Penguins hope to get players back for series with Capitals

CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Thursday night will mark the start of the 10th playoff series between the Penguins and Capitals. The postseason rivalry has been dominated by Pittsburgh, which has won eight of the previous nine series.

The Penguins have also won a playoff series over the Capitals in each of their four Stanley Cup-winning seasons, including last year's second-round series, which the Pens won in six games.

Does that give Pittsburgh any kind of advantage?

Head coach Mike Sullivan knows that what happened on the way to the 2016 cup means nothing now.

"Last year is last year," he said. "This is a whole new experience."

Winning in postseason is how teams are judged, and Marc-Andre Fleury knows all too well the excitement that comes with it.

"The feeling of winning. Nothing beats that," Fleury said.

After a week with equal doses of rest and practice, captain Sidney Crosby and his teammates are ready to get back into game action.

"We're excited to get out there and start playing again," Crosby said.

Crosby believes that there will be desperation on both sides.

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The Penguins are also hoping to get a couple of injured players back for the series.

Chris Kunitz was a full participant at Wednesday's practice, and will be a game-time decision for Thursday night's series opener.

Carl Hagelin, who hasn't played since March 10, was back on the ice at practice wearing anon-contact jersey. Hagelin said being back with his teammates was a lot of fun and called it a step in the right direction.

The Penguins still haven't offered a timetable for Hagelin's return to game action, but Sullivan is encouraged.

"It's a big step for him today to get him involved in a team practice," Sullivan said.

The Penguins are preparing for an extremely tough and very familiar opponent in a series that excites both players and fans.

"Our players are very much aware of the challenge in front of us," Sullivan said. "I don't think there's overconfidence by any stretch."

The coach also knows a good matchup when he sees it.

"These are two really good teams," he said.

Cox Media Group