Lineup changes on both sides will make tonight’s game a different beast from the previous two. Pittsburgh’s Olli Maatta will not play, nor will Washington’s Brooks Orpik.
Tonight the playoff series shifts westward as the Pittsburgh Penguins host the Washington Capitals for game three. The main difference between this game and the previous two are lineup changes for each team.
Olli Maatta, who was injured after absorbing a late, high hit from Brooks Orpik in game two, will not be in the lineup tonight. He missed the latter 55 minutes of the last game and has been undergoing medical evaluation since then.
Maatta looked dazed after being helped off the ice by his teammates on Saturday, and a concussion is not out of the question. While the team doctors and coaching staff haven’t ruled out a return sometime in this series, he will not be in the lineup tonight.
The rest of Pittsburgh’s lineup will be a gametime decision. However, in Maatta’s absence, look for either Derrick Pouliot or Justin Schultz to slot in on the back end. Pouliot has had some success when paired with Ben Lovejoy this season, but Schultz is more willing to shoot and is a valuable asset on the powerplay.
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Kris Letang, who played nearly 36 minutes in the regulation win in game two, will surely be happy for the additional defenseman. Though Letang’s workhorse mentality and phenomenal conditioning are legendary, even he can use some help.
Matt Murray will be the Penguins’ starter in net again, as Marc-Andre Fleury is still recovering from his concussion. Fleury is making progress, but there’s no reason to fear with Murray in as his replacement.
On the other side, Brooks Orpik will also be out of the lineup. Last evening the Department of Player Safety handed down a three-game suspension for Orpik for his hit on Maatta, and tonight will be the first one he serves.
For the Capitals, it’s likely they put either Mike Weber or Dmitry Orlov in as his replacement. Taylor Chorney suited up for the Washington defense in the last game and has seen some spotty action throughout the playoffs so far; however, he is generally a bubble player and may be pulled in favor of putting both of these replacements in.
Braden Holtby will more than likely get the nod in net for the Capitals. Holtby was really the thing that kept them in it in game two as the Penguins dominated everything but the scoresheet.
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These two teams are very evenly matched, and the games we’ve seen so far prove that. One team will command a period, then the other, and back and forth it goes. Game three is tonight at 8, and you won’t want to miss it.