You again? Penguins face familiar foe in Capitals

The Associated Press

Sidney Crosby has faced the Washington Capitals three times in the playoffs. All three times the Pittsburgh captain has led his team to victory. And all three times the Penguins used the win as the springboard to a raucous mid-June parade with the Stanley Cup in tow.

Still, Crosby sounded like a cautious investor Tuesday when asked if Pittsburgh has a mental advantage over rival Alexander Ovechkin and the Capitals heading into yet another postseason showdown in the Eastern Conference semifinals starting later this week.

Past performance, the two-time MVP stressed, does not guarantee future results.

”I think it depends on what you do in the series and how you play,” Crosby said. “I don’t think it plays a huge role. I guess to answer your question, no.”

It’s a mantra Crosby’s teammates repeated over and over as they prepared for yet another showdown in a rivalry that somehow manages to be both compelling and one-sided. Pittsburgh is 9-1 all-time in postseason series against Washington, regardless of who is in the black-andgold sweaters and who is in red, white and blue.

Not that Ovechkin is intimidated. The Capitals star said he “can’t wait” to get another shot at the Penguins after spearheading Washington’s firstround win over Columbus in six games. That’s fine by Pittsburgh, which has played Lucy to Washington’s Charlie Brown for more than a quarter century, dangling a potentially deep playoff run in front of the Capitals only to pull it back at the last minute.

The Penguins, however, remain wary. Just because they always beat Washington doesn’t mean they’re going to always beat Washington.

The teams split their four meetings during the regular season, with the Capitals wrapping up their third straight Metropolitan Division title with a 3-1 win in Pittsburgh on April Fools’ Day.