Penguins vs. Ducks

Pittsburgh -125 vs. Anaheim

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The Penguins recent struggles just got a lot worse if Sidney Crosby is out for a long period of time. A disappointing loss to Washington on Wednesday was compounded by the loss of Crosby when he collided with the Capitals David Steckel along the boards.

After undergoing an MRI Thursday and missing an optional practice, Crosbys status will be determined Friday morning. With or without their star, the Penguins (21-20-2) will have to face Anaheim Friday night at home.

The Pittsburgh Penguins allowed the Capitals to score four times in the final period to claim a 6-3 victory. Inexplicably the defending Eastern Conference Champs cannot win at home, losing six of their last seven at Melon Arena. Overall, Pittsburgh is 6-14-0 since December 6th and has lost eight of their last ten.

In addition to Crosby possibly being out, the Pens may be playing without defenseman Rob Scuderi and forward Maxime Talbot, who were hurt against Washington and are listed as day-to-day.

Anaheim (22-18-5) has not played much better lately, losing three of their last four and two of three at home. In their last game out on Wednesday, the Ducks lost to Detroit 4-3 at home. Ryan Getzlaf had three points with a goal and two assists, but it was not enough for his team to power their way past the Red Wings, who scored two goals in a 35-second span in the third. This marked the first time in 15 games this season that the Ducks lost a game it was leading after 40 minutes.

Anaheim concluded their three-game home stand with a disappointing 1-2 record, especially considering their recent road woes. While a respectable 9-8-2 this season away from Orange County, the Ducks have gone 2-6-1 on the road since the beginning of December.

The Anaheim Ducks have dominated the Penguins by winning seven of the last ten in the series and are perfect at home during that span. They last met on October 6, 2007 in Pittsburgh with the Penguins winning 5-4.

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