Penguins try for eighth straight win in battle with Blue Jackets

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03/12/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The scorching Pittsburgh Penguins will shoot for their eighth consecutive victory when they visit the Columbus Blue Jackets for tonight's interconference clash at Nationwide Arena.

Pittsburgh is in the midst of its longest winning streak since posting eight straight victories from December 23-January 10 of last season. The Penguins haven't lost since February 22 in Washington and are 9-1-1 since firing head coach Michel Therrien and replacing him with Dan Bylsma.

The hot streak has helped get Pittsburgh, the defending Eastern Conference champions, back into the thick of the playoff race. The Penguins, who have 78 points, are currently tied for sixth in the Eastern Conference with Carolina. Florida is just one point back in the eighth and final postseason berth.

The Blue Jackets, meanwhile, are battling for their first-ever postseason berth and are sixth in the West with 74 points. Vancouver is three points ahead of Columbus, while Edmonton and Nashville are three points behind the Jackets.

Pittsburgh has needed the shootout phase to record each of its last two victories and both wins came by a 4-3 score. The Pens downed the Capitals in Washington on Sunday and notched Tuesday's home win over the Florida Panthers.

Kris Letang scored the game-winning goal in the shootout to lift Pittsburgh to the win over the Panthers.

Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal and Sidney Crosby scored for Pittsburgh, while Marc-Andre Fleury allowed three goals on 21 shots in the victory.

Malkin leads the NHL with 95 points (30 goals, 65 assists) and the 22-year-old is closing in on his second straight 100-point season.

Fleury has won seven straight starts and has allowed 13 total goals over that stretch.

The Pens are 18-14-4 as the guest this year and have won five straight and six of seven on the road.

Columbus is coming off back-to-back impressive wins after destroying mighty Detroit, 8-2, on Saturday and posting a shutout victory Tuesday against the visiting Boston Bruins. The Red Wings are the defending Stanley Cup champions and are tied for the top seed in the West this year, while the Bruins are currently first in the East.

Steve Mason made 35 saves to notch his league-leading ninth shutout, and the Blue Jackets edged Boston, 2-0, at Nationwide Arena.

Raffi Torres and Rick Nash scored for the Blue Jackets, who have also won three of four.

Mason, who is 27-16-3 on the season, is a serious candidate for both the Vezina and Calder trophies, which are given annually to the league's top goaltender and rookie, respectively. The 20-year-old needs one more win to break Marc Denis' club record set back in 2002-03.

Also, his nine shutouts ties a franchise record and are the most by a rookie since Chicago's Tony Esposito set the NHL rookie mark with 15 shutouts in 1969-70.

Columbus is 21-10-2 as the host this season and is playing the second of two straight on home ice tonight.

Pittsburgh has won six of the nine all-time meetings with the Blue Jackets, but has lost its last two tests in Ohio. The Penguins notched a 4-1 home victory over Columbus on February 6.

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Huskers' Lucky hospitalized for undisclosed reason

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Nebraska running back Marlon Lucky was hospitalized Monday for undisclosed reasons after Lincoln police responded to a call at his residence.

The Nebraska athletic department said in a release Monday that Lucky was admitted Sunday night.

MySportsbook.com has the Cornhuskers listed at +2500 to win the BCS National Championship odds.

A nursing supervisor at the hospital said all questions about Lucky were being referred to the athletic department. The athletic department said there would be no further comment from the department or Lucky's family.

A Lincoln Police spokesman said officers responded to a call at Lucky's residence 11:30 p.m. Sunday. The spokesman said he didn't know Lucky's condition at the time he was taken to the hospital.

Lucky, from North Hollywood, Calif., started six games last season as a sophomore and was the team's second-leading rusher, with 728 yards and six touchdowns. He also caught 32 passes for 383 yards. He averaged 19.1 yards on eight kickoff returns.

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