As it stands, the Penguins are in fourth-to-last place in the Eastern Conference and carry a goal differential of minus-36. It's a Penguins season that is on pace to be the worst since Sidney Crosby's rookie year in 2005-06.

With an assist in the first against the Edmonton Oilers, Sidney Crosby registered ... the postseason picture in the Eastern Conference at age 37. Crosby's also made a habit of adding more tallies ...

Everyone is in place but Sidney ... Crosby broke into the NHL in 2005-06, their careers largely overlapped, featuring 48 regular-season games against one another, as well as the 2013 Eastern ...

Sidney Crosby scores a pair of first-period assists for Penguins in clash with Oilers, climbs the ladder to 9th place on NHL scoring list

After a trio of overtime games, none of which became wins, the Pittsburgh Penguins badly needed a victory. However, facing a team that has beaten, if not embarrassed, them for a few years running was not the most advantageous situation.

Pittsburgh’s game at Washington on Saturday night will be the 71st regular-season meeting of the team’s superstar captains, the Penguins’ Sidney Crosby and the Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin. The pair have developed an intense rivalry and at the same time become good friends since both began their NHL careers in 2005-06.

Pittsburgh's game at Washington on Saturday night will be the 71st regular-season meeting of the team's superstar captains, the Penguins' Sidney Crosby and the Capitals' Alex Ovechkin.

The Top 100 People of Power & Influence in hockey are featured annually in The Hockey News' Money and Power issue, available at THN.com/free. Crosby's two-year contract extension is great for the Penguins and the NHL as a whole. ‘The Kid’ has grown into a tremendous ambassador for the sport. It's impossible to overlook his continued influence.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are continuing to battle for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, but likely will be sellers at the deadline.

At a 14-point deficit out of the last playoff spot, the Predators are more than likely too far gone to mount a run back into the race. What is swinging in their direction is having the most difficult parts of their schedule behind them.

The Chicago Blackhawks were blown out by the Calgary Flames on Monday night. In the loss, Connor Bedard collected his 100th career point.

Entering Tuesday's matchup in Pittsburgh, the Kraken are 1-4-1 in January and the Penguins are 1-2-3, not exactly the starts they were looking for as both teams chase wild-card playoff berths.