Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin, Pittsburgh’s Zbynek Michalek face disciplinary hearings

Update, 12:45 p.m.: Ovechkin declines to comment on hit

Washington left wing Alex Ovechkin and Pittsburgh defenseman Zbynek Michalek will have disciplinary hearings with NHL vice president of player safety Brendan Shanahan for hits in the Capitals’ 4-3 overtime loss to the Penguins on Sunday.

Ovechkin laid a crunching check on Michalek in the corner 4 minutes and 5 seconds into the second period. On the play, Ovechkin appeared to leap off the ice prior to contact, but Michalek might have been falling before contact was made. There was no penalty on the hit, and Michalek’s head did not appear to be the principal point of contact. Ovechkin’s hearing is scheduled for early this afternoon. He did not address the hit following the game.

Ovechkin has been suspended twice in his career, but neither has been in the past 18 months, so he will not be considered a repeat offender under the NHL’s rules. Both suspensions came in the 2009-10 season. He received one two-game suspension after a knee-on-knee hit against Carolina defenseman Tim Gleason and another three months later for a hit on Chicago defenseman Brian Campbell.

Check out the video of Ovechkin’s hit here:

Not long after Ovechkin’s check Sunday, Michalek elbowed Matt Hendricks into the boards deep in the Pittsburgh zone, 8:36 into the second period. Hendricks chased the puck into the corner, and he crouched down just prior to absorbing the hit from Michalek’s forearm. Michalek received a minor penalty for elbowing on the play.

Afterward, Michalek had some strong words about the two hits. The defenseman acknowledged he deserved a penalty for the elbow against Hendricks but wasn’t happy that Ovechkin didn’t receive any type of penalty for his check.

“I was a little surprised. To me, when the play happened, he just went for my head. I’ve been told that he left his feet. Hit my head,” Michalek said. “To me, it’s a definitely a penalty. They didn’t call it. It should have been called for sure.”

“It’s not the first time he’s hit me or somebody else like that. Some players are more protected than the others. It should be an even field. Next shift I took a penalty. It was a good call. I elbowed the guy. I just told the ref that if he’s going to make the call on me he should make it on him too. It should be an even field no matter who makes the hit.”

Below is the video of Michalek’s elbow on Hendricks.

More from Post Sports:
— Caps prepare for possible Ovechkin suspension
— Backstrom skates for first time since Jan. 6
— Malkin’s goal vaults Penguins past Caps in OT
— Loss overshadow’s Ovi’s three-point outing

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Surreal estate: Alexander Ovechkin buys McLean mansion

(Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

Buyer: Alexander Ovechkin

Price: $4.275 million

Details: The highest-paid man in the NHL has finally bought himself a real mansion. Since 2005, Ovechkin has lived in the brick four-bedroom near Ballston — with his parents and brother as frequent housemates — that he bought for $1.6 million. Unclear how much of the family will move with him to his new pad in McLean — a newly-constructed five-bedroom, 7.5-bath behemoth of 11,000 sq. ft., three times the size of his old place. Marbles floors, circular stairway, mahogany deck, cherry-panelled elevator. And yet you'd still expect Ovie (whose purchase was first reported by Washington Business Journal) to go for something grander: He’s set to make more than $9 million a year for the next decade with the Caps.

Read earlier: Goal oriented: Alexander Ovechkin at home in Arlington, 11/26/06

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Alex Ovechkin: Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin ‘dominates’

When the Capitals last saw their rivals back on Jan. 11, the Pittsburgh Penguins were in the midst of a six-game slide that saw them score just six goals. Since falling 1-0 in Washington thanks to a 30-save shutout by Tomas Vokoun, though, the Penguins have won five straight while outscoring their opponents 21-10.

Pittsburgh has defenseman Kris Letang back in the fold after he missed 21 games with a concussion and then there is all-star center Evgeni Malkin, who has helped lead the charge during the recent surge.

Heading into Sunday’s matinee with the Capitals, Malkin leads the NHL in scoring (55) and has eight goals – many of the eye-popping variety -- in the past five games. Of those tallies, six have come in the third period.

Alex Ovechkin knows his fellow countryman and roommate during the 2006 Olympics is on a roll.

“I think he play great right now,” Ovechkin said of Malkin. “Last year when he got hurt he miss hockey a lot. It’s good for him and he’s top player in the league, one of the top players in the league. When he is out there it’s dangerous. Every team have that kind of guy on the team but Malkin, right now, dominates.”

Having to monitor and try to minimize the damage Malkin can do is tough enough when the Capitals have the last change, on the road it will add another wrinkle. While Washington will try to make sure it gets advantageous matchups against Malkin, keep an eye out to see if the Penguins manage to shake those efforts as the contest goes on.

Karl Alzner said that the Capitals have to take a page out of their childhoods when trying to cover Malkin – shadow him but that his combination of speed, size, vision and play-making ability stack the deck.

“You’ve got to start by taking away his speed in the neutral zone,” Alzner said. “If you can’t do that you try to guard against his shot -- he likes to shoot the puck from pretty much anywhere and he goes to the net he doesn’t just shoot and peel off. You notice he gets those little ones in tight because he’s got that reach and he’s got that vision. You take away the speed and you just have to keep a guy on him – like the shadows that we all used to do in minor hockey.”

--Penguins Coach Dan Bylsma told reporters that Marc-Andre Fleury will start in goal this afternoon. It will mark Fleury’s 21st consecutive appearance.

Meanwhile, Coach Dale Hunter wouldn’t divulge who he plans to give the nod to against Pittsburgh

Tomas Vokoun, who has started 11 of the previous 12 contests, has appeared in each of the three meetings between the rivals this season and stopped 102 of the 106 shots he’s faced in those contests for a .962 save percentage and 1.32 goals-against average.

Michal Neuvirth is 2-0-1 in his career against the Penguins with a .977 save percentage and 0.65 goals-against average.

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Dale Hunter: Alex Ovechkin ‘knows when to shoot’

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