last season.
Below is a look at the NHL’s point leaders versus Metropolitan Division opponents last season.
Player GP G A PTS
Jonathan Huberdeau 24 8 27 35
Sidney Crosby 24 11 21 32
Steven Stamkos 24 13 19 32
Chris Kreider 26 22 8 30
Mitch Marner 23 13 17 30
WASHINGTON CAPITALS NOTES:
LAST GAME
Washington 5, Edmonton Oilers 4
November 7, 2022 * Capital One Arena * Washington, D.C.
Shots: WSH: 31; EDM: 29
Power Plays: WSH: 4/5; EDM: 0/1
Three Stars: 1. Kuznetsov (WSH), 2. Strome (WSH), 3. Gustafsson (WSH)
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Claimed forward Nicolas Aube-Kubel off waivers from Toronto and loaned forward Garrett Pilon to AHL Hershey, 11/5
Recalled forwards Sonny Milano and Garrett Pilon and defenseman Lucas Johansen from AHL Hershey, 11/2
INJURIES/ILLNESSES
Nicklas Backstrom: 10/12-11/7 (14 games)
Carl Hagelin: 10/12-11/7 (14 games)
Tom Wilson: 10/12-11/7 (14 games)
Connor Brown: 10/20/22-11/7/22 (10 games)
T.J. Oshie: 10/31/22-11/7/22 (5 games)
John Carlson: 10/31/22-11/7/22 (5 games)
Beck Malenstyn: 11/3/22-11/7/22 (3 games)
Dmitry Orlov: 11/7/22 (1 game)
Man Games Lost: 66
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Nov. 11, 7 p.m. ET vs. Tampa Bay (NBCSW, NHLN, 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio 24/7)
Nov. 13, 7 p.m. ET at Tampa Bay (ESPN, 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio 24/7)
Nov. 15, 7 p.m. ET at Florida (NBCSW, 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio 24/7)
Nov. 17, 8 p.m. ET at St. Louis (NBCSW, 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio 24/7)
Nov. 19, 7 p.m. ET vs. Colorado (NBCSW, 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio 24/7)
TONIGHT’S GAME
The Capitals continue their season-long four-game homestand on Wednesday when they host the Pittsburgh Penguins at Capital One Arena for the first of three meetings between the teams this season. The Capitals have a record of 105-105-16-14 all-time vs. Pittsburgh and are 7-4-4 in their last 15 games against the Penguins, dating back to the 2019-20 season. In 2021-22, Washington won the season series with Pittsburgh 3-1-0, outscoring the Penguins 18 to 11 in four games. Alex Ovechkin (1g, 4a), Evgeny Kuznetsov (3g, 2a) and Tom Wilson (2g, 3a) led the Capitals with five points each in four games against the Penguins last season. Ovechkin’s 69 career points (37g, 32a) in 69 career games vs. Pittsburgh rank first among active players.
HOME vs. PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
Record Goals For Goals Against Streak
60-46-9-7 467 412 1 PIT win (12/10/21)
CAPITALS vs. PENGUINS ALL-TIME (CAREER TOTALS)
Games Goals Assists Points
Ovechkin (69) Ovechkin (37) Backstrom (53) Ovechkin (69)
Backstrom (59) Oshie (16) Ovechkin (32) Backstrom (64)
Carlson (48) Eller (12) Carlson (25) Oshie (34)
POINT STREAKS
Alex Ovechkin – 6 game point streak (5g, 2a), 3 game goal streak (3g)
TOP CAPS FACTS
Power Up
- The Capitals went 4-for-5 on the power play against Edmonton on Monday.
- Washington’s four power-play goals tied for the fourth most in a single game in franchise history and it marked the first time the Capitals scored four power-play goals in a game since Oct. 3, 2018 vs. Boston.
- The Capitals have scored a power-play goal in four of their last five games (seven goals on 18 opportunities for a 38.9 power-play percentage) and their 27.1 power-play percentage through 14 games this season ranks sixth in the NHL, through games played Nov. 7.
Kuz Control
- Evgeny Kuznetsov (2g, 2a) factored on all four of the Capitals’ power-play goals against Edmonton.
- Kuznetsov’s four points on the power play tied a franchise record for the most power-play points in a single game (11 players, most recent prior to Monday’s game: Dennis Wideman, Dec. 9, 2011 vs. Toronto).
- It marked Kuznetsov’s eighth career game with four or more points.
- Kuznetsov’s nine assists in 14 games this season lead Washington and his 11 points rank third on the team.
Who’s Next?
- Alex Ovechkin has scored a goal in three-straight games and is currently on a six-game point streak (5g, 2a).
- Ovechkin’s goal on Monday marked his first career goal against Stuart Skinner, the 163rd different goaltender Ovechkin has scored on in his career.
- Ovechkin’s 163 goaltenders scored on ranks fourth in NHL history, trailing only Jaromir Jagr (178), Patrick Marleau (177) and Mark Messier (164). Among these players, Marleau ranks first in NHL history in games played, Messier third and Jagr fourth. Ovechkin ranks 72nd.
Player Number of Goaltenders Scored On Games Played
Jaromir Jagr 178 1,733
Patrick Marleau 177 1,779
Mark Messier 164 1,756
Alex Ovechkin 163 1,288
- Ovechkin has scored against a new goaltender in three consecutive games (also Nov. 3 at DET: Ville Husso & Nov. 5 vs. ARI: Karel Vejmelka). It marks the seventh instance in Ovechkin’s career in which he has scored against a new goaltender in three or more consecutive games and the first since Nov. 24-28, 2008 (Niklas Backstrom, Ondrej Pavelec & Jaroslav Halak).
- Ovechkin has scored one goal in eight career games against Tristan Jarry and two goals in three career games against Casey DeSmith.
- Ovechkin recorded two points (1g, 1a) on Monday against Edmonton, marking his 399th career multi-point game. With his two-point effort, Ovechkin passed Adam Oates (398) and tied Mark Recchi (399) for the 15th -most multi-point games in NHL history.
Goal 787
- Alex Ovechkin scored his 787th career goal on Saturday against Arizona, passing Gordie Howe for the most goals scored by a player with a single franchise (Howe: 786 goals in 1,687 games played with Detroit).
- Ovechkin, who scored his 787th goal in his 1,287th career game with Washington, eclipsed Howe’s mark in 400 fewer games.
- With his goal on Saturday, Ovechkin also passed Adam Oates (1,420) for the 19th-most points in NHL history. It marked Ovechkin’s 134th career game-opening goal, leaving him on shy of tying Jaromir Jagr (135) for the most in NHL history.
- The Capitals selected Ovechkin with the first overall pick in the 2004 NHL Draft. Since entering the NHL in 2005-06, Ovechkin has played in 1,288 of the Capitals’ 1,335 games (96.5 percent).
- Ovechkin is the Capitals’ franchise leader in games played (1,288), goals (788), points (1,423), playoff games played (147), playoff goals (72) and playoff points (141).
- Ovechkin ranks first in NHL history in power play goals (290) and overtime goals (24), second in game-winning goals (122), road goals (400) and multi-goal games (159), and fourth in even strength goals (493).
Strome At Home
- Dylan Strome recorded three points (2g, 1a) on Monday against Edmonton, marking his fourth multi-point game in 14 games this season, which is the most on the Capitals.
- Strome has recorded 12 points (4g, 8a) in 14 games this season. Strome ranks second on Washington in points, assists and powerplay points (2g-5a-7p).
- Through 14 games, Strome is averaging 17:56 of ice time, which ranks third among Capitals forwards (Alex Ovechkin: 20:20; Evgeny Kuznetsov: 18:28). Prior to the start of this season, Strome had averaged 16:02 of ice time per game in his career.
Kuemper’s Crease
- Over his last five starts, Darcy Kuemper has posted a 1.81 goals-against average and a .939 save percentage with one shutout.
- Among goaltenders with at least 10 games played this season, Kuemper ranks third in the NHL in goals-against average (2.42) and save percentage (.919).
- Since 2017-18, Kuemper ranks first in the NHL in save percentage (.921) and second in goals-against average (2.43) (min. 150 GP).
- Kuemper’s 67 wins since 2019-20 rank second among goaltenders with 125 or fewer starts in that span (Igor Shesterkin: 68). Kuemper has a career record of 147-100-37.
- Among active goaltenders currently on an NHL roster with at least 300 games played, Kuemper ranks second in save percentage (.918) and goals-against average (2.48).
Marty Party
- Martin Fehervary is expected to play in his 100th career game on Wednesday against Pittsburgh.
- Fehervary, the Capitals’ second-round choice, 46th overall, in the 2018 NHL Draft, leads Washington in hits (51) and ranks second in the NHL, through games played Nov. 7.
- Fehervary is averaging 20:27 of ice time this season, which ranks fourth on Washington.
- Fehervary has been on the ice for 10 of Washington’s 25 goals for at five-on-five this season, which is tied for the third most of any Capitals skater.
- Last season, Fehervary ranked second among NHL rookies in hits (251) and led rookie defensemen in goals (8). New Guys
- Per Natural Stat Trick, Sonny Milano has generated six individual scoring chances at five-on-five in his first two games with Washington, which ranks tied for second on the team (Alex Ovechkin: 8; Dylan Strome: 6).
- Milano is expected to play in his 200th career game on Wednesday against Pittsburgh.
- Nicolas Aube-Kubel made his Capitals debut on Monday against Edmonton, logging 10:19 of ice time and two shots on goal.
- Aube-Kubel recorded a career high 23 points (11g, 12a) in 74 games with the Philadelphia Flyers and Colorado Avalanche in 2021- 22. Aube-Kubel’s 123 hits in 67 games with Colorado last season ranked second on the team.
Keeping It Close
- Through 14 games this season, the Capitals have been on the ice for a total 846:35. Washington has been either tied, led by a goal or trailed by a goal for 82.1 percent of that time (695:22).
Eighth All-Time
- With the Capitals’ 5-4 victory over Edmonton on Monday, Peter Laviolette earned his 723rd career win as a head coach, passing Alain Vigneault for the eighth-most wins in NHL history.
- Laviolette has a career record of 723-472-25-142 (.592 point percentage) and a 86-47-19 (.628 point percentage) record with Washington.
- Laviolette’s career .592 point percentage is the fourth highest among the NHL’s top-10 winningest coaches all-time (Scotty Bowman: .657; Joel Quenneville: .612; Ken Hitchcock: .599).
- Among active head coaches with 1,000 or more games coached, only Bruce Boudreau’s career point percentage is higher (.632).
Did You Know?
- The Capitals have killed off 25 of 28 power plays (89.3 percent) over their last nine games, dating back to Oct. 22. During that span, Washington’s 89.3 penalty kill percentage ranks second in the NHL.
- Washington’s 397 hits this season are the most in the NHL, through games played Nov. 7.
- Since the start of the 2020-21 season, Washington is 8-3-0 in games following two consecutive regulation losses.
- Over their last four games, the Capitals have won 54.9 percent of faceoffs.
