Tampa Bay at Pittsburgh

First place Tampa Bay has a winning road record and sizzling overall numbers, second in the NHL in goals scored and 13th in goals allowed. They are off a bad game, but the Lightning is 9-4 after scoring two goals or less in their previous game. Normally this would be a marquee showdown, a potential Eastern Conference Finals preview, but Pittsburgh has been hit hard by injuries. Star Sidney Crosby missed Pittsburgh's last two games with the mumps and face-swelling that the team believed was related to a salivary gland injury Crosby sustained on Nov. 29th. He is currently in isolation. It is also the latest in a string of ailments for the Penguins, who are without forwards Pascal Dupuis (blood clots), Beau Bennett (lower body), Chris Kunitz (broken foot), and defenseman Olli Maatta (undisclosed injury). Without Crosby on Friday, Pittsburgh topped Calgary 3-1, then fell to Columbus 4-3 in a shootout on Saturday, making this a great spot for the talented visitors. Play Tampa Bay.