Pittsburgh @ Washington preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 7, 2018 ) Pittsburgh 1, Washington 2

Alex Ovechkin has seen his career-high 14-game point streak (17 goals, six assists) result in 12 victories for the Washington Capitals, who host fellow captain Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday. The bitter Metropolitan Division rivals split their first two contests this season after the Capitals brushed aside the Penguins in the spring en route to capturing their first franchise Stanley Cup title.

"Yeah, it's a big rivalry, with lots of emotion. Fans get involved. ... It's a fun time to play," said Ovechkin, who scored a goal in Washington's 7-6 overtime loss at Pittsburgh on Oct. 4 and again in a 2-1 win on Nov. 7. The three-time Hart Trophy recipient pushed his goal-scoring streak to six games by following up back-to-back hat tricks with his NHL-best 29th goal in Saturday's 4-3 shootout victory versus Buffalo. While the Capitals have won five straight, the Penguins were also ascending on the strength of a 5-1-1 surge before squandering an early two-goal lead in Monday's 4-2 setback against Anaheim. Evgeni Malkin, who opened the scoring with a power-play goal versus the Ducks, has recorded 21 points (10 goals, 11 assists) in his last 14 games versus the Capitals.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, TVAS

ABOUT THE PENGUINS (15-12-6): Crosby (four assists), Malkin (one goal, two assists) and Phil Kessel (two goals, one assist) carry three-game point streaks into Wednesday's contest and share top honors with a club-best 36 points. Bryan Rust has found his offensive touch since snapping a 21-game goal drought with a hat trick at Chicago last Wednesday, scoring five goals and setting up another in his past four games. The 26-year-old also prevented a sure tally by making like Matt Murray and putting his legs together for a "two-pad" save on Anaheim's Jakob Silfverberg.

ABOUT THE CAPITALS (20-9-3): Nicklas Backstrom has set up six goals in his last three contests to match defenseman John Carlson with a club-best 30 assists this season. Carlson also set up six goals in a three-game stretch before being held off the scoresheet versus the Sabres. The 28-year-old has collected consecutive two-point performances versus Pittsburgh this season, giving him 21 points (six goals, 15 assists) in 33 career meetings.

OVERTIME

1. Pittsburgh D Kris Letang, who has an assist in back-to-back games, scored two goals and set up another in the first encounter versus Washington.

2. Capitals RW T.J. Oshie has three goals and an assist in two meetings with the Penguins this season.

3. Murray has permitted at least three goals in nine of his 12 appearances in 2018-19.

PREDICTION: Penguins 4, Capitals 2