Penguins at Capitals
The white-hot Pittsburgh Penguins have seen their high-powered offense propel the club up the ranks in the Eastern Conference. Winners of a season-high seven in a row and 13 of 14, the visiting Penguins attempt to clinch home-ice advantage for their first-round playoff series on Thursday should they emerge victorious against the Presidents' Trophy-winning Washington Capitals.
Captain Sidney Crosby has keyed the assault as he extended his point streak to seven games (four goals, four assists) with a two-goal performance in Pittsburgh's 5-3 win over Ottawa on Tuesday. The two-time Hart Trophy winner traditionally brings his A-game against rival Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals, recording 54 points (18 goals, 36 assists) in 37 career meetings - including two assists in a 6-2 triumph on March 20. Braden Holtby, who was blitzed for five goals before being relieved in that contest, will vie for his 48th victory to match Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur's single-season league record. The front-runner for the Vezina Trophy, Holtby seemed to be on the way to notching that win before letting a two-goal advantage in the third period slip away en route to a 4-3 overtime loss to the New York Islanders on Tuesday.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, ROOT (Pittsburgh), CSMA (Washington), SN360, NHL.TV
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (47-25-8): Like Crosby, defenseman Kris Letang also is riding a seven-game point streak (two goals, nine assists) as he pads his offensive totals on his career-best season. The gaudy numbers are nothing new for Pittsburgh, which rallied from a three-goal deficit versus the Senators to score at least five goals in regulation for the fourth straight contest. "They've shown themselves that regardless of how the game goes, or especially early on if we're down in games, we have the ability to come back," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. "I think it's an indication of the mindset of the group."
ABOUT THE CAPITALS (55-17-7): Ovechkin recorded his 107th multi-goal performance of his career to move with three tallies of his seventh 50-goal season. The three-time Hart Trophy winner has yet to score versus Pittsburgh in 2015-16, but meshed well in his third game while playing with new linemates T.J. Oshie and Marcus Johansson. Speaking of Oshie, the United States Olympian scored his ninth goal in 16 contests and added two assists on Tuesday to reach the 50-point plateau for the third straight season and fourth in five campaigns.
OVERTIME
1. Pittsburgh rookie G Matt Murray has won six in a row to improve to 8-2-1 with a slim 1.98 goals-against average and .930 save percentage.
2. Washington, which is 0-1-1 in its last two contests, is the only team in the NHL that has yet to lose three in a row this season.
3. The Penguins have killed off all 15 short-handed opportunities in the last four games.