Both the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals might look a little different in Game 2 on Saturday after that blistering Game 1.
As the team down 1-0, it’s not too surprising that the Penguins boast the more significant lineup questions, although they lean toward health concerns rather than performance tweaks.
Conor Sheary was able to return during Game 1 after Tom Wilson’s controversial knee-to-knee hit, and he appears to be in for tonight’s contest as well. Chris Kunitz isn’t quite a guarantee, as he’s currently labeled a game-time decision.
#penguins Chris Kunitz game time, Conor Sheary in vs #capitals #tvasports
— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) April 30, 2016
Sullivan says he'll "consider all options" when asked if he'd use 7 D & 11 fwds to deal w/ Kunitz decision.
— Bill West (@Just_BWest) April 30, 2016
For what it’s worth, Kunitz himself believes he’ll be in. Whether he plays on Saturday or not, it sounds like Kunitz is taking extra safety measures going forward.
Kunitz was not wearing ear guards on his helmet when he got hit. He will from now on. They are on his helmet now.
— Dan Rosen (@drosennhl) April 30, 2016
The Penguins stayed vague with Marc-Andre Fleury, merely claiming that he’s making “progress.”
Coach Sullivan on Fleury: "Our guys are monitoring him closely. He is making progress and that's a positive for our team."
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 30, 2016
Generally speaking, Matt Murray has been playing well for the Penguins. Of course, the scrutiny will rise if Pittsburgh loses Game 2 on Saturday.
The Capitals are also considering a tweak. CSN Mid-Atlantic reports that Barry Trotz is pondering replacing Dmitry Orlov with Taylor Chorney.
“They told me to be prepared as if I’m going to be playing,” Chorney said. “We’ll just see how it goes.”
As you may notice, Chorney isn’t the only one in wait-and-see mode heading into Game 2, which you can watch on NBC.