Pregame | January 11, 2012 | @ Capitals

Venue: Verizon Center

Time: 7:30 ET
Networks: NBCSN(HD), TSN2


Previous Meetings:
October 13th: Caps win 3-2 (Overtime)
December 1st: Pens win 2-1


Leading Scorers (who are playing):
Penguins:

Evgeni Malkin: GP 34, 17 G, 28 A, 45 Points


Capitals:

Alex Ovechkin: GP 40, 17 G, 16 A, 33 Points


Goalie Matchups:


Pittsburgh Penguins:

Marc-Andre Fleury: 34 GP, 19 Wins, 11 Losses, and 2 Overtime Losses, .911 Sv%, 2.32 GAA


Washington Capitals:

Tomas Vokoun: 29 GP, 16 Wins, 10 Losses, .912 Sv%, 2.66 GAA


Story Lines:
- Both teams are entering this game sliding, with the Capitals losing their last 2 (both 5-2), and the Pens losing their last five.  The slide has seen the Penguins fall into 8th place in the conference.  However, the Capitals have not been able to take advantage and seize the 8th spot.
- Not only have the teams been losing, they've also been losing players.  The Capitals recently lost their leading scorer Nicklas Backstrom (GP 38, 13 G, 29 A, 42 Points) via an elbow to the head.  He was added to the IR today.  The Pens injuries are a long list that now includes prospect Simon Despres.  The list includes: Crosby, Letang, Staal, Despres, and possibly Martin.
-While both teams have been struggling as of late, you can always count on a showdown when Malkin and Ovechkin are vying for bragging rights.


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