(Sports Network) - The Pittsburgh Penguins will aim for a third straight victory when they welcome the Montreal Canadiens for this afternoons battle at CONSOL Energy Center. Leodis McKelvin Bills Jersey . The Penguins enter tonight with 86 points, leaving them four behind Philadelphia for the Atlantic Division lead and two points ahead of Tampa Bay for the Eastern Conferences fourth seed. Pittsburgh has recorded at least a point in five straight contests, going 3-0-2 over that stretch. Today, the Pens can post their first three-game winning streak since rattling off five straight victories from Jan. 22-Feb. 4. Todays meeting marks the finale of the regular-season series between the Penguins and Montreal. The Canadiens won the first two encounters this year, but Pittsburgh recorded a 5-2 road victory over the Habs when the clubs last met in Montreal on Jan. 12. That loss ended a three-game series winning streak for Montreal, which has taken four of its last seven games in the Steel City. The Canadiens will try to gain some ground on Pittsburgh in the East standings today, as Montreal is currently seeded sixth in the conference and is five points behind the Penguins. Pittsburgh ended a two-game slide with last Saturdays overtime win in Boston and followed with Tuesdays home win over Buffalo. Marc-Andre Fleury made 29 stops to help the Penguins take the 3-1 decision over the Sabres. Zbynek Michalek, Mark Letestu and James Neal each had a goal and an assist for the Penguins, who had lost six out of seven games before posting back-to-back wins. Todays test marks the first for Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma since he signed a three-year extension with Pittsburgh on Wednesday. Bylsma, who led the Pens to a Stanley Cup title in 2009, is now signed through the 2013-14 season. The Pens, who are 21-11-2 as the host this season, are playing the middle test of a three-game homestand today and will close the residency tomorrow afternoon against Edmonton. Fleury and backup goaltender Brent Johnson will likely split the starts this weekend. Montreal had a five-game winning streak halted in its last trip to the ice, getting dealt a 4-1 setback Thursday in St. Louis. Jaroslav Halak was nearly flawless in his first game against his former team, making 27 saves to lead the Blues to the victory. Halak, who was an integral part of the Canadiens run to the Eastern Conference finals last spring, was dealt to St. Louis in June for two players. He stopped all 10 shots he faced in the third period to preserve the win. Jeff Halpern notched the lone goal for the emotionally drained Canadiens, who returned the ice for the first time since a brutal hit by Bruins captain Zdeno Chara on forward Max Pacioretty sent him to hospital with a severe concussion and vertebra fracture in his neck on Tuesday. Carey Price, who the Canadiens kept in favor of Halak, yielded three goals on 26 shots in the loss. The important thing is we regroup and go out there again, Montreal forward Brian Gionta said. We have to provide a little more spark than that. Thursdays loss also snapped a four-game road winning streak for the Habs, who are 16-16-1 as the guest this season. The Canadiens played their last game without defenseman Brent Sopel, who is questionable for todays tilt with an upper-body injury. Leodis McKelvin Womens Jersey . Jamies number grades given are out of five, with five being the best mark. Tuukka Rask, Boston (4) - Explosive, perfect positioning and great rebound control for all five games that led to this series being clinched. Marcell Dareus Womens Jersey . Harrison combined with four relievers on a five-hitter to get his first victory since September 2012, in his first home start since April 2013, and the Rangers won 5-0 Thursday night after being overwhelmed by the Rockies the previous three games.The last 48 hours have been a perfect example of how Jason Spezza is the most polarizing figure on the Senators roster. On Monday night, many fans in this city placed the blame squarely on the captain for his role in the James Neal overtime winner against the Pittsburgh Penguins. But the very next night, Spezza answered his critics with a clutch three-point performance that included a pair of beautiful assists in a stunning 5-4 shootout victory over the St. Louis Blues. On both nights, our radio station was flooded with calls and e-mails from fans wanting to talk about Spezza. The first night we heard from his detractors and, on the second, we heard from his defenders. Its a predictable pattern with the fans here in Ottawa. When Spezza plays poorly, his critics say you cannot win with him. When he generates offence, the negative comments disappear into the cold night air. There is no arguing that Spezza has had a rough season in 2013-14. In many ways, Spezza is having a similar season to Eric Staal in Carolina. Staal has 14 goals and 44 points and was left off Team Canadas roster because of his slow start. Spezza has 15 goals and 42 points – numbers that look awfully similar to Staals. The Sens captain sits 24th in scoring amongst centremen in the NHL, a ranking that suggests that he is still a legitimate number-one centre in a 30-team league. Spezza is also only one point behind Kyle Turris on the team scoring list without the luxury of playing with the same quality of linemates so far this season. And while everyone can agree that Turris is trending upwards, most believe that the opposite is true for Spezza. Those who are into analytics have been trumpeting Spezzas poor Corsi numbers all season long as tangible proof of his declining skills. After Monday nights loss, where Spezza failed to clear the puck ouut of his own zone, many fans who arent into advanced stats said they had reached their breaking point with the captain. Mike Williams Bills Jersey. We were bombarded with "Trade Spezza" e-mails and calls and there seemed like a growing distaste for his style of play in Ottawa. One of the most common complaints I heard from fans is that Spezza needs to earn his $7 million salary. But what fans need to remember about Spezza is that his contract is set up very favorably for next season. While he carries a cap hit of $7 million, he will actually only get paid $4 million in actual money for the 2014-15 campaign. (Spezza is being paid $5 million this season as his front-loaded contract starts to decline). And for a team like Ottawa that is desperate to reach the salary cap floor, this contract is an absolute dream. For next season, the Sens are getting $3 million of salary cap space eaten up for nothing. If the Sens were a spend-to-the-cap team, this deal would be an issue for them, but the exact opposite is true and that is why I would expect the Senators to hang onto their captain. He gives them $7 million of salary cap space for the price of $4 million. And now ask yourself this important question: Would you pay Jason Spezza $4 million to play next season? Of course you would. In a world where the oft-injured Martin Havlat will be making $6 million next season and Mike Ribeiro will be making $5.5 million, Spezza is absolutely a bargain at $4 million in real dollars. He wont even rank among the top 50 forwards in salary next season. As his salary is lowered, perhaps the expectations on Spezza could follow suit. He is 30 years old and no longer surrounded by snipers like Dany Heatley and Daniel Alfredsson. But at $4 million dollars next season, Jason Spezza will be worth every penny that he is paid. ' ' '
