Penguins at Capitals
The Pittsburgh Penguins may be having their way with opponents in December and January, but a lopsided setback against the Washington Capitals still resonates with coach Mike Sullivan. Winners of five in a row and boasting a 13-1-2 mark in their last 16, the Penguins look to atone for a dismal performance versus the Capitals in November when the Metropolitan Division rivals meet at Verizon Center on Wednesday.
"It's a game where we certainly weren't at our best," Sullivan told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette of a 7-1 shellacking on Nov. 6. Phil Kessel scored a late third-period goal in that outing and has tallied in the second straight contest in Sunday's 6-2 rout of Tampa Bay to extend his point streak to five games. Streaky Pittsburgh has company in the top-heavy Metropolitan Division with Washington, winners of six in a row, joining the Penguins and New York Rangers in a second-place logjam behind Columbus. Captain Alex Ovechkin, who scored his 544th career goal to tie Maurice Richard for 29th on the NHL's all-time list in Monday's 4-1 triumph over Montreal, resides one point shy of becoming the first Russian-born player to reach 1,000.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBCSN, TVAS
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (26-8-5): Evgeni Malkin, who was selected to his seventh NHL All-Star Game on Tuesday, has recorded at least two-point performances in four of his last seven games and collected a goal and an assist in 3-2 shootout win over Washington on Oct. 13. The 30-year-old Russian's 16 goals this season are second on the team to captain Sidney Crosby (26) and his 311 career are one shy of tying Rick Kehoe for fifth on the team's all-time list. Crosby missed the first encounter with the Capitals as he dealt with concussion-like symptoms and was kept off the scoresheet and saddled with a minus-3 rating in the second before erupting for 31 (16 goals, 15 assists) of his 44 points.
ABOUT THE CAPITALS (26-9-5): Like Ovechkin, Braden Holtby was named to the NHL's All-Star Game on Tuesday and the goaltender's play of late has been nothing short of spectacular. The reigning Vezina Trophy winner secured the league's Third Star of the Week honors after stopping 81 of 82 shots in his last three contests and has yielded two goals or fewer in 10 of his last 12 starts. Holtby traditionally has struggled versus the Penguins (6-7-2, 2.59 goals-against average), but owns a 1-0-1 mark in two meetings this season with a 1.44 GAA and .946 save percentage.
OVERTIME
1. Washington C Nicklas Backstrom has 25 points (nine goals, 16 assists) in his past 26 games overall and 40 (five goals, 35 assists) in 36 career encounters with Pittsburgh.
2. Penguins G Marc-Andre Fleury has won five in a row and is 7-0-1 in his last eight decisions.
3. Capitals C Evgeny Kuznetsov has collected two goals and six assists in his last four games.