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Crosby, Penguins face off with Ovechkin, Capitals

Mar 9, 2008 - 12:46 PM Pittsburgh (38-24-7) at Washington (32-29-8) 12:30 pm EDT

WASHINGTON (Ticker) - Sidney Crosby is the reigning NHL Hart Trophy winner, but he could soon be passing the torch to Alex Ovechkin.

Two of the league's brightest stars face off again on Sunday when Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals host Crosby's Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday.

The league's leading scorer, Ovechkin is making a serious push for his first Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player.

The 22-year-old Russian superstar has six goals and three assists in his last three contests and is looking to lead the Capitals to their first playoff appearance since 2003.

Ovechkin recorded his fifth career hat trick and surpassed the 50-goal plateau in Monday's 10-2 victory over the Boston Bruins. With two more goals on Wednesday, Ovechkin now has 54 tallies this season and has his sights set on becoming the first player to score 60 since Mario Lemieux (69) and Jaromir Jagr (62) in 1995-96.

Ovechkin assisted on the Capitals' lone goal in a 2-1 loss to Boston on Saturday.

Washington is six points behind the Philadelphia Flyers (35-26-8) for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Capitals also trail the Carolina Hurricanes (37-29-5) by seven points for the lead in the Southeast Division.

For his part, Crosby is just getting back into form after recovering from an ankle injury. He returned on Tuesday after a 21-game absence and assisted on the game-winning goal in a 2-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Pittsburgh, which is three points behind the New Jersey Devils (40-23-6) for the top spot in both the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference, is coming off a 5-2 loss to the Florida Panthers on Thursday.