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Penguins hope to snap long skid against Lightning

Feb 25, 2007 - 6:30 PM Pittsburgh (33-18-9) at Tampa Bay (35-25-3) 5:00 pm EST

TAMPA, Florida (Ticker) -- Despite having one of their best seasons in years, the Pittsburgh Penguins look to end a long skid.

The Penguins hope to end an 11-game losing streak against the Tampa Bay Lightning when the clubs face off on Sunday.

Led by NHL scoring leader Sidney Crosby and rookie Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh looks to be on its way to its first playoff appearance since the 2000-01 season and are just seven points behind New Jersey for the Atlantic Division lead.

Pittsburgh has not posted a win vs. Tampa Bay since January 17, 2003. Losers of 11 straight in the series, the Penguins own a five-game losing streak at the St. Pete Times Forum.

The Penguins had their 16-game points streak snapped at the New York Islanders on Monday. But they bounced back with a 2-1 overtime victory over Florida on Thursday. Colby Armstrong scored at 2:39 of overtime and rookie Jordan Staal added his 25th tally.

Backup goaltender Jocelyn Thibault started in place of Marc-Andre Fleury, who has allowed four or more goals in his last five games.

Thursday's triumph raised the Penguins' mark in their last 18 contests to 15-1-2, including seven wins in their last eight. But they have struggled against the Lightning.

The Lightning did not record a point for the first time in seven games on Friday, losing, 6-2, to Boston. Defenseman Filip Kuba also tallied for Tampa Bay, which had its five-game home winning streak snapped.