evgeni malkin

Surprise, surprise, all four division champions lost in the first round for the first time in major four North American pro sports history, the teams that played in last year's Cup Final are out and the team that finished 21 points ahead of the rest of the NHL got swept.

The Capitals scored first but couldn't hold the lead against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The NHL Eastern Conference semifinal series is tied at 2 heading to Game 5 on Saturday night in Washington.

Alex Ovechkin's initial shot clanged off the post. When the puck bounced back to him, he hit nothing but net to break a 3-3 tie in Pittsburgh and give the Washington Capitals a 2-1 advantage in the NHL Eastern Conference semifinal series.

Alex Ovechkin scored his seventh goal of the playoffs, Braden Holtby made 32 saves and the Washington Capitals built a lead and this time held on to beat the Penguins in Game 2 of the second-round series.

Patric Hornqvist, Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel scored in a 4:49 span to help the Pittsburgh Penguins rally to beat the Washington Capitals 3-2 on Thursday night in Game 1 of the second-round series.

Like tourists flocking to see the cherry blossoms in full bloom, the Pittsburgh Penguins making a trip to Washington in the playoffs has become a rite of spring.

Digest: Capitals beat Penguins in OT after blowing late two-goal lead

The Washington Capitals took out their frustrations in a 7-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night.

Maryland-bred star Ben's Cat will look to avoid losing his fourth race in a row for the first time ever when he takes the gate in the $100,000 Laurel Dash as part of the 11-race Turf Festival program Saturday at Laurel Park.

The pre-Super Bowl showdown between the Capitals and the Penguins was significantly lacking sizzle with Pittsburgh stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin out of the lineup. But that doesn't mean the Capitals' 3-0 win on Sunday wasn't impressive.