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Stumbling Penguins search for win vs. Avalanche

Jan 10, 2009 - 11:42 AM Pittsburgh (20-18-4) at Colorado (21-19-1) 3:00 p.m. EST

DENVER (Ticker) -- The Pittsburgh Penguins come armed with two of the most explosive offensive players in the game. The combination just doesn't always translate to wins.

The Penguins will be looking to get their stagnant offense back into high gear when they face the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday.

Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were the only two outsiders to break the Montreal Canadiens' stranglehold on Eastern Conference All-Star voting, and both rank among the NHL leaders in points, with Malkin leading the way at 63 and Crosby tied for second with 53.

Malkin has not scored a goal since December 20 and Crosby has tallied just once in the past six contests. Pittsburgh has scored 14 goals in its last nine games, going 2-7-0 over that span.

The Penguins jumped to a 3-0 lead against the Nashville Predators on Thursday but allowed five unanswered goals en route to another setback. Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury allowed four goals in the contest and is 1-5-0 in his last six starts.

The Avalanche are the last team Pittsburgh needs to see when struggling. The Penguins have not beaten Colorado since February 25, 1999, going 0-8-1 with a tie during that span.

The Avalanche have won two straight thanks to Wojtek Wolski, who has moved from left wing to center due to injuries to Joe Sakic and Paul Stastny. Wolski has three goals in the past two games, both 2-1 wins.