Crosby, Ovechkin set to duel on NBC

With Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby and Washington Capitals sniper Alex Ovechkin squaring off on the ice against each other, the NHL on NBC broadcasts on Sunday, February 18 should be memorable.Crosby, in only his second year in the league, is on pace to become the youngest player to win the NHL scoring title and currently leads the league with 87 points through just 52 games (25 goals, 62 assists).Reigning rookie of the year Ovechkin, also in his second year in the NHL, currently ranks second among goal-scorers (34), and is fifth overall in the league in points (72).And don't forget about Pittburgh's super rookie Evgeni Malkin, who leads all first-year players in goals (27), assists (36) and total points (63).Here what NBC's hockey analysts are saying about the two stars and their respective clubs:Bill Clement:
"Sid, at 19, has become the number one watch in the NHL – even hockey people settle in to watch the Penguins. Alex Ovechkin's team hasn't had as much success, but he is near the top of the league in goals scored and is usually worth the price of admission alone. Going head-to-head will bring the best out of both of them, but I'd be surprised if Crosby isn't more dominant on Sunday."The whole Pittsburgh team is on a roll – they're the second youngest team in the league, they're feeling good about themselves, and they've got a swagger that wasn't there before."Ed Olczyk:
"The Penguins have allowed Marc-Andre Fleury to be the number-one guy in the nets; he has really been the unsung hero on that team that's gotten them to where they are. But with all the talented, young players they have, that's not unexpected.""Sid and Alex are two players who love what they're doing and love to entertain the fans. Having seen Sid firsthand, he really has an infectious enthusiasm in how he plays the game. And with the new rules in the NHL, anything is possible for him. Will he be able to average two points a game? He could be pretty darn close. There's a good chance that if his career continues the way it's started, he'll be at the top of the scoring list. He has the ability and he has the will, which may be his greatest quality that doesn't get talked about. He always wants to be the best player on the ice, no matter who he's playing or whether it's just practice."Tune into the NHL on NBC on Sunday, beginning with our Countdown to Faceoff live streaming pregame show, followed by Washington at Pittsburgh, Chicago at New York Rangers or San Jose at Dallas.Mike Emrick (play-by-play), Eddie Olczyk (analyst) and Pierre McGuire (inside-the-glass reporter) will call Washington at Pittsburgh; Dave Strader (play-by-play), Peter McNab (analyst) and Joe Micheletti (inside-the-glass reporter) will call Chicago at New York; and Chris Cuthbert (play-by-play), Brian Hayward (analyst) and Darren Pang (inside-the-glass reporter) call San Jose at Dallas.

Link: http://www.nbcsports.com/nhl/1056151/detail.html