NBC’s coverage of the 2019-20 NHL season continues with Sunday’s matchup between the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins. Coverage begins at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBC. You can watch the game online and on the NBC Sports app by clicking here.
Hockey fans sometimes bristle over the hype surrounding Sidney Crosby vs. Alex Ovechkin. It’s easy to see why. Not only are there other bright stars around the NHL, there’s also other great players on both teams.
There are, indeed, plenty of fun storylines as the Penguins and Capitals finally meet for the first time in 2019-20. But let’s not kid ourselves; Crosby vs. Ovechkin remains a lot of fun. And, hey, it’s even more fun when you throw Evgeni Malkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and other names into the mix.
Renewing the rivalries of Crosby vs. Ovechkin, Penguins - Capitals
Capitals head coach Todd Reirden said that the rivalry doesn’t “go away,” and that’s a great thing for the NHL.
” ... But it clearly triggers upon Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin as the main stars,” Reirden said, via NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti. “There’s lots of stories beneath that, but the rivalry is outstanding and it’s amazing for hockey and I think will forever be remembered just like you talk about [Larry] Bird and Magic [Johnson in the NBA] or different rivalries that have gone on in sports.”
Sunday’s game marks the 50th regular-season meeting between Crosby and Ovechkin, and the 75th if you add in playoff skirmishes.
As you’d expect from two iconic superstars, some of the head-to-head numbers are staggering. Through 49 regular-season games against each other, Crosby has the edge in overall points (70 to 51) while Ovechkin scored more goals (30 to 24). Crosby’s Penguins won three of four playoff series, but Ovechkin had been more prolific (33 points to 30).
It’s almost too perfect that the winning team in all four Capitals - Penguins series of the Crosby - Ovechkin era went on to with that year’s Stanley Cup.
As John Carlson said, it’s great for the game.
And, again, you can’t deny some of the other stars involved.
[COVERAGE BEGINS AT 12:30 P.M. ET ON NBC]
Take, for instance, the one-two punches of Crosby + Malkin and Ovechkin + Backstrom. Since 2005-06, when Crosby and Ovechkin got started, Crosby + Malkin boast the most combined points of any two teammates (2,299) while Ovechkin and Backstrom rank second (2,178).
(Imagine where Crosby + Malkin would be if they didn’t frequently deal with injuries that Ovechkin and Backstrom mostly found ways to avoid?)
With Ovechkin chasing 700 goals at 695, and both teams atop the Metropolitan Division, it’s just as easy to focus on the present as it is to marvel at the past.
[Look back at a big week, and really a big January, for Ovechkin.]
Plenty of other storylines
There are a lot of things to watch if you don’t want to adhere to Crosby - Ovechkin alone, or even if Backstrom and Malkin are too obvious for you.
- Tom Wilson could always start something. It almost feels like it’s been too long since he sent shockwaves through the NHL ...
- Justin Schultz recently returned for the Penguins. Can he get in the groove?
- Jakub Vrana continues his ascent among the NHL’s most underrated scorers.
- While Braden Holtby struggles, Ilya Samsonov has been red-hot. Barring late changes, Samsonov is expected to start on Sunday. Reirden looks at the situation as mostly positive.
“We’re fortunate to have a young up-and-coming goaltender that’s performed very well and a Stanley Cup, Vezina winner as well,” Reirden said, via NBC Sports Washington. “So we’re in a good situation.”
The Capitals have been there before, where an upstart goalie (first Philipp Grubauer, now Samsonov) outplays Holtby. If things shake out the same way again -- with a Stanley Cup -- they’d welcome this bit of turbulence.
Either way, there are a lot of storylines to watch on Sunday, so enjoy.
Mike Emrick, Eddie Olczyk, and Brian Boucher will have the call from Capital One Arena in Washington D.C. Sunday’s studio coverage on NBC will be hosted by Liam McHugh with analysts Keith Jones and Mike Milbury.
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James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.