Crosby, Penguins stars sit for what could be Ovechkin's final Pittsburgh visit

AtlanticBruinsCanadiensLightningMaple LeafsPanthersRed WingsSabresSenatorsMetropolitanBlue JacketsCapitalsDevilsFlyersHurricanesIslandersPenguinsRangersCentralAvalancheBlackhawksBluesJetsMammothPredatorsStarsWildPacificCanucksDucksFlamesGolden KnightsKingsKrakenOilersSharksScores & ScheduleStandingsPodcastsFantasyNHL OddsNHL PicksPlayoff projectionsNHL Draft rankingRed Light NewsletterNHL Regular Most lower-bowl tickets were reselling for about $300 at the time of the Pittsburgh Penguins' injury announcements. Joe Sargent / NHLI via Getty Images Share full articlePITTSBURGH — Alex Ovechkin will be on the ice at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday afternoon. The Pittsburgh Penguins will be, too. Absent, however, will be Sidney Crosby, the other half of one of the league’s greatest individual rivalries; Evgeni Malkin, perhaps the second-greatest Russian player of all time; Erik Karlsson, possibly the best defenseman of his generation; and Kris Letang, a key part of the Penguins-Capitals rivalry for nearly two decades. The Penguins announced on Saturday morning that all four players are day-to-day and will not be in the lineup for what could be Ovechkin’s final game in Pittsburgh. Also freshly day-to-day for Pittsburgh are first-line winger Bryan Rust, rookie Ben Kindel and first-pair defenseman Parker Wotherspoon. Ovechkin announced earlier this week that he’s taking time to decide on whether he will return for a 22nd NHL season. The 40-year-old said he’d announce his plans in the summer, and retirement is a very real possibility. That, combined with Washington’s still-alive postseason hopes, added a degree of caché to this weekend’s home-and-home series between the two franchises. A relevant number of fans traveled for the 3 p.m. game, which will be televised nationally in the United States on ESPN, and most lower-bowl tickets were reselling for about $300 at the time of the injury announcements. Pittsburgh clinching a playoff spot on Thursday, though, appears to have changed the calculus, especially given that Crosby, 38, and Malkin, 39, both recently missed games. The Penguins recalled forwards Ville Koivunen, Rutger McGroarty and Joona Koppanen to help fill out the lineup. “We have a lot of guys that have been playing through a lot, and they’re banged up,” Penguins coach Dan Muse said. “Right now, they’re day to day. (We’ll) continue to evaluate and make decisions moving forward.” Coach Spencer Carbery said the Penguins’ moves change nothing for the Capitals, who need to win their remaining three games and get outside help to close a three-point gap between themselves and the Philadelphia Flyers. “I can see (how Pittsburgh’s lineup would be disappointing) for the fan base and the viewership on TV, but for us, we just got to find a way to get two points. That’s it,” Carbery said. “It’s not like, all of a sudden, their systems are going to change because four guys are out of the lineup. You’re gonna see a lot of the same things that we’ve prepared for that the Pittsburgh Penguins have done at a high level this year. We’ve got to stay focused on that, even if (Crosby) isn’t in the lineup and there’s some different parts that are dressing tonight. “We’re in desperation mode, as we have been over the last couple of months, so that won’t change. (Today) we just need to put a real quality performance on display.” Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Sean Gentille is a senior writer for The Athletic covering the NHL. He previously covered Pittsburgh sports with the The Athletic and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the NHL for Sporting News, and he's a graduate of the University of Maryland. Follow Sean on Twitter @seangentille