Lightning play host to Penguins

Hockey Betting Lines

03/14/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Lightning are coming off a big win over the Eastern Conference's top team. They wouldn't mind posting another one versus arguably the East's second-best team.

Tampa Bay will try to record just its third win in its last 10 games this evening when they host a Pittsburgh Penguins team at St. Pete Times Forum that is trying to avoid a third straight loss.

The Lightning visited the Capitals on Friday and managed to post a 3-2 win over the NHL's leader in points. Though Steven Stamkos had his franchise- record 18-game point streak end, Vincent Lecavalier scored for the fourth time in his last five games and defenseman Matt Walker lit the lamp for a second time in three contests after posting just two goals in his first 291 NHL games.

Brandon Bochenski also scored and Antero Niittymaki made 28 saves for Tampa Bay, which begins a four-game homestand tonight and is four points back of Boston for the eighth spot in the East.

"There's a lesson here and it's that we have to play with passion," said Tampa Bay head coach Rick Tocchet. "The bench was alive and we got a balanced effort from the whole team."

The Lightning have won seven of their last 10 at home but could be without two players tonight in Ryan Malone (upper body) and Mattias Ohlund (leg). Tampa Bay would like to have the two available as they take on the Atlantic Division-leading Penguins.

Pittsburgh, though, holds just a two-point edge over second-place New Jersey after it lost a 3-1 test to the Devils on Friday. Sidney Crosby scored the Pens' only goal against Devils netminder Martin Brodeur, his NHL-leading 45th of the season that ran his point streak to eight straight games (6 goals, 6 assists). Marc-Andre Fleury made 29 saves.

The loss was the Penguins second straight after a four-game winning streak, as well as their fifth in a row this season to the Devils. Pittsburgh plays the third test of a five-game road trip and has dropped four of its last five as the guest.

"He's played really well against us this year, but I don't think we have allowed that to frustrate us," Crosby told NHL.com of Brodeur. "I think we have done some really good things and kept coming at him, but he's kept responding. We're hoping eventually we're going to get some more behind him."

The Pens and Lightning have split two meetings so far this year, with each team winning once on home ice. Pittsburgh has won six of the last eight in the series but has lost seven of its last 11 in Tampa.

Fleury is 6-6-3 with a 2.57 goals-against average in his career versus the Lightning, while Niittymaki is 4-6-3 with a 4.18 GAA against the Pens.

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