He's not playing. Neither is he. Concussion v. Concussion is going to have to wait.
The Penguins are doing pretty well against the Western Conference (5-0-2). The Avalanche are doing the same against the East (5-0). The Penguins are 5-2 at home. The Avs are 6-3 on the road. Pittsburgh ranks #1 in the penalty kill at a ridiculously high 94%. Colorado is still squishing the competition on the power play at 27.1%. Something's gotta give.
The big news for the game, at least for Avs' fans, is Milan Hejduk, as he makes his debut as the third captain in Avalanche history.
Courtesy of the Penguin's website, here's a quick stat comparison:
 |
 |
|
G
|
Neal (11) | Hejduk (7) |
|
A
|
Letang (13) | O'Reilly (10) |
|
PTS
|
Neal (17) |
Duchene (13) |
|
PIM
|
Engelland (16) | O'Brien (33) |
|
+/-
|
Dupuis/Staal (5) | Wilson (3) |
|
PP
|
Neal (5) | Hejduk (4) |
|
SH
|
Four with (1) |
Winnik/Kobasew (1) |
|
W/L
|
Fleury (9-2-1) |
Varlamov (5-7-1) |
|
GAA
|
Fleury (1.87) | Varlamov (3.08) |
|
SVP
|
Fleury (.932) | Varlamov (.897) |
I think it's fair to give Pittsburgh the advantage here in...well, in everything. Let's hope the road warriors find their mojo again.