Penguins Vs. Capitals: Super Bowl Matinee Provides A Winter Classic Rematch

The Pittsburgh Penguins start the Pittsburgh sports doubleheader as they head to Verizon Center to face the Washington Capitals. In what was supposed to be billed as a Winter Classic rematch, the Penguins will be without Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Crosby has been out of the lineup since the game after the Classic with a concussion and Malkin will be out for the rest of the season after he tore his ACL and MCL against the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night.

The Capitals have played host to a Super Bowl matinee for the last 18 years and have won the last seven, including a 5-4 overtime victory over the Penguins last year. Semyon Varlamov should be in net for the Penguins and is 2-0 in his career against the Penguins with a 2.00 GAA and .935 save percentage. The Capitals have scored power-play goals in consecutive games for the first time since Dec. 1 -2 and Alex Ovechkin scored his first power-play goal since Oct. 30 against the Lightning on Friday.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have won their last five games and eight of their last 10. The Penguins are also 2-0 when they play a game on the same day as the Steelers play a playoff game. Marc-Andre Fleury should be in net for the Penguins while Tim Wallace has been called up to replace Evgeni Malkin in the lineup.