Pittsburgh Penguins (32-15-3, second in the East Division) vs. Washington Capitals (32-13-4, first in the East Division)
Washington; Thursday, 7 p.m. EDT
LINE: Capitals -110, Penguins -110
BOTTOM LINE: Sidney Crosby leads Pittsburgh into a matchup against Washington. He ranks ninth in the league with 56 points, scoring 20 goals and totaling 36 assists.
The Capitals are 32-13-4 against opponents in the East Division. Washington leads the league shooting 11.9% and averaging 3.4 goals on 28.8 shots per game.
The Penguins are 32-15-3 against East Division opponents. Pittsburgh is fifth in the league recording 9.1 points per game, averaging 3.3 goals and 5.8 assists.
In their last meeting on Feb. 25, Washington won 5-2. T.J. Oshie recorded a team-high 2 points for the Capitals.
TOP PERFORMERS: Alex Ovechkin leads the Capitals with 24 goals, adding 18 assists and totaling 42 points. Oshie has six goals and five assists over the last 10 games for Washington.
Brian Dumoulin leads the Penguins with a plus-17 in 35 games this season. Crosby has 12 points over the last 10 games for Pittsburgh.
LAST 10 GAMES: Capitals: 7-3-0, averaging 3.8 goals, 6.5 assists, 3.7 penalties and 9.4 penalty minutes while giving up 2.4 goals per game with a .914 save percentage.
Penguins: 7-2-1, averaging 3.5 goals, 6.6 assists, 2.4 penalties and 5.4 penalty minutes while giving up 2.4 goals per game with a .921 save percentage.
INJURIES: Capitals: Alex Ovechkin: day to day (lower body), Michal Kempny: out (lower body), Justin Schultz: day to day (lower body).
Penguins: Frederick Gaudreau: out (lower body).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by
