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Penguins look to bounce back at Hurricanes

Feb 14, 2008 - 1:16 PM Pittsburgh (32-20-5) at Carolina (28-27-4) 7:00 pm EST

RALEIGH, North Carolina (Ticker) - Evgeni Malkin has Pittsburgh Penguins' fans forgetting that captain Sidney Crosby is out of the lineup.

Malkin tries to extend his goal-scoring streak to four games when the Penguins visit the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday.

Since Crosby went down on January 18 against the Tampa Bay Lightning with a high-ankle sprain, Malkin has increased his offensive production enough to push him among the game's elite. The second-year center has 24 points in 11 games without Crosby in the lineup, pushing his way into a tie for second in the NHL with 74 points.

Malkin pushed his goal total to 32 with a third-period power-play tally against the Boston Bruins on Wednesday, but it was not enough to lift Pittsburgh, who lost 2-1. The defeat snapped a three-game winning streak.

Despite the setback, the Penguins own a one-point edge over the New Jersey Devils (32-21-4) for first place in the hotly-contested Atlantic Division.

The Hurricanes are in the midst of their own division battle, currently sitting in a three-way tie with the Atlanta Thrashers (28-27-4) and Washington Capitals (27-25-6) atop the Southeast Division.

Carolina is coming off a 3-2 win over the Bruins on Tuesday. Andrew Ladd tallied twice and Cam Ward made 32 saves for the Hurricanes, who managed more than two goals for the first time in five games.

Pittsburgh has won two of the three meetings between the teams this season, including a 4-1 victory on February 2 in which Malkin totaled a goal and two assists.