I had some, um, problems getting to the arena today with roads being blocked off and what not, so I missed Bruce Boudreau's pre-game talk. Dave Molinari from the Post-Gazette did tell us that the Penguins will go with Marc-Andre Fleury in net, which is a bit of a surprise since he was pulled after allowing three first-period goals in their last game. The Penguins will also not be getting Marian Hossa back today as they had hoped as he tries to return from a sprained knee.

This is stating the obvious, but this is a big one for the Caps. Carolina's win in overtime last night did not help at all. The Caps are seven back of the Hurricanes, who have won four in a row but do have four of the next five on the road.

-- Corey Masisak