Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby needs three points to reach 1,000 in his NHL career. If he reaches the milestone Tuesday, he would become the 12th fastest in League history to do so. "One thousand of anything is a lot," forward Eric Fehr said. "He's the best player in the world right now and it'll be pretty special to see him get 1,000." Crosby is coming off a three-point game (two goals, one assist) against St. Louis on Saturday and has 14 points (10 goals, four assists) in his past 10 games. He has scored three points in 117 of his 752 games and has 14 points (10 goals, four assists) in 10 career games against the Flames. The Penguins could use a big night from Crosby to make up for the absence of injured forwards Evgeni Malkin (lower body), Conor Sheary (upper body) and Carl Hagelin (concussion). Malkin skated for a second consecutive day in a no-contact jersey but will miss his fifth consecutive game. Hagelin was diagnosed with a concussion after leaving during the first period against St. Louis. Sheary is expected to miss 4-6 weeks after being injured on Jan. 31. "There has been a lot of turnaround with injuries and call-ups," forward Nick Bonino said. "I think everyone here can play at the NHL level. I think we have great depth in the organization." Despite the injuries, Pittsburgh is 12-5-0 in its past 17 games and 22-3-2 at home this season. The Penguins have 71 points, tied with the Columbus Blue Jackets for second place in the Metropolitan Division. Goaltender Matt Murray will start.
