Florida @ Pittsburgh preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 7, 2019 ) Pittsburgh 2, Florida 3

Superstar captain Sidney Crosby is doing all he can to send the Pittsburgh Penguins to the postseason for the 13th consecutive year. Named the NHL's Third Star of the Week for the second time in 15 days, Crosby aims to continue his torrid stretch on Tuesday when the Penguins open a two-game homestand against the Florida Panthers.

Crosby pushed his multi-point streak to four straight games after scoring a goal and setting up three others in Saturday's 5-1 romp in Montreal. "He understands the position we're in. He's doing everything he can to help this team win," coach Mike Sullivan said of the 31-year-old Crosby, who resides one point shy of 1,200 for his decorated career. Florida has been on the short end of four straight one-goal decisions (0-1-3), including Sunday's demoralizing 3-2 setback versus lowly Ottawa that kept it 10 points out of the final wild-card spot with 17 games remaining on the schedule. "It's been a tough week, but there's no excuses this time of year," forward Mike Hoffman (team-leading 30 goals) said after the Panthers played their fifth contest in seven days.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Florida, Sportsnet, AT&T SportsNet-Pittsburgh

ABOUT THE PANTHERS (28-26-11): Aleksander Barkov continued his scoring frenzy by tallying for the ninth time in as many games on Sunday to boost his career high-tying goal total to 28. The 23-year-old Finn netted his team's lone tally in a 5-1 setback at Pittsburgh on Jan. 8 before setting up a pair of goals in a 3-2 overtime victory against the Penguins on Feb. 7. Jonathan Huberdeau (team-leading 47 assists), who joined Barkov in setting up Michael Matheson's OT tally in that contest, has been held off the scoresheet in back-to-back games after registering a four-point performance in a 6-5 shootout loss versus Vegas on Thursday.

ABOUT THE PENGUINS (34-22-9): Pittsburgh's injury-riddled back line received a boost with the return of defenseman Brian Dumoulin to Monday's practice. "It feels good, it's fun," the 27-year-old Dumoulin said of being back on the ice after missing three games with a concussion. "It's tough watching. They were battling hard had some great games. It's obviously more fun playing than watching. I'm glad I could be back with them." Fellow blue-liners Kris Letang and Olli Maatta skated prior to practice as they nurse upper-body injuries that have sidelined them for three and nine games, respectively.

OVERTIME

1. Florida G Roberto Luongo boasts a 16-11-5 career mark with four shutouts against Pittsburgh after splitting a pair of decisions this season.

2. Penguins RW Phil Kessel, who is mired in a 15-game goal drought, has been held off the scoresheet in both encounters with the Panthers.

3. Hoffman has been held off the scoresheet and owns a minus-4 rating in two meetings with Pittsburgh this season.

PREDICTION: Penguins 3, Panthers 2