who continue to try and perfect their stride despite leading

MONTREAL - The Montreal Canadiens may catch a break tonight against the Washington Capitals as Alex Ovechkins game status remains uncertain for their Bell Centre match-up. Washington has played its last two games without the NHLs goal-scoring leader. The winger has 35 goals on the season and is battling a lower-body injury. TSNs John Lu reports that Ovechkin did extensive one-timers at end of his session at Saturdays morning skate. Lu reports that if Ovechkin feels good in the afternoon and during pre-game skate he should play. You can listen to the action on TSN Radio 690 beginning at 7pm et. Both clubs will be looking to snap losing streaks on Saturday night as each wraps up games on back-to-back nights. The Capitals are in the midst of a seven-game skid, dropping the last five in regulation. That has Washington now four points back of the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference. Montreal is on a less-damaging three-game slide and also has lost six of its past nine. That has left the Canadiens tied with the Toronto Maple Leafs for third place in the Atlantic Division and six points behind the co-leading Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning. Montreal is set to play two straight and six of its next seven at home after getting outscored 14-5 in losing the final three contests of a four-game road trip. The Canadiens capped the swing last night with a 4-1 setback in Detroit. Brendan Gallagher picked up the lone goal for the Canadiens, but Carey Price made just 22 saves in the setback. "Everyone is still confident in each other, its just a matter of getting to little details of the game and once you do that, the wins will start to come," Gallagher said Montreal is on its longest losing streak since dropping a season-high four in a row from Nov. 1-7 and saw Alexei Emelin depart in the latter stages of the third period on Friday night after getting hit by a shot. Things dont get any easier for the Habs in the opener of this residency as they have lost six in a row and nine of their last 12 at home to the Capitals. The Capitals were shut out 2-0 by Ottawa in their first game without Ovechkin on Tuesday, then dropped a 2-1 decision to the hosting New Jersey Devils to begin a five-game trip on Friday night. Jason Chimera provided the lone offense for the Capitals, but it didnt come until there was 9:50 left in the game. Washington has been held to one goal or fewer six times over its losing streak and is just 1-for-24 on the power play in the last eight games. Michael Neuvirth played well in defeat, making 28 saves, but the Caps failed to take advantage of the chances they had. "We had three short-handed breakaways and we didnt score," Caps coach Adam Oates lamented. "(Devils goaltender Cory Schneider) held them in and made the saves when he needed to. We made saves, too. You need execution, and the mistakes are not blatant, but its still the NHL and you get burned." Washington, on its longest losing streak since an 0-6-2 drought from Dec. 2-18, 2010, also lost center Mikhail Grabovski to a lower-body injury during the second period and he did not return. He will be a game-time decision against Montreal. The clubs split two meetings earlier this season in Washington, with the Caps winning their game in a shootout, and the Canadiens have lost nine of their last 11 overall in this series. Nick Foles Jaguars Jersey . Viewers in the Jets region can watch the game on TSN Jets at 6:30pm ct/7:30pm et. The game is also avialable on TSN Radio 1290 in Winnipeg at 7pm ct. Nick Foles Womens Jersey . Griffin scored 13 of his 31 points in the final 7:05 and Dudley got 11 of his 20 points in the third quarter, leading the defending Pacific Division champions to a 112-85 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night. "Dud is a shooter. http://www.officialjacksonvillejaguarspro.com/Telvin-smith-jaguars-jersey/ . Chan captured two silver medals at last months Sochi Winter Games — mens singles and the inaugural team event. But he doesnt have the urge to resume training to defend his world title when the event is held in Saitama, Japan, later this month. Jalen Ramsey Jersey . -- Athletics manager Bob Melvin is already starting to run out of superlatives to describe Scott Kazmir. Ryquell Armstead Jersey . Lupul injured the hand in a fall at practice on Thursday. He will wear a cast for a minimum of 10 days before he can put a glove back on it and get some mobility back, said Carlyle, who added the winger wont go on the teams upcoming road trip.PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Penguins are still determined to finish as the NHLs best team -- despite a recent slump. The Penguins rebounded from a loss on Saturday and beat the leagues worst team on Monday night as goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 24 shots for his fourth shutout, a 3-0 win against the Buffalo Sabres. "When you play 82 every one isnt going to be perfect, but were trying to be the best, not just into late June, but every game," Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma said. Chris Kunitz scored his 26th goal and Deryk Engelland netted his fourth, equaling a career high. Tanner Glass scored his first goal in 26 games, a late empty-netter that sealed it for the Penguins, who won for the 15th time in 16 games at home. Sidney Crosby, who leads the NHL with 74 points, added two assists to extend his points streak in games against Buffalo to 16 games, matching his longest streak against any team. Fleury, who leads the NHL with 29 wins, registered his 27th career shutout, tied for second in the league. He helped preserve the win, denying Buffalos Brian Flynn two minutes into the third period before following it up with a right-pad stop on Matt Moulson on a partial breakaway a couple minutes later. "The first one was pretty close, and I was worried he might have cut across, so I tried to take his options away," said Fleury, who is one victory away from reaching the 30-win mark for the fifth-straight full NHL season. "Moulson, I was trying to be patient because I know he has good hands," he added. Fleury was better on the play, giving his team a sorely-needed lift after a slow start to the period. "We chipped some pucks out in the beginning of the third period, kind of sitting back, and they shoved it right back at us," Bylsma said. "Marc got stuck with those two glorious chances against. the two great saves he had to make." The Penguins are in command of the Eastern Conference, leading Boston and Tampa Bay by seven points in addition to a 15-point cushion on the New York Rangers in the Metropolitan Division entering Monday. But Pittsburgh has struggled recently with a lacklustre home effort last Monday against Florida -- 15th in the 16-team Eastern Conference -- and a 3-0 loss Saturday at Dallas. It wasnt perfect, but the Penguins were able to turn it around on Monday. "We still had ttimes when we werent getting pucks deep, turning it over, and giving them chances to get back into the game," Kunitz said.dddddddddddd "Our goalie made a few great saves, a few that went through his body, couldve hit somebody and went in the other way." Goaltender Ryan Miller stopped 31 shots for last-place Buffalo, which has lost seven of nine. The Sabres, who scored at least three goals the previous six games, won for the first time five games on Saturday, scoring a 5-2 victory at Columbus and stopping the red-hot Blue Jackets franchise-record eight-game winning streak, but they couldnt sustain the momentum. "Were a team that we cant have glaring mistakes," Sabres coach Ted Nolan said. "Its very demoralizing. We woke up in the third period and made a push, but not good enough." The Penguins, after a scoreless opening period, scored at 14:16 of the second. Brian Gibbons, who missed five games with a lower-body injury, hit the post on a one-timer from Crosby. The red goal light behind the net momentarily turned on before Kunitz swept the rebound into a partially empty net. Engelland scored later in the period, forcing a turnover in the Sabres zone before lifting a pass from Glass over a sprawled Miller. That was good enough for the Penguins, who continue to try and perfect their stride despite leading the Eastern Conference. "We still need to get better as a team and grow," Kunitz said. "We have 30-some games before the playoffs to make sure were running on all cylinders, and make sure were the best team going into the playoffs." NOTES: Penguins F Evgeni Malkin played in his 500th NHL game, becoming the 15th player in team history to reach the milestone. ... The Penguins are 27-2-1, and a perfect 18-0 at home when scoring first. ... Pittsburgh has won 40 of its last 48 home games dating back to last season. ... Chuck Kobasew, who played on Pittsburghs top line the past four games, was a healthy scratch on Monday in addition to Andrew Ebbett and Robert Bortuzzo. Buffalo scratched Drew Stafford, John Scott, and Alexander Sulzer ... Buffalo plays the second half of a back-to-back Tuesday at home against Washington. ... Pittsburgh opens a two-game West Coast swing Thursday at Los Angeles ... The two teams meet for the third and final time this season next Wednesday at Buffalo. ' ' '