Caps vs. Bruins 4-5-2010 Wrap Up/ Caps @ Pengiun Scum 4-6-2010 Preview

The Local Yokels:

(Com)Post.  Examiner.  Caps.com.


The Neutral Observers:

NHL.com.  AP Wire.

The Other Side:

Boston Globe-Democrat:  big mistake, thrown into the fire.  Boston Herald: point made, under the weather.

Final Thoughts:

79 down, 3 to go.


Washington Capitals (52-27; 116 points; 1st Southeast Division, 1st Eastern Conference, 1st Overall) @  Pittsburgh Penguin Scum (46-33; 97 points; 2nd Atlantic Division, 4th Eastern Conference, 8th Overall):
Caps Game #80, Road Game #41, NHL Game #1,186

Caps "Magic Numbers" (Caps Points Earned+Lost by team named) to clinch:
Playoff Spot: Clinched 3/11
Southeast Division Championship: Clinched 3/11
Eastern Conference #1 Seed: Clinched 3/28
President's Trophy: Clinched 4/4

Mellon, Arena, Pittsburgh, PA. 7:40 pm. Washington TV: None. Radio: WFED 1500-AM. Pittsburgh TV: None. Radio: WXDX 105.9-FM.  U.S. National TV: Versus.  Canadian National TV: TSN2 NHL Center Ice: None.

Tonight, the Caps hit the road for the final time in the regular season when they head up to Pittsburgh to face the Penguin Scum for the fourth and final time this season.  The Caps have won all three games against the Penguin Scum this season with the last two coming beyond regulation.  The Penguin Scum have slipped into a cripple fight with the New Jersey Devils over the Atlantic Division Title, a Title that now may only gain the eventual winner a single seed in the playoffs.  The Penguin Scum have won three of their four games since falling to the Caps in a gimmick 13 days ago with their last win coming in overtime against the Thrashers at home on Saturday 4-3.


What The Natives Are Saying:

Caps.com.

Neutral Views:

NHL.com.  AP Wire.

Open Source Intelligence:

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: inward focus, personal goals, what's wrong with him?  Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: priority #1, coming back, Scouting Report.  Penguin Scum.com.

What Do We Expect Tonight?:

If Bruce Boudreau continues to rest star players as the regular season winds down, the first question will be who gets the night off tonight before we can even try to predict what the effect will be.  For instance, Mike "BEAM ME UP" Green's night off produced some unsavory pairings on the blueline.  If the forward combination are tinkered with tonight, it could have a similar effect.  The difference tonight however is that the Penguin Scum are more than capable of taking advantage of the self-inflicted chaos in the Caps lineup.  We hope that there's a greater level of intensity tonight simply because of the rivalry that doesn't exist.  But if Nicklas Backstrom and/or Alexander "Slappy" Semin are given the night off, then don't expect much as Boudreau once again signals to his team that tonight's game doesn't really matter.  Nevermind that the Caps have a chance to sweep yet another potential playoff opponent, one that many think the Caps must go through in order to claim any legitimacy to a Stanley Cup win.

Caps Nut Official Prediction:

Caps 5
Penguin Scum 3
Winner by Walker
(43-36 on the season with one perfect game)