Kessel, Bruins look to stay hot

Boston (19-4-4) at Washington (15-10-3), 7:00 p.m. EST

WASHINGTON (Ticker) -- There is no one in the league hotter than

Phil Kessel and the Boston Bruins.

The Bruins look to win their season-high sixth straight game

when they visit the Washington Capitals on Wednesday.

Boston is 14-1-1 in its last 16 games and is on its second

five-game winning streak of the season.

Kessel extended his league-leading point streak to 12 games with

a goal and an assist in the Bruins' 5-3 victory over the Tampa

Bay Lightning on Monday. The 21-year-old has scored in six

straight games and has 10 tallies over his last 10 contests.

The Capitals had their two-game winning streak snapped in a 3-1

defeat to the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday.

Nicklas Backstrom scored the lone tally for Washington, which is

10-1-1 at home.

Washington won both home meetings with Boston last season,

including a 10-2 thrashing on March 3 - which snapped the

Bruins' six-game winning streak at the time.