Two of the game's biggest superstars and best teams are set to collide in Game 1 of a highly-intriguing series on Thursday when the Penguins and Capitals face-off in Washington, D.C.
Presidents' Trophy-winning Washington followed up its 120-point season by bouncing the Philadelphia Flyers in six games last round, overcoming two straight losses after a 3-0 deficit. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, absolutely blitzed the New York Rangers, eliminating the Blueshirts in five games.
This series will feature two of the league's biggest names as Penguins captain Sidney Crosby leads his team against Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin. The last (and only) time these two met in the postseason in 2009, they combined for 27 points, each had hat tricks in Game 2 and the Capitals blew a 2-0 series lead, losing to the Penguins in seven games.
Pittsburgh went on to hoist the Cup -- Crosby's only title to date -- while Washington is still trying to make it out of the second round for the first time in the Ovechkin era.
Ovechkin had three goals and five points in the first round, while Crosby also had three tallies and ranks tied for third in the league in points (8) and tied for second in assists (5) entering Round 2.
Of course, the series isn't just about these two perennial All-Stars.
Nicklas Backstrom led Washington with five assists and seven points in Round 1, while John Carlson had three goals and six points and Marcus Johansson also put up six points. Evgeni Malkin (2-5--7) and Phil Kessel (3-3--6) also made a huge impact for Pittsburgh last round.
For this series, Capitals defenseman Brooks Orpik (upper-body) is a game-time decision heading into Game 1.
"He's been out there a couple days," Barry Trotz said per NHL.com. "He's feeling good. I haven't talked to our trainers yet, they just got off the ice. But it looks like a good chance."
Conor Sheary will also factor into the game after taking a few maintenance days this week.
"My first series I think I was playing a lot of minutes and just some little things that were nagging me," Sheary said per NHL.com. "I feel good about it this morning."
In net, Washington turns to Braden Holtby, who is 4-2 with a 1.49 GAA and a .968 save percentage this postseason. Starting in injured netminder Marc-Andre Fleury's stead, rookie Matt Murray is 3-0-0 in his first postseason with a 1.33 GAA and a .933 save percentage.
Game Preview & Live Stream
Details: Penguins at Capitals Game 1
Venue: Verizon Center, Washington, D.C.
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Radio: Pittsburgh (105.9 WXDX); Washington (WTKT 1460)
Prediction: Our predictions for this series can be found here.
Betting Odds: The latest betting odds can be found here.
Watch Online: This game can be live streamed for free here.
