Young stars face off as red-hot Penguins entertain Caps

Hockey Betting Lines

02/18/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NHL's two brightest young stars will go head-to-head as Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals attempt to cool down Sidney Crosby's scorching Pittsburgh Penguins in an intriguing matinee from Mellon Arena.

Pittsburgh comes in as the league's hottest team, having won five straight and 11 of its last 12 games. The surge has propelled the up-and-coming club into a fourth-place tie with Ottawa in the Eastern Conference standings.

The Penguins have also notched a point in 15 consecutive contests, recording a 13-0-2 mark over that span.

Pittsburgh's latest victory came Friday at the expense of the Atlantic Division-leading New Jersey Devils. Jarkko Ruutu netted a pair of goals and the Penguins scored three times during the first period en route to a 5-4 triumph at Continental Airlines Arena.

Crosby notched a goal and an assist to increase his league-leading point total, while Marc-Andre Fleury came up with 27 saves for the surging Pens.

Pittsburgh has racked up 23 goals during its current win streak and ranks third in the NHL with 200 total markers this season.

The Penguins have also been dominant at home as of late. The team has won seven in a row at the Igloo and own a 17-8-4 record as the host this season.

Washington has been headed in the opposite direction, as the club has gone just 4-9-2 since January 11 and is near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.

The Capitals are currently on a two-game slide after losing at Tampa Bay in a shootout on Thursday. Martin St. Louis scored the deciding goal in the third round to give the Lightning a 3-2 victory.

Dainius Zubrus had a goal and an assist and Alexander Semin recorded his 30th goal of the season for Washington, which received 27 saves from Brent Johnson in the losing effort.

Ovechkin, who edged out Crosby for last year's Calder Trophy honoring the NHL's top rookie, was kept off the scoreboard. The Russian sensation still has compiled 34 goals on the season, the fourth-highest total in the league at the moment.

Thursday's setback began a three-game road trip for the Caps, who are just 9-14-5 away from home thus far.

Pittsburgh has taken both meetings with Washington this season and has won six of the last seven games in this series. The Capitals will be trying to stop a five-game losing streak at Mellon Arena, where they haven't won since December 3, 2002.

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