Preseason Preview: Baltimore Hockey Classic Tonight, Bruins face Capitals

Just the Facts:

Game Time: 7 PM, Baltimore Arena, Baltimore, MD

Rival SB Nation Site: Japers Rink

Preseason Records: Bruins (1-0-0)

Get Tickets Here: Boston Bruins Tickets

Capitals  group playing tonight:

Forwards:Johansson-Backstrom-Ovechkin, Walker-Stephenson-Brouwer, Volpatti-Beagle-Wilson, Byers-Wellman-Galiev
Defensemen:Alzner-Green, Hillen-Oleksy, Schmidt-Carrick
Goalies: Holtby, Grubauer

Bruins group playing tonight:

Forwards: Marchand-Khokhlachev-Eriksson, Caron-Kelly-Smith, Downing-Camper-Knight, Florek-Lindblad-Robins
Defensemen: Seidenberg-Hamilton, Warsofsky-Boychuk, Morrow-Casto
Goaltenders: Rask, Svedberg

Preview:

It's the Baltimore Hockey Classic! This has been done once before, in 2011 with mixed results. Baltimore is one of the only major cities along I-95 with no professional hockey at all, which is sort of weird when you consider what sort of weirdly underpopulated cities on that corridor can support at least an AHL team.

Anyways.

This game is not televised in New England, but if you live in the DC area, you're in luck - you can see it on CSN.

Tonight's game will give us an opportunity to see if 2/3 of the other top line clicks, with Alexander Khokhlachev inserted in lieu of Patrice Bergeron. We'll get a chance to see Dennis Seidenberg and Dougie Hamilton do their thing together, as well as get a good look at Reilly Smith on the right hand side of Chris Kelly. On the not-exactly-gunning-for-the-NHL side, Justin Florek with Matt Lindblad and Bobby Robins should make for a fun, sandpapery fourth line that should annoy the crap out of whatever Caps they're paired against.

The Bruins will face some of the Caps' top players, including the now 28-year-old Alexander Ovechkin and his sometimes-linemates, Marcus Johansson and Nicklas Backstrom.  They'll also face Washington's top goaltender, Braden Holtby, and their top defensive pairing of Karl Alzner and Mike Green.

They also get to face off against an Australian. Nathan Walker is from the land down under, and he has a pretty cool story.

Here's some fun further reading about the history of hockey in Baltimore.