WASHINGTON -- The NHL playoffs might be peaking too soon as the Presidents' Trophy-winning Washington Capitals host the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Thursday night.
The top two teams left in the postseason are meeting in the conference semis for the second straight year. Pittsburgh defeated top-seeded Washington in six games in last year's conference semifinals en route to capturing the fourth Stanley Cup in franchise history.
The Penguins are 8-1 in playoff series vs. the Capitals, and have won both meetings during the Sidney Crosby-Alex Ovechkin era.