Capitals at Penguins
Mike Sullivan makes his debut behind the bench of the Pittsburgh Penguins, who host the Metropolitan Division-leading Washington Capitals on Monday. Sullivan replaced Mike Johnston, who was fired Saturday after going 58-37-15 since the start of last season, as the Penguins attempt to find consistency at both ends of the ice.
Pittsburgh general manager Jim Rutherford told reporters Sullivan gives the team “a little more freedom on the offensive side of the game” as well as a new voice. “I believe he’s the guy who can come in and really take control and really make some guys more accountable when we’re not performing,” Rutherford told the media after his team went 1-2-1 its last four games. Sullivan, who owns a 72-60-15 record in two seasons with Boston (2003-06) and six games as Vancouver’s interim coach (2013-14), faces a red-hot Washington squad that has earned points in nine of its last 10 games (8-1-1). Braden Holtby is building a strong Vezina Trophy resume for the Capitals, posting a league-high 18 victories while going 10-0-1 in his last 11 contests.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NHLN, RSN, CSN-DC (Washington), ROOT (Pittsburgh)
ABOUT THE CAPITALS (20-6-2): Holtby turned aside 35 shots in the 2-1 victory at Tampa Bay on Saturday and has allowed 24 goals in his last 14 games, improving his dazzling overall numbers (.930 save percentage, 1.90 goals-against average). “I feel like a broken record talking about him all the time,” defenseman John Carlson told reporters. “He performs every single night. He’s there for us. It’s great that he’s on our team.” Evgeny Kuznetsov snapped a six-game goal-scoring drought Saturday and leads the team with 28 points.
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (15-10-3): Top-pair defenseman Kris Letang, who shares the team lead with 13 assists, is lost for about two weeks with an upper-body injury. While defense is a constant concern, Pittsburgh stood 26th in the league in scoring through Saturday’s games despite boasting the likes of captain Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel (no points and minus-5 rating in the last four games). Malkin leads the team with 13 goals and 26 points while Crosby has warmed up with four points and a plus-4 rating over his last four contests.
OVERTIME
1. Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin has registered 27 goals in 40 career games against the Penguins.
2. Pittsburgh G Marc-Andre Fleury turned aside 33 shots to beat Washington 3-1 on Oct. 28 and is 18-10-2 lifetime versus the Capitals.
3. Washington C Nicklas Backstrom has posted eight points in his last eight contests.