Daily Primer Jan. 15: Capitals, Penguins renew rivalry

It's always must-see TV when Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby go head-to-head. They'll meet again Wednesday night in front of a nationally televised audience.

Ovechkin, who scored his 33rd goal of the season Tuesday, and the Washington Capitals travel to the Steel City to take on Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins at Consol Energy Center (8 p.m. ET, NBCSN, TSN2, RDS). Now division rivals, the Penguins enter this week's Wednesday Night Rivalry game with a 16-point lead on Washington (22-16-8) in the Metropolitan Division.

Crosby, the NHL's leading scorer this season, has 15 goals and 45 points in 26 career games against the Capitals. Ovechkin has 22 goals and 40 points in 32 games against the Penguins.

Pittsburgh (33-12-2) has won 12 in a row at home.

Here's a closer look at the action Wednesday:

Buffalo Sabres at Toronto Maple Leafs -- The Sabres are coming off a tough 4-3 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday, a game that was decided when Vincent Lecavalier scored with 14.8 seconds remaining. Buffalo should have defenseman Tyler Myers back in the lineup after he finished serving his three-game suspension Tuesday. Toronto will be seeking its third straight win after earning a 4-3 victory against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Tuesday. Maple Leafs forward Tyler Bozak had two goals and an assist and is 5-6-11 in seven games since returning from an oblique injury.

Washington Capitals at Pittsburgh Penguins -- It's the fifth game in seven days for Washington, which suffered a 2-1 shootout loss to the San Jose Sharks at Verizon Center on Tuesday. The Capitals will play eight of their next nine games on the road. Pittsburgh's second line could have a different look; Taylor Pyatt, who was recently acquired off waivers, skated on the second line at practice Tuesday with Evgeni Malkin and Jussi Jokinen.

Vancouver Canucks at Anaheim Ducks -- Vancouver has lost six of its past seven games, including a 1-0 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Monday. Goalie Eddie Lack has allowed one goal in each of the past two games. The Ducks remain the only team in the NHL that has yet to lose in regulation on home ice; they are 19-0-2 at Honda Center. Anaheim has won seven straight games and 17 of 18, while goaltender Jonas Hiller is riding a personal 14-game winning streak.