Playoff rematches crank up hatred

When the Washington Capitals faced the New York Islanders in the playoffs five years in a row in the 1980s, players knew everything.

They knew where Mike Bossy loved to shoot from, that Bob Nystrom was going to run them over and that they’d better watch out for Denis Potvin in the neutral zone.

“We became so used to one another we were expected to play the Islanders in the playoffs,” former Capitals winger Craig Laughlin said. “At some point, we always knew we were going to play them.”

It’s starting to feel that way now for the Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins, who are meeting in the second round of the playoffs for the third consecutive year. Two teams playing each other over and over again in the postseason is a common theme in NHL history, especially when 16 of the 21 teams faced off in a divisional format similar to what has been in place since 2014 and is responsible for Capitals-Penguins III.

The Capitals faced the New York Rangers from 2011-13 and the Chicago Blackhawks played the Vancouver Canucks from 200911. Hockey has changed plenty since the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens played series seven years in a row from 1984-90, but all that familiarity still breeds a whole lot of contempt.

“For the players, it’s more difficult,” said former Edmonton defenseman Kevin Lowe, whose Oilers faced Winnipeg three playoffs in a row from 1983-85. “The body checks are heavier, the cross-checks are harder, the slashes behind the play are harder.”

Lowe doesn’t think there are any advantages to players seeing the same opponent over and over again in the playoffs. Even on a Stanley Cup-champion team in Edmonton, there was always pressure to beat the Jets because they had done it in previous years.

Seeing the Penguins beat the Capitals on the way to the Cup the past two years, Lowe believes the stronger motivation belongs to Washington.

“They’ve made their life miserable, so that amps them up more,” Lowe said. “There’s no real advantage to the team that’s winning those years because you know every year’s different and you thought, ‘Oh, we can beat these guys because we beat them before.’ It’s a new set of circumstances every time you play.”