his own, this time on the power play and in the third period. Brooks Laich scored afterward, but the Penguins held on for a 6–2 Game 7 win to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. Crosby scored two goals and had an assist in the game to finish the series with 13 points (8 goals and 5 assists) while Ovechkin finished with 14 points (8 goals and 6 assists) in the series. The Penguins would eventually play in the Stanley Cup Finals against the Detroit Red Wings for the second consecutive season. They would win that series in seven games to win their third Stanley Cup. 2009–2015 In May 2010, the NHL announced that the 2011 NHL Winter Classic was going to be played by the Capitals and Penguins, with the game being held on New Year's Day of 2011 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh scored first off an Evgeni Malkin breakaway in the second period before Washington rallied for three straight goals, including two by Eric Fehr. The Capitals held on to defeat the Penguins 3–1. This game is also notable for being the beginning of Sidney Crosby's concussion issues, as Capitals' centre Dave Steckel clipped him in the head by accident behind the play. Crosby returned to the Penguins' lineup four days later against the Tampa Bay Lightning, but after getting hit by defenseman Victor Hedman, he did not play another game for ten months. Washington and Pittsburgh would remain very competitive for the next few years, as the two teams combined for only one playoff-less season (Capitals in 2013–14) from 2009 to 2015. However, they never met in the playoffs during this time. They came close in 2011, but had the Penguins held their 3–1 series lead in the conference quarterfinals against Tampa Bay, they would have faced Washington in the next round. Before the 2013–14 season, the NHL realigned into a two-conference, four-division setup. The Capitals and Penguins were both placed into the newly formed Metropolitan Division, making the two teams divisional rivals for the first time since the 1992–93 season. The NHL also changed its playoff format to make divisional playoff matchups more common. This ignited the rivalry for years to come. 2016–2018: Consecutive playoff meetings The Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins met in 3 straight playoffs, writing another chapter in their storied playoff history against each other. They have been arguably the 2