Penguins at Capitals
The Washington Capitals attempt to snap their four-game losing streak when they host the Metropolitan Division-rival Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday. Washington entered the All-Star break on an 0-2-1 slide and was unable to halt it Tuesday as it dropped a 4-3 decision at Columbus. However, the Capitals enter their matchup against Pittsburgh with a nine-game point streak at home (7-0-2), last losing in regulation at Verizon Center on Dec. 2 versus Vancouver.
The Penguins halted a four-game skid (0-2-2) on Tuesday as they skated to a 5-3 home triumph over Winnipeg. Brandon Sutter snapped a tie with a power-play goal at 7:52 of the third period and defenseman Kris Letang returned from injury to notch five assists as Pittsburgh rallied without injured superstars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Washington ended an eight-game losing streak against the Penguins with a 3-0 triumph at Pittsburgh on Dec. 27 as Eric Fehr scored twice and Braden Holtby posted the third of his four shutouts on the season.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBCSN, RSN, TVA
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (27-12-8): Crosby could return from a lower-body injury on Wednesday, but Malkin remains sidelined with a similar ailment. Letang missed one contest with a concussion while Patric Hornqvist returned from an 11-game absence due to a lower-body injury to seal Tuesday's win with an empty-net goal. Marcel Goc notched an assist in the victory and promptly was traded to St. Louis for fellow center Maxim Lapierre after the contest.
ABOUT THE CAPITALS (24-14-9): Captain Alex Ovechkin was kept off the scoresheet Tuesday, ending his streak of three consecutive two-point performances. The All-Star has been held without a point in just three of his last 12 contests. Rookie Evgeny Kuznetsov registered a tally and an assist against Columbus, ending his point and goal-scoring droughts at seven and 12 games, respectively.
OVERTIME
1. Washington has allowed 17 goals during its slide after yielding a total of two over its previous three games - all victories.
2. Lapierre, who is joining his fifth team in as many seasons, recorded two goals and seven assists in 45 games with the Blues this campaign.
3. Capitals D Cameron Schilling was a healthy scratch Tuesday after being recalled from Hershey of the American Hockey League earlier in the day.