Bruins at Penguins
THE STORY: With the way the Pittsburgh Penguins are playing, captain Sidney Crosby can afford take his time in returning to the ice. The Penguins will vie for their season-high ninth straight victory on Sunday when they host the Boston Bruins. Crosby, who was rumored to take the ice on Sunday, is now eyeing Thursday's date against the Atlantic Division rival New York Rangers for his potential return from his concussion issues.
TV: 12:30 p.m. ET, NBC
ABOUT THE BRUINS (40-24-3): Boston saw its two-game winning streak come to an end after dropping a 4-2 decision to Washington on Saturday afternoon. Milan Lucic extended his point streak to six games by scoring with six seconds left in the first period. The bruising forward, however, has only collected five points in 15 career contests against Pittsburgh. With Tuukka Rask sidelined, Tim Thomas has started eight consecutive games. The reigning Vezina Trophy winner is likely to receive the start versus the Penguins, against whom he is 8-5-4 in his career. Should Thomas get a breather, newly signed Marty Turco will make his season debut.
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (41-21-5): By winning 20 of its last 25 contests (20-4-1), coach Dan Bylsma's club has moved to within four points of the Rangers. G Marc-Andre Fleury has been downright stingy, yielding just one goal in each of his last three starts. Fleury made 28 saves and denied both attempts in the shootout as Pittsburgh posted a 2-1 triumph over Southeast Division-leading Florida on Friday. As for Crosby, he just wants to make be 100 percent ready to compete. "You’ve got to make sure, especially this time of year," he said. "It’s more physical than ever and you have to make sure everything is well-tested and I have to make sure I’ve done the right things to prepare.”
OVERTIME:
1. Boston D Johnny Boychuk has scored twice in the past two games. Prior to this scoring outburst, he was held goalless for 39 contests.
2. All-Star Evgeni Malkin has been held off the scoresheet for two straight games, but did score a goal in Pittsburgh's 2-1 win over Boston on Feb. 4. With his next point, he'll notch his 500th of his career.