It’s the most pivotal Washington Capitals-Pittsburgh Penguins Game 5 since the last one.
When these rival sides faced off in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs each of the last two years, the Penguins led 3-1 at this junction. But Washington took a game in Pittsburgh earlier this week and brought the series back to the District tied 2-2.
Here’s everything you need to know for today’s Game 5:
Opponent: Pittsburgh Penguins (series tied 2-2)
Location: Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.
Date and Time: Saturday, May 5, 7 p.m.
Television: NBC
Radio: FAN 106.7
Pre-game reading:
Andre Burakovsky skates for first time since surgery, by Matthew Paras
Trotz mulls changes to Ovechkin line: ’Has to be better,’ by Matthew Paras
Penguins even series with Capitals in Game 4 win, by Adam Zielonka
Alex Ovechkin fails to record a shot in Game 4 loss, by Adam Zielonka
Tom Wilson a dirty player, unless he’s on your team, by Deron Snyder
Capitals enjoy secondary scoring while Penguins’ lower lines struggle, by Adam Zielonka
What to watch for: Capitals coach Barry Trotz is sticking with the same lines as Game 4, with Devante Smith-Pelly in place of Tom Wilson on the top line with Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov. But Trotz added he has a plan B and a plan C if the line continues to struggle … According to TSN research, when a best-of-seven Stanley Cup Playoff series is tied 2-2, the winner of Game 5 goes on to win the series 78.9 percent of the time (202-54) … On a different note, Trotz said that John Carlson’s wife gave birth to the couple’s second son Friday night.
• Staff can be reached at 202-636-3000.
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