the playoffs. Despite trailing in nine of the eleven series, Pittsburgh has won all but the 1994 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals and the 2018 Eastern Conference Second Round. The teams first met in the 1991 Patrick Division Finals, when the Penguins defeated the Capitals in 5 en route to capturing the Stanley Cup. In fact, all 6 Stanley Cups championship seasons combined between Washington and Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh has 5 of them), have involved a round against the other team. The rivalry was intense during the early 2000s when the Penguins beat the Capitals in the first round in consecutive seasons (1999–2000, 2000–01), and seemed to amplify more after the trade of Jaromír Jágr. More recently, with the drafting and emergence of Alexander Ovechkin in Washington, and Sidney Crosby in Pittsburgh, the rivalry has heated up again, with controversial comments that Alexander Semin made about Crosby in the media and physical altercations taking place between Ovechkin and Malkin during games. One of the best series to date between the teams was the 2009 Eastern Conference Semifinals, in which the Capitals took a 2–0 series lead before letting it go once again to be downed in 7 games, ending with a 6–2 Game 7 loss at the Verizon Center. Just like in 1991 and 1992, the Penguins defeated the Capitals in the playoffs en route to the Stanley Cup. The two teams faced off at the 2011 NHL Winter Classic hosted in Pittsburgh at Heinz Field, with the Capitals emerging victorious 3–1, and a hit in the game resulting in Crosby missing nearly all of two seasons with concussion-related issues. Both teams completed their second playoff confrontation in the Ovechkin-Crosby era in the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs with the Penguins winning in six games, again preceding Pittsburgh's fourth Stanley Cup title. In 2017, these two teams met again in the second round. Pittsburgh gained a 3–1 series lead only to see Washington win the next two games. The Penguins shut out the Capitals at Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals and eventually the franchise's fifth Stanley Cup. The two teams met again in the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs in the second round for the third consecutive year. The Washington Capitals defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games to advance to the Eastern Conference Final, and eventually win the Stanley Cup. Interdivisional Boston Bruins vs. New York Rangers