Did we forget about doing a preview for this game? Maaaaybe. Stupid afternoon starts. Sundays are for sleep, coffee, and a leisurely bathroom visit with the paper.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are coming off an 8-1 decimation of the Tampa Lightning that featured an Evgeni Malkin hat trick and the flatlining of Dwayne Roloson’s trade value, while the Jackets will see the debut of Jack Johnson and Darryl Boyce in Union Blue. Amid it all, the bitter undercurrents swirl that this could well be the last time we see #61 in a Columbus uniform. Will it be a better farewell than the match against Colorado, or are we set to feel yet more heartbreak as one of the East’s juggernauts keeps rolling towards the playoffs?
Columbus will be in the Thirds for this game, while the Pens will wear their road whites. Barring a last minute surprise, here are today’s lines:
Umberger – Brassard – Nash
Prospal – Letestu – Atkinson
Boyce – Pahlsson – Dorsett
Gillies – Mackenzie – Johansen
Tyutin – Nikitin
Johnson – Wisniewski
Moore – Lebda
Sanford
Mason
Pittsburgh Penguins:
Kunitz – Malkin – Neal
Sullivan – Staal – Dupuis
Cooke – Vitale – Asham
Tangradi – Adams – Park
Orpik – Letang
Michalek – Martin
Niskanen – Engelland
Thiessen
Fleury
Interesting to see the Pens giving Brad Theissen the start in his first NHL game, especially with Fleury being lights out yesterday. I won’t lie, Marge. It doesn’t seem, on paper, like this is going to be pretty…but you have to hope. Sometimes the strangest things can happen when your back is against the wall.