Washington Capitals: Top 5 toughest games of 2021

#2 Nov. 14 vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

On November 14th the rivalry between the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins renews at Capital One Arena. Alex Ovechkin signing on for five more years means we’re on the last legs of the rivalry between him and Sidney Crosby. Boy have we been lucky to have seen the best and worst of times in these games. It won’t be the same when these two retire.

The Penguins are coming off winning the MassMutual East Division last season before getting bounced in the first round by the New York Islanders. Crosby led the team in the regular season with 24 goals and 38 assists for 62 points. Jake Guentzel was right behind him with 23 goals and 34 assists for 57 points.

Last season the Caps went 2-2-4 against the Penguins. Even though they won just two games both were memorable. The first one was a complete game effort in Pittsburgh with no fans in the stands. Conor Sheary, Jakub Vrana, and Lars Eller scored while Vitek Vanecek made 26 stops on 27 shots with a .963 save percentage.

The second win came at home, again with no fans sadly, in a game that saw T.J. Oshie score the goal of the year. Nicklas Backstrom, Tom Wilson, Carl Hagelin, and Lars Eller also scored. Vanecek once again made 26 saves on 28 shots for a .929 save percentage.