Pittsburgh at Washington

Washington's offense took a dip the last series, losing twice to Philly after taking a 3-0 series lead. The Caps scored just two goals in the final three games of the series, then had to hold off Pittsburgh in Game 1, a 4-3 overtime win. They face a dominant Pittsburgh defense, ranked sixth in the NHL in goals allowed and fifth in penalty killing. And the speedy offense behind Sidney Crosby is sixth in the league in goals scored. In Game 1, Crosby won 68 percent of his faceoffs as Pittsburgh outshot Washington 45-35. The game was played at a breakneck pace, which the Penguins prefer, with Ben Lovejoy, Evgeni Malkin and Nick Bonino scoring for Pittsburgh. The Penguins lead the NHL in the postseason with an average of four goals per game and have the postseason's top power-play unit. The Penguins are on a 35-17 run, 20-6 on one day of rest and 13-3 against an opponent with a winning record. Play Pittsburgh in Game 2.