Capitals vs. the Metro: Penguins Making Last Pushes with Core

One of the biggest rivalries for the Washington Capitals in their history is with the Pittsburgh Penguins. They have countless playoff series against one another (the Penguins have mostly had Washington’s number in that regard). However, the Capitals finally broke through during the 2018 postseason, eliminating Pittsburgh in six games. The organization would win their first Stanley Cup later on, defeating the Vegas Golden Knights in the Cup Final by a series of four wins to one.

Since 2005, the Capitals-Penguins rivalry became based around Alex Ovechkin vs. Sidney Crosby. Both are generational talents and both were chosen in their respective drafts with the first overall pick. Crosby has more championships between the two, but Ovechkin is the one closer to claiming the all-time goals record currently held by Wayne Gretzky (he is only 42 away at this point in time). It is a storied rivalry, but one that is almost over. Both talents are close to the end of their NHL careers, and both franchises are trying a little bit longer with their stars to see whether they might be able to get one more championship before the time is up.

Pittsburgh Penguins’ Offseason Moves

Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas made a couple trades during this offseason. On June 29, he made a deal with the St. Louis Blues. He acquired forward Kevin Hayes and a 2025 second-round pick in exchange for future considerations. He then sent winger Reilly Smith to the New York Rangers for two draft selections. The first one was a 2025 fifth-round pick, while the other was a 2027 second-round pick. The most recent deal the Pittsburgh Penguins made though, was with the Nashville Predators. Dubas acquired Cody Glass, a 2025 third-round selection, and a 2026 sixth-round choice. The Predators, meanwhile, got Jordan Frasca in return.

In free agency, Pittsburgh landed forward Anthony Beauvillier, forward Blake Lizotte, defenseman Matt Grzelcyk, defender Sebastian Aho, and winger Rutger McGroarty. Beauvillier split the 2023-24 campaign with three teams. He played in 22 games with the Vancouver Canucks, where he scored two goals and six assists for eight points. He was then dealt to the Chicago Blackhawks. In 23 games with Chicago, he totaled six points. Lastly, he was traded to the Nashville Predators. In 15 games with them, he got three points.

Matt Grzelcyk, who played all last campaign with the Boston Bruins, suited up for 63 games and had two goals and nine assists for 11 points. This is his first change of scenery in his career. He spent parts of the last eight campaigns in Boston. He has played in 445 career games and has 135 total points (25 goals and 110 assists). As for Sebastian Aho, he suited up in 58 games for the New York Islanders last season. He scored two goals and registered seven assists for nine points.

Lizotte comes to the Penguins after playing in parts of the last six seasons (and specifically 320 games) with the Los Angeles Kings. In 62 games last season, he scored seven goals and provided eight assists.

Rutger McGroarty was acquired by the Pittsburgh Penguins from the Winnipeg Jets.

Then, there’s Rutger McGroarty. The 20-year-old winger was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets in the first round (14th overall) of the 2022 Draft. The Penguins traded for him in exchange for Brayden Yager. He then signed a three-year, entry-level deal with the Penguins. Last season, he played in 36 games for the University of Michigan. He scored 16 goals and produced 36 assists for 52 points. He will be a crucial talent in the lineup for them for many years to come.

2023-24 Season Series

The Capitals and Penguins evenly split their 2023-24 season series. The first time these two clubs went head-to-head was on October 13, 2023. Pittsburgh kept Washington off the scoreboard; while they received four goals themselves. Crosby had two goals, Malkin had one, and Reilly Smith scored the fourth to give the Penguins a 4-0 victory. Goalie Tristan Jarry stopped all 19 shots against, while the Capitals’ Charlie Lindgren made 31 saves on 35 shots.

Both teams would not play against each other again until 2024. On January 2, Washington took on the Penguins in Pittsburgh. The Capitals received goals from Tom Wilson, Beck Malenstyn, Martin Fehervary, and Alex Ovechkin. The Penguins, meanwhile, had goal contributions courtesy of Rickard Rakell, Sidney Crosby, and Jake Guentzel. The Capitals won 4-3. The Capitals took the third game in the series, 6-0. The last game of the regular season series went to Pittsburgh, who won 4-1.

Penguins’ Older Core

Pittsburgh is in the same boat as the Capitals. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang are all at least 37 years old. Dubas also added veteran blue liner Erik Karlsson via trade last offseason, who is currently 34. The Penguins are not going to start their rebuild until they try a little longer with the core three talents they still have. That was further proven when the team announced that Crosby signed a two-year contract extension. He will be locked in as a Penguin at this point, until the end of the 2026-27 season.

The Alex Ovechkin-Sidney Crosby rivalry has their next chapters of their rivalry ahead in 2024-25.

Crosby can still produce significantly for Pittsburgh. Last season, he played all 82 games and scored 42 goals while tallying 52 assists for 94 points. Malkin, meanwhile, tallied 27 goals and registered 40 assists for a total of 67 points in 82 games. On the backend, Kris Letang suited up in all 82 games and accrued 51 points (10 goals and 41 assists). Lastly, Erik Karlsson played in all 82 games and had 11 goals and 45 assists for 56 points. Everyone involved is still putting up solid production on the ice. The club is seeing about winning one more Cup before they move on to the next era in Penguins hockey.

2024-25 Season Series

Washington and Pittsburgh play against each other four times during the 2024-25 campaign. The first battle in the Ovechkin-Crosby rivalry takes place on November 8 at home for a 7:30 P.M. puck drop. Then, two sides meet again on January 18 at Capital One Arena. That matchup begins at 7:00 P.M. The third game will be at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh for a 3:00 P.M. showdown. Lastly, the two duel as Washington’s last regular season game on April 17 in Pittsburgh for a 7:00 P.M. game.

Even though the Penguins’ core is getting older, they are still a group that can be dangerous. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are still leading that Penguins roster, along with Kris Letang. They missed the 2024 postseason, but were right on Washington’s tail for a playoff position. They also finished right below the Capitals in the division rankings. These head-to-head matchups will be key if it comes down to the wire again about who will make the playoffs. Pittsburgh is trying to rebound off of falling short. The Capitals need to focus on producing more offense, and making sure that, if the Penguins do make the playoffs, they are not the team getting bounced out as a result.