(Sports Network) – After salvaging the finale of their five-game road trip, the Ottawa Senators return home to host the Boston Bruins in tonight’s Northeast Division clash at Scotiabank Place.

The Senators won a season-high five straight games from Feb. 18-25 and the final four victories of that stretch came at home. However, Ottawa then went 0-2-2 at the start of their recent swing before posting a 3-2 regulation win against the New York Rangers on Friday.

However, considering its recent series’ history against the Bruins, Ottawa faces an uphill battle in tonight’s game. Boston has taken two straight and 10 of the last 11 against the Senators and the B’s are riding a nine-game winning streak in Ottawa.

Boston, which also has won 12 of 13 in Ottawa, hasn’t lost a road game in this series since April 7, 2009.

The Senators also face the Bruins without forward Milan Michalek, who was not on the ice for Monday’s morning skate.  Guillaume Latendresse took is spot and will play in his place this evening. Latendresse has been on injured reserve since Feb 5 with a neck injury and passed his baseline test on Sunday.

Monday’s contest is the second of five scheduled meetings between these divisional foes this season. The Bruins posted a 2-1 overtime win against the visiting Sens on Feb. 28, as Patrice Bergeron scored the winner in OT and Tuukka Rask stopped 30 shots for Boston.

The Senators ended their four-game slide thanks to Jakob Silfverberg‘s tally late in the third period. Silfverberg gave Ottawa a 3-2 edge with 4:41 remaining in regulation, corralling the rebound of an Eric Gryba shot and lifting it under the crossbar from the right side.

New York went for the extra skater with just over one minute to play, but Silfverberg’s marker stood up for the win.

Zack Smith and Patrick Wiercioch also scored for the Senators, who hadn’t won since Feb. 25 against Montreal and notched their first road victory since Feb. 18 at New Jersey. Robin Lehner recorded 33 saves for the victory.

“We needed to win, and we needed to win on the road. I thought we stepped up and showed some determination,” said Senators head coach Paul MacLean. “We need to have everyone playing hard and that’s what happened.”

The Sens have won their last five home games and are 9-1-2 at Scotiabank Place this season. Following Monday’s encounter with the Bruins, Ottawa will play its next two tilts on the road in Montreal and Buffalo.

The Bruins are 8-1-1 over their last 10 outings and currently sit three points behind Montreal for first place in the Northeast. Boston has played four less games than the Canadiens this season.

Rask led Boston to its second straight win on Saturday, as he turned back all 23 shots he faced to notch his second shutout of the season in a 3-0 win over visiting Philadelphia. The Bruins scored all three of their goals within a 2:18 span in the first period.

Tyler Seguin, Chris Kelly and Daniel Paille all lit the lamp during Boston’s scoring barrage, as the B’s recorded their first home shutout of the Flyers since Jan. 25, 2003, when Jeff Hackett blanked Philadelphia.

“It was good for us to get that lead,” said Bruins head coach Claude Julien. “For us, it was about playing a 60-minute game. We knew they were going to come out better in the second [period] and we had to face that.”

Unlike Ottawa, the Bruins have fared very well on the road this season, logging an 8-1-2 record as the guest compared to a similar 8-2-1 mark in Boston.

The Bruins will complete a two-game swing Tuesday evening in Pittsburgh.

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Penguins might not have reigning NHL MVP Evgeni Malkin for a couple of weeks because of an undisclosed upper body injury.

Considering the way the rest of the Penguins are playing, Malkin can take his time getting healthy.

Sidney Crosby tied a career high with five assists, and Chris Kunitz posted his second hat trick of the season as the Penguins rocked the New York Islanders 6-1 on Sunday night for their fifth straight win.

Kunitz added two assists to move into third place in the NHL scoring race with 36 points, nine behind Crosby’s league-leading total. It’s rarified air for a player known more for his dirty work in front of the net than his talent for finding the back of it.

“He’s not a flashy player,” Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma said. “He’s not a guy that goes end-to-end and tries to beat guys one on one. He’s straight lines. He’s real simple in how he plays.”

Kunitz made it look simple on a night the NHL’s highest-scoring team hardly looked tired playing its third game in 72 hours. He jammed home a couple of power-play goals to help Pittsburgh bolt to a 3-0 lead and then capped his fourth career hat trick on a rebound midway through the second period to turn away a mild New York surge.

Kunitz’s career high is 61 points, set last season. There is a chance he could top that in a lockout-shortened, 48-game sprint. The nine-year veteran has a pretty easy explanation for his uptick in production.

“I get to play with the best player in the world every night,” Kunitz said. “It makes going out and playing a lot of fun.”

James Neal had a goal and three assists, and Pascal Dupuis scored twice for Pittsburgh. Tomas Vokoun made 23 saves to win his third straight decision.

Brad Boyes scored the lone goal for New York, which had a five-game point streak snapped. Evgeni Nabokov stopped just 12 of 17 shots in two periods before getting pulled for the final 20 minutes.

“We just didn’t seem to ever get it going, and obviously they’re a pretty good team,” New York forward John Tavares said. “They get a 3-0 lead it’s going to be pretty tough to come back.”

The Islanders had lost 13 straight games in Pittsburgh before breaking through at the end of last season and backing it up with a win in Pittsburgh six weeks ago.

While New York has been a modest surprise — the Islanders entered the game just two points out of a playoff spot — they were no match for the Penguins. Pittsburgh is rolling behind a resurgent Crosby and two linemates playing perhaps the finest hockey of their careers.

Having Crosby at the peak of his powers certainly helps. Nearly a year after his most recent comeback from concussion-like symptoms, Crosby has regained his MVP form. He extended his point streak to nine games — the longest stretch in the NHL this season — and the Penguins had little trouble kicking off a three-week stretch that could help them strengthen their position atop the Atlantic Division.

“We want to make sure that we’re producing,” Crosby said. “We found a way to take advantage of our chances. It’s something we want to keep doing.”

Pittsburgh spent most of the first half of the season on the road but Sunday started a 12-game run in which the Penguins will play only twice away from home.

The Penguins didn’t waste much time getting settled in. Dupuis put them up 1-0 just over 7 minutes in when his shot from the goal line clanked off the post, smacked the back of Nabokov’s pad and went into the net.

Kunitz pushed the lead to 3-0 by the end of the period after a pair of power-play goals within a span of 3 minutes. He poked in a feed from Neal for his first goal and then did it again on his next shift. Kunitz took a backhand feed from Neal and slipped it by Nabokov to score Pittsburgh’s 33rd first-period goal, the most in the league.

Boyes briefly got the Islanders back into it when Pittsburgh defenceman Simon Despres slipped trying to clear the puck, allowing Boyes to come in alone. He snapped a shot over Vokoun’s right shoulder to make it 3-1.

Bylsma called timeout to let his weary club — playing its third game in four days — get its legs. Whatever he told them worked. Kunitz and Neal scored 16 seconds apart to make it 5-1.

“The undisciplined penalties we took killed us,” New York coach Jack Capuano said. “You can’t get behind to a Stanley Cup team like that 2-3 nothing. And it hurt us.”

NOTES: Crosby’s other five assist game came against the Philadelphia Flyers on Dec. 13, 2006. … New York scratched forwards Keith Aucoin and Eric Boulton as well as defenceman Joe Finley. … The Penguins scratched defencemen Deryk Engelland and Robert Bortuzzo. … Pittsburgh hosts Boston on Tuesday. The Islanders are off until Thursday when they play at Tampa Bay … The Islanders are 1-8-1 this season when Tavares doesn’t record a point.

MIAMI — Mario Chalmers scored 26 points, Chris Bosh added 24 and the Miami Heat won their 18th straight game, easily topping the Indiana Pacers 105-91 on Sunday night.

The 18-game streak ties the seventh longest in NBA history, and is the league’s best since the Boston Celtics won 19 straight during the 2008-09 season. Miami will try for No. 19 when it hosts Atlanta on Tuesday night.

The win also gave Miami (47-14) a victory against every NBA team this season. The Heat lost both previous meetings with Indiana.

Dwyane Wade scored 23 points for the Heat, who controlled the game despite a season-low 13 points from LeBron James. Ray Allen added 11 for Miami.

David West scored 17 of his 24 points in the first half for the Pacers, who fell nine games behind Miami in the Eastern Conference standings. Roy Hibbert scored 15, D.J. Augustin had 14 and Paul George scored 10 for Indiana.

James’ previous season-low was 15. He still finished with seven assists and six rebounds for the Heat, who held a 27-15 edge in points off turnovers and finished the game shooting 56 percent compared with 41 percent by Indiana.

Chalmers needed only nine shots to get his 26 points, going 5 for 6 from 3-point range and making all seven of his free throws. He also grabbed seven rebounds, a season high.

There may have been touches of gamesmanship beforehand. Things like the Pacers coming out for warm-ups and choosing the basket that the Heat typically use, or just about every starter keeping those pleasantries before tip-off such as handshakes and hugs at an absolute minimum. And there were moments of physicality: an extra nudge here or there. But nothing near the level of those body-flying, blood-drawing clobberings that came during last season’s Eastern Conference semifinals.

Then again, that series was competitive throughout. This game was essentially over just after halftime.

Miami led by nine after the opening quarter, the second-largest deficit the Pacers faced after 12 minutes all season. Indiana hardly folded; the Pacers used a 24-14 run to get within two when West scored with 2:57 left before the half. The margin was still only six in the final minute before intermission.

But the Heat couldn’t have scripted a better final 6.9 seconds of the half.

After a deflection sent all the defensive matchups askew, James found himself being guarded 1-on-1 by Hibbert, so he simply drove past the 7-foot-2 center for a slam. Wade then stole the ball from George near midcourt with about 3 seconds left, took a couple dribbles and hit a 12-footer over Hibbert’s outstretched arm as time expired, giving Miami a 56-46 lead at the break.

Miami missed its first shot of the second half, then didn’t miss another field-goal attempt for eight minutes.

Seven straight makes by Miami fueled what became a 21-7 run, and essentially took away any mystery about the outcome. What was an eight-point game turned into a 77-55 Heat lead, the margin exactly doubling the biggest leads Miami held over Indiana in the first two meetings between the clubs this season — combined.

From there, yes, there were reminders that these teams aren’t exactly fond of one another.

Stephenson, who made a choke sign at the Heat during last year’s playoffs, then was the subject of a flagrant foul from now-former Heat backup Dexter Pittman later in that series, drove the lane with 3:05 left in the third period and drew a hard foul from Battier. Stephenson remained down for a few moments, and a video review confirmed that Battier made a play on the ball, so anything beyond a common shooting foul wasn’t merited.

It might have fired up Indiana a bit as the Pacers scored the final nine points of the third quarter to get within 79-65.

They could have gotten two more points closer if not for a brilliant defensive play by James in the final seconds. George got free for a layup, but James stalked him on the break and swatted away the shot.

Game notes

The 18 straight wins ties for the second-best streak by a reigning NBA champion. Boston won 19 straight in the season after the 2008 title, and the Celtics won 18 in a row after claiming the 1981 championship. … Chalmers scored 11 points in the first quarter alone, topping his 7.9-per-game season average coming in. … Pacers coach Frank Vogel picked up a technical early in the fourth quarter.

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Attendance: 44752

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Liverpool

• Luis Suárez 21′ •
• Stewart Downing 66′ •
• Steven Gerrard 82′ PEN •

Tottenham Hotspur

• • Jan Vertonghen 45′
• • Jan Vertonghen 53′

Luis Suarez scored for Liverpool and won their match-winning penalty

Luis Suarez edged the battle of the PFA Player of the Year contenders as he scored and earned the match-winning penalty to eclipse Gareth Bale and keep Liverpool’s slim top-four hopes alive.

The Premier League’s leading scorer drew first blood with his 29th of the season – and 22nd in the top flight – and, although his opposite number had a hand in both of Tottenham’s goals, the Uruguay international had the last laugh by winning the late spot-kick from which Steven Gerrard scored.

Centre-back Jan Vertonghen had scored twice after Suarez had put the home side ahead only for calamitous misjudgements by Kyle Walker and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris to gift Stewart Downing the equaliser.

Suarez showed again just how sharp he is in the penalty area with an instinctive first-half finish and while Bale’s danger was restricted to crosses he could not match his rival’s threat in the penalty area.

The Wales international drilled in an early swerving free-kick which Brad Jones, back in the side because of Jose Reina’s calf injury, batted away unconvincingly but then had to cede centre-stage to Suarez.

Philippe Coutinho, who impressed last week at Wigan and had already curled a shot over, combined well down left with Jose Enrique, starting the move with a cheeky backheel.

The pair then exchanged passes before Enrique, holding off Walker, slid a perfectly-weighted pass for Suarez to run onto and surprise Lloris at his near post with the outside of his right foot.

Bale’s response was to plant one left-footed shot into the Kop and then drive an angled right-footed effort wide

Gylfi Sigurdsson, who rejected a summer move to Anfield, missed an even better opportunity from Bale’s flick as he shot wide of Jones’ right-hand post with only the goalkeeper to beat.

Suarez had been receiving particularly close attention from the visitors without much interest from referee Mike Oliver but when Gerrard challenged for a header with Tottenham’s flying Welshman the Reds captain was penalised by a free-kick in the centre-circle.

Bale – playing mainly through the middle – went off after treatment which allowed him to rejoin play on the right wing and this contributed, in some part, to the equaliser on the stroke of half-time.

The ball was soon worked out to him on that flank and he curled a left-footed cross over the head of Jamie Carragher, on his 500th league appearance, for Vertonghen to get in front of Glen Johnson and head inside far post.

Liverpool may have been aggrieved they did not get a penalty late in the half when Coutinho appeared to be pulled back by Walker as he tried to get on the end of a cross but they had conceded 10 minutes’ of pressure to the visitors.

Bale played a part in Tottenham’s second just after the break when his free-kick was weakly headed down by Carragher to Vertonghen who fired home.

A trademark driving run by the Wales international saw him pick out Sigurdsson in acres of space at the far post but his shot was deflected onto a post by Johnson.

Liverpool had lost all their composure and their disposition was not helped by Jones flapping at a Moussa Dembele shot but it was Tottenham’s nerves which faltered next.

Walker’s attempted an inexplicable back-pass/crossfield ball from the right touchline which succeeded only in drawing Lloris out of his goal to clear.

When he failed Downing nipped in to advance on goal and drill a shot through the legs of Vertonghen on the line.

The pace of the game went up a notch and Sturridge headed into the side-netting and Bale nodded wide before another dreadful backpass, this time by Jermain Defoe, forced Benoit Assou-Ekotto to barge into Suarez.

Gerrard, so often Liverpool’s big man for the big occasion, stepped up to slot home his ninth of an increasingly profitable campaign.

Josh Cribbs has spent his entire NFL life with the Cleveland Browns, but it’s becoming clear he’ll be playing elsewhere when September rolls around.

Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer cited league sources to report that five teams — and none of them the Browns — have shown interest in the wide receiver and return man. The New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers have looked into acquiring Cribbs, as have the New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals.

Offseason Forecast: Browns

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Cribbs is expected to sign with a suitor shortly after Tuesday’s free agency launch, marking the end of a sometimes dazzling eight-year run in Cleveland. Mired always on poor teams, Cribbs was often the lone playmaker for a franchise eternally searching for an identity.

The two-time Pro Bowl selection was arguably at his most dangerous during Eric Mangini’s run as head coach. Those wayward Browns teams abandoned the pass to mesh a Wildcat attack with a ground-oriented offense that often resembled something from another age. Cribbs saw his role reduced under Pat Shurmur and it’s clear the new regime under Rob Chudzinski is ready to move on.

Still a player who can contribute, Cribbs would do well to sign with a team open to running a multiple offense. He’d be an intriguing addition in San Francisco, and Bill Belichick would find plenty of ways to use him in New England.

If Cribbs truly is done in Cleveland, this isn’t the fitting sendoff he deserves. He always wanted to finish his career there — not something you hear every day from a Browns player — making this a bittersweet parting, indeed.

Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.