The Capitals are doing pretty well right now. They’re a .500 team for the first time in months, they’re out of the cellar and they’ve got two goalies they can win with. Brent Johnson, in fact, has won two games this week and might get another start tonight.

Still, regardless of the goalie, the Caps have been owned by the Pittsburgh Penguins since the lockout, and they’re headed to face them tonight in their fourth game since star center Michael Nylander took the year off for shoulder surgery. In that time, Nicklas Backstrom and Boyd Gordon have performed beyond expectations, centering the team’s offensive lines. Gordon notched two assists against Edmonton on Thursday and Backstrom put up four assists against Florida on Saturday night.

For three seasons, every time the Caps have faced the Penguins, journalists all over the U.S. and Canada have asked players on both teams whether Capital Alex Ovechkin (2006’s rookie of the year, who just signed hockey’s richest contract ever) would play better than Penguin Sidney Crosby (2007’s MVP). Every time, Ovechkin has said he just hopes the Caps win.

The stakes should be the same tonight as the Caps face the Penguins without Sidney Crosby in the lineup. Crosby sat out Saturday night against Montreal with an ankle injury that cannot be diagnosed until the swelling subsides. Nonetheless, the Penguins beat the Canadiens, thanks to strong play from Evgenei Malkin, an old friend of Ovechkin’s who was the NHL’s rookie of the year in 2007, and is quite capable of leading a hockey team.