NHL » Penguins at Capitals, Wednesday, CSN-HD, 7 p.m.
It is never too early to talk Stanley Cup playoffs and these two teams hate each other. Anytime Sid the Kid and Ovi get together there are fireworks and it is must-see TV.

NCAA » Sweet 16, Thursday-Friday, CBS
It will be time for the Sweet 16 teams to get together and another chance to have those brackets survive another week or to have them blown up. The upsets are likely to continue in this wide-open field. — Jim Williams

BOLD PREDICTIONS

1. Desmond will be Nats’ Opening Day RF » “If you can play shortstop, you can play anywhere.” Those are the words of Los Angeles Angels infield coach Alfredo Griffin, speaking of Brandon Wood, early in spring training. But that could also apply to Nats shortstop prospect Ian Desmond. With a strong spring, the 24-year-old is pushing incumbent Cristian Guzman. But with an opening in right field with the release of Elijah Dukes, it’s time to shift Desmond and get both of their bats in the lineup. Despite his lack of outfield experience, Desmond is the best option. There should be no hesitation. If Desmond isn’t ready to hit big league pitching now, he’ll never be. He has 2,662 plate appearances in six circuitous minor league seasons. Last year was by far his best. Splitting time between AA and AAA, Desmond hit .330 and stole 21 bases. This spring he leads the Nats in batting (.387), total bases (20), and RBIs (11). It’s time to find out what he can do. — Kevin Dunleavy

2. No. 1 seed Capitals will play Atlanta in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs » Wait, didn’t the Thrashers give up when they traded star forward Ilya Kovalchuk to the New Jersey Devils on Feb. 4? Someone apparently forgot to tell Atlanta that its season is supposed to end on April 11. The Thrashers pulled out of a tailspin this week with wins over alleged Eastern Conference contenders Buffalo and Ottawa. With 11 games left, Atlanta is keeping the pressure on both the Boston Bruins and New York Rangers in the race for the No. 8 playoff spot. And that will help down the stretch. In both of those cities, missing the playoffs is a disaster. In Atlanta they’ll just ask, “When does Georgia’s spring football practice start?” In other words: No pressure. And one of the Bruins or Rangers will fall further behind when those teams play in Boston on Sunday afternoon. A meeting with the young Thrashers would be just fine with the Caps, who are already 4-0 against them this season. — Brian McNally

3. Rams will make Bradford No. 1 » Every day we get closer to the 2010 NFL Draft it becomes apparent that Sam Bradford will go first overall to the Rams. It makes sense and it’s the only move the Rams really can make. They’ve drafted defensive linemen often of late and they can’t keep going back to that spot, if there’s an alternative at a position of glaring need. Like quarterback. Which also happens to be the most important position on a team. The only question surrounding Bradford is his health. Well, there are a few more questions than that, but that’s the major one. The other ones can be cured through coaching. But if his shoulder, which limited him to two games last fall, is still shaky then it will impact him for a while. And, in that case, he’ll drop to … the Redskins. But Bradford is the best quarterback option in this draft; the Rams need a quarterback. The move makes sense. — John Keim

PLAYER TO WATCH

Jason Marquis, SP, Washington Nationals
There’s been a lot of talk about Stephen Strasburg and what, if healthy, Chien-Ming Wang will do for the Nationals’ rotation later this season. However, of more immediate concern is the lack of “feel” in Marquis’ pitching. Signed in the offseason to help mentor the younger pitchers and to bring his strong sinker to Nationals Park, the elder statesman of the Nats’ staff has been nothing short of horrific this spring. Is it too early to worry? Perhaps. His stat line of 13 earned runs in 5.1 innings with seven walks and only one strikeout over two starts isn’t reassuring. Marquis has a track record of starting slow in the spring, but with games that count about two weeks away, his next start will help ease the fears of Nats fans if he shows some improvement. — Leon Saffelle

FIVE UP & FIVE DOWN


UP

1. Phoenix Coyotes » Rallied from 3-0 down Thursday night for their seventh consecutive win. They could actually steal the No. 1 seed in Western Conference.

2. Rodney Stuckey » Pistons guard finally returned to the court on Friday two weeks after collapsing on the bench during a game against the Cavaliers.

3. NIT » College hoops’ oldest tournament had six first-round games decided by four points or less and North Carolina is playing in Carmichael again.

4. Michigan football » Welcome to both the 20th and 21st centuries. In 2011, the Big House will host Notre Dame in its first-ever night game at Michigan Stadium.

5. Clint Dempsey » USA soccer star’s goal lifted club team Fulham to an historic Europa League win over Italian power Juventus.


DOWN
1. Georgetown basketball » Second straight year their season comes to a frustrating end. Hoyas had more to offer than an embarrassing loss to Ohio.

2. Boston Bruins » Yes, they finally retaliated for Matt Cooke’s head shot on Marc Savard. Where were they the night the hit actually happened?

3. Rick Barnes » His Texas team went from the No. 1 ranking on Jan. 17 to blowing an 8-point lead in the final three minutes of OT vs. Wake Forest.

4. James Wisniewski » Anaheim Ducks defenseman earned an eight-game suspension for a hit on Chicago’s Brent Seabrook on Wednesday.

5. Elijah Dukes » Talented young outfielder never put it together with the Nats and was released early in the week.

— Jeffrey Tomik