Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Washington Capitals Round 2 Preview

Jan 16, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (71) takes a face-off against Washington Capitals center Lars Eller (20) during the first period at the PPG PAINTS Arena. The Penguins won 8-7 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 16, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (71) takes a face-off against Washington Capitals center Lars Eller (20) during the first period at the PPG PAINTS Arena. The Penguins won 8-7 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
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The Pittsburgh Penguins are set to meet the Washington Capitals in the second round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals have a storied, intense rivalry. They have met in the playoffs 55 times, with Pittsburgh winning 34 of those series as opposed to Washington’s 21.

This will be an interesting series to watch and will most likely be the highlight of the second round. Let’s see how these two teams match up against each other.

Oct 13, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury (29) makes a save against Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) in the shootout at the PPG Paints Arena. The Penguins won 3-2 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 13, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury (29) makes a save against Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) in the shootout at the PPG Paints Arena. The Penguins won 3-2 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

Goaltending

Pittsburgh was initially supposed to roll with Matt Murray in net, but due to an unfortunate sudden injury prior to the first round, Marc-Andre Fleury had to come in cold as the starting goaltender.

Fleury has shown no signs of slowing down though. In the first round, he made some impressive stops and posted a 2.52 goals against average and a .933 save percentage. This is great considering his lack of playing time during the regular season.

Braden Holtby on the other hand has had an impressive season. Coming off a hot season in which he took home the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goaltender, Holtby posted a 2.07 goals against average and a .925 save percentage with a 34-18-10 record. His performance earned him another Vezina nomination.

In the first round, the Capitals faced the young Toronto Maple Leafs who took them to six games. A certain narrative that formed during this series was Holtby’s inability to hold a lead. Nevertheless, Holtby posted a 2.36 goals against average and a .925 save percentage.

Oct 13, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Justin Schultz (4) defends Washington Capitals defenseman Nate Schmidt (88) during the third period against at the PPG Paints Arena. The Penguins won 3-2 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 13, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Justin Schultz (4) defends Washington Capitals defenseman Nate Schmidt (88) during the third period against at the PPG Paints Arena. The Penguins won 3-2 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

Defence

Injuries plagued the Pittsburgh Penguins throughout the season, and the biggest injury was to the Penguins #1 defenceman, Kris Letang.

Nevertheless, Pittsburgh’s defensive core has been able to hold it together throughout this season. Justin Schultz stepped up and had his best season yet, and other acquisitions like Ron Hainsey have helped solidify the blue line more for the Penguins.

Washington on the other hand has a very structured defensive core. With their only injury being to Karl Alzner, most of their top six is in tact. Expect key games from Matt Niskanen, John Carlson and recent pickup Kevin Shattenkirk. Also watch out for past Penguin Brooks Orpik.

Jan 16, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Washington Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom (left) defends Pittsburgh Penguins center Nick Bonino (13) during the third period against at the PPG PAINTS Arena. The Penguins won 8-7 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 16, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Washington Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom (left) defends Pittsburgh Penguins center Nick Bonino (13) during the third period against at the PPG PAINTS Arena. The Penguins won 8-7 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

Offence

This is where things get interesting. Both Washington and Pittsburgh have dominant offensive cores, and a look at the numbers from this season proves this,

Pittsburgh was first in the entire league in goals scored this season with 278. Washington was right behind them in third with 261 team goals scored. The two teams were also third (Washington) and fourth (Pittsburgh) in team power play percentage, with both teams having a percentage of 23.1%.

Although Pittsburgh is still fighting injuries, their offensive core is led by Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel and Patric Hornqvist. They’ve also seen many depth players come up big this year, like Jake Guentzel, Conor Sheary and Bryan Rust.

The Capitals boast a top line of Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie. Other key players include Evgeny Kuznetsov, Andre Burakovsky and the ever-so clutch Justin Williams.

The offence will definitely be something to watch for in this series.

Jan 28, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin (8) greets Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby (87) during the skills challenge relay during the 2017 NHL All Star Game skills competition at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 28, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin (8) greets Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby (87) during the skills challenge relay during the 2017 NHL All Star Game skills competition at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports /

Sidney Crosby Vs. Alex Ovechkin

Here’s a bonus one. The age old rivalry between these two teams intensified in the mid 2000s when they each landed a franchise player in Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby. Both of these players have been the league’s premier stars for years now, and given the teams they play for, have been compared to each other for just as long.

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Although this series is not necessarily about which one of them is better, we know that all eyes will be on them this series. Only one will be victorious and will be seen as the better of the two for this season. History has been in Crosby’s favour, will he rise again this year?

Next: Evgeni Malkin Wants to Dominate and Win

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