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Crosby, Ovechkin meet at Mellon Arena

Feb 3, 2007 - 2:51 PM Washington (21-24-7) at Pittsburgh (25-17-8) 1:00 pm EST

PITTSBURGH (Ticker) -- They were linemates in last week's All-Star Game. Now, Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin will be opponents as their respective teams are headed in opposite directions.

Crosby and the surging Pittsburgh Penguins look to continue their recent success Saturday afternoon when they host Ovechkin and the struggling Washington Capitals.

The overall leading vote-getter for the All-Star Game, Crosby has the Penguins running on all cylinders as the team has won five straight contests and seven of its last eight. The 19-year-old superstar, who leads the NHL in assists (57) and points (82), has recorded at least one point in each of the last eight games, extending the streak by setting up three goals in Thursday's 5-4 shootout victory over Montreal.

With 58 points, the Penguins enter the game second in the Atlantic Division and sixth in the Eastern Conference. Pittsburgh has not qualified for the postseason since 2000-01, when it advanced to the conference finals.

Despite the fact his team has lost four of its last five and is last in the Southeast Division with 49 points, Ovechkin has elevated his game. The reigning Calder Trophy winner, Ovechkin extended his points streak to 13 games with his league-leading 33rd goal in Thursday's 6-3 loss to Florida.

The tally stretched Ovechkin's goal-scoring streak to four contests. The 21-year-old Russian trails only Crosby in scoring with 70 points.

Washington and Pittsburgh are meeting for the second time this season. In the first encounter on December 11, the Penguins pulled out a 5-4 road victory, overcoming a four-goal deficit to win in a shootout.

Ovechkin recorded a pair of assists and scored in the second round of the shootout for Washington, while Crosby netted one goal and set up another for Pittsburgh. But Penguins rookie sensation Evgeni Malkin grabbed the headlines, netting the tying goal at 3:20 of the third period before sealing the win with a tally in the shootout's third round.