As we head towards the inevitable Penguins - Capitals matchup, the 11th of all-time and the 4th of the Crosby/Malkin vs. Ovechkin era, it’s a great primer to look back at ten important notes from the past to one of the NHL’s most colorful (and one-sided) playoff rivalry.
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I: The Penguins are the “hammer” in this “hammer vs. nail” rivalry, winning 9 of the 10 playoff meetings, but Game 1’s have been quite the challenge. Washington is 8-2 all-time in Game 1’s vs Pittsburgh (h/t Josh Yohe), which makes the end result all the more back-breaking on the other side.