Tweet WASHINGTON -- After more than 30 minutes of nearly constant offensive pressure, the Washington Capitals finally put one puck past goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury late in the second period and went to the intermission Thursday night with plenty of momentum against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Cheap Jerseys . The Penguins, playing in their second game in as many nights and facing a rested opponent, needed a spark -- and their captain provided it. Sidney Crosby helped shift an epic contest between two rivals back in his clubs favor just 17 seconds into the final period. Despite being marked effectively by Washington defenseman Karl Alzner, Crosby one-handed the puck toward the net. Chris Kunitz found the rebound and slid it along the ice past Washington netminder Michal Neuvirth to reclaim the lead. The Penguins went on to a 3-2 shootout victory at Verizon Center. "Hes one of those guys that a play will look dead and the next thing you know he just comes out and finds a way to turn something from nothing into something," forward Mike Rupp said. "Thats a great effort by him. Weve become spoiled by that and we tend to expect it, so sometimes you dont always notice all of the exceptional things he does." Added Matt Cooke: "Hes been unbelievable for us with the way hes playing right now. Hes leading by example and any time that you do that it is easy to ask the other players to play the right way. I think that is definitely a strength of our team." Crosby has had plenty of unbelievable performances in the first half of this season, and this was another one against perhaps his teams most bitter rival. Crosby also opened the scoring 3:21 into the contest with a great deflection for his 29th goal of the season. He found a patch of open space to the right of the Washington net - one of Crosbys favorite spots on the ice - and waited for a shot from defenseman Kris Letang. Instead of just trying to get his stick on the puck - Crosby punched at it with his stick and chipped it behind Neuvirth. The goal extended his scoring streak to 23 games, the longest in the NHL since Quebecs Mats Sundin had a point in 30 consecutive games in 1992-93. Crosby has 45 points in the 23 games and is averaging a goal a game during the streak. "I dont think you go into the game expecting that, but Im certainly not surprised that we leave the game and hes got a goal and an assist," coach Dan Bylsma said. "He leads the scoring off and then when we need a big play - Washington had the power plays in the second and got back into the game with that goal - right from the drop of the puck to start the third we get that goal from Sid and his line. He paced the game for us." Crosby now has 60 points -- no else in the League has 50. He has a two-goal over Tampa Bays Steven Stamkos, who scored in the Lightnings 4-3 shootout win at New York, and leads Stamkos by 12 points in the scoring race. Crosby is on pace for 64 goals - one shy of Alex Ovechkins 65 in 2007-08 for the most since Mario Lemieuxs 69 in 1995-96 - and 132 points. "Im just trying to do the same things every night and capitalize on the chances Ive gotten," Crosby said. "Weve played as a team too and I think everyone benefits from that. I am just trying to think about creating and capitalize on the chances." While some of Crosbys best career numbers have come against in-state rival Philadelphia (26 goals and 62 points 36 games), he has also enjoyed playing against the Capitals as well with 13 goals and 35 points in 20 contests - and that doesnt include the 8 goals and 13 points in an epic seven-game playoff series two seasons ago. "I dont approach it any differently - I think it just brings out the best in everyone," Crosby said. "Thats a good thing, thats the way it should be. It seems like both teams bring out the best in one another. Theyre very competitive and its developed into a rivalry and every year it seems like its getting bigger and bigger with the history in the playoffs and games like this every year. Its hard for it to not gain intensity." LaDainian Tomlinson Jersey . V V Food & Beverage jumped the 10 percent daily limit to 9.61 yuan and Shanghai Bailian Group Co, the listed unit of Chinas biggest retailer, added 5.5 percent to 17.91 yuan. Given the fact that favorable policies will remain in place to bolster growth, consumer stocks are among the markets favorites, said Zhang Ling, who helps oversee about $7. Phillies Domoic Brown Jersey .47 million in the first half of the year tops the worlds auto industry, according to statistics released by China Auotomotive Technology Research Center, the Legal Evening News reported today. McNabb Jersey . Milito scored nearly all of Inters key goals when the club won a treble of titles last season but had gone scoreless in the Nerazzurris opening six games in all competitions this campaign. Babe Ruth Jersey . "Its two months of pent-up pressure." ... "Its two months of playing under the gun." ... "Its one of the most rewarding experiences in your life ... but fun ... NO!" Thats the way Hall of Famer Larry Murphy described the playoffs to me the other night on the set of "On the Fly. Franco Harris Jerseys . The club had previously revealed last Wednesday that Smyth could miss up to a month with the injury, apparently suffered in last Mondays contest against the Florida Panthers.EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. - Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings have been nearly flawless this season in their raucous roofed stadium, sleek as ever on the artificial grass with the thermostat set near 70 degrees and the only breeze coming from the air conditioning ducts. Now its time for them to travel. Theyll have to prove the boundaries of their comfort zone can stretch this weekend beyond the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, all the way to the other end of the Mississippi River. After dismantling the Dallas Cowboys in the divisional round, the Vikings drew a visit to New Orleans to play the Saints in the NFC championship game on Sunday evening. "I enjoyed every minute of that game," Favre said after the 34-3 victory, "knowing that we would not be back in this dome." The Louisiana Superdome will provide the same controlled climate and fast surface, without the mass of pro-purple fans. Instead of using the noise to their advantage, the Vikings will have to fend it off and stay focused on the snap counts to avoid being rattled. For a team whose stars are mostly veterans, including the venerable 40-year-old quarterback, poise should not be a problem. Last month, though, the Vikings lost all three of their road games -- all nationally televised at night with the spotlight on bright. For the season, their 4-4 record away from Mall of America Field, as the Metrodome is now officially prefaced, was the worst of the six NFC playoff teams. "I think that there are too many great stories to talk about struggles on the road, really quite frankly," coach Brad Childress said, trying unsuccessfully to change the subject at his Monday afternoon news conference. The Saints went 6-2 at home this season, not invincible. The Cowboys were the first team to beat them there, so quarterback Tony Romo has a unique perspective on this contest. The Vikings harassed him with a fierce pass rush all game and got the crowd going with an early lead, making it more difficult for the Cowboys to come back. "They are really good playing in their home place," Romo said afterward. "It allows them to do what they are schematically made to do." Asked for his assessment of the Saints-Vikings matchup, he went with the safe pick. "I think it wwill be a good football game," Romo said. Minnesota Vikings Donovan McNabb Jersey. "I think each team is a little different in the style of football they play. One team is more of a pressure team while the other team likes to sit back and let their front four do the work. I think it will be a great test. The home field will definitely favour the Saints." The Vikings lost all four Super Bowls they went to in the 1970s, and since their last appearance theyre 0-4 in NFC championship games. Three of those were on the road, at Dallas (1977 season), Washington (1987) and New York (2000). Their all-time road record in the playoffs is 5-14, compared to 14-7 overall at home and 6-4 at the Metrodome. Since Childress took over in 2006, the Vikings are 14-18 on the road, though 5-2 when under a roof other than their own. The numbers arent great, no matter what the view is, but none of those previous experiences involved Favre. He had his share of failures in important games while with Green Bay, of course, but he also gained plenty of experience playing against a loud crowd all those years with the Packers when they visited Minnesota. "Hes the guy. Hes the captain of the ship. Hes been there and done that," tight end Visanthe Shiancoe said, adding: "He knows how to conduct this." Both Shiancoe (with the Giants) and kicker Ryan Longwell (with the Packers) named games at the Metrodome as a visiting player the loudest theyve ever heard a stadium, putting last years Monday night win at New Orleans a close second. The Vikings know theyll be in for a similar experience on Sunday with the Saints and their loyal fans. "It will be a tough thing, but we do play well inside and we do play well on turf," Longwell said. "Well give it our best shot." The Vikings will crank up faux crowd noise at their practice facility this week and try to simulate the communication challenges theyll face in such an environment this weekend. Theyre confident the Superdome turf will help them play at the same speed theyre used to. "Its always good to play on another field thats just like home for you," cornerback Benny Sapp said, conveniently overlooking the crowd noise factor. "We just have to go out there and beat their tempo." ' ' '