WASHINGTON -- Matt Murray has seen a lot of the Capitals during his NHL career, and he'll get another look at them this afternoon.
Mike Sullivan said today that Murray will be in goal when the Penguins face Washington at 12:38 p.m. at Capital One Arena.
Murray is 7-4, with a goals-against average of 3.56 in 11 games against the Capitals.
His goaltending partner, Tristan Jarry, never has faced Washington.
Whether Murray's experience dealing with the likes of Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom factored into the decision to start him isn't clear, because Sullivan declined to elaborate on the logic behind choosing him.
"I'd rather not share what went into (the decision), but there was a lot that went into it," he said. "What I will share is that we believe we have a real strong goalie tandem. We feel like we have two strong goalies who are going to going to give us a chance to win and making timely saves for us. It's important that we keep both of these guys in the mix."
Murray probably will have to come up with some of those timely saves if the Penguins are to take a point or two out of this game, because Ovechkin headlines a formidable collection of talent on the other side.
"He's obviously one of the elite players of his generation," Sullivan said. "He's a pure goal-scorer, so we're going to have to be aware when he's on the ice."
The Capitals, conversely, figure to focus much of their efforts on neutralizing Sidney Crosby, the most prominent figure on the Penguins' roster.
"Sid and Alex always seem to command the most attention, but I think there's a lot of star power on both sides," Sullivan said. "It's a great rivalry. I think it brings the best out in competitive athletes. Every team needs rivals, and this is one of ours."
PHOTO GALLERY
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Penguins vs. Capitals, Feb. 2, 2020, Washington. - AP / GETTY[/caption]
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