Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins will face familiar foe to open 2018-19 season

Sidney Crosby prepares for a first period face off in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG Paints Arena on May 7, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

There will be plenty of storylines in the season-opening game for the Penguins in October.

The 2018-19 season will kick off at PPG Paints Arena with a visit from the Washington Capitals, possibly supercharging one of the Pens’ biggest rivalries.

The Capitals, plagued by playoff losses to the Pens for years, finally broke through in May with a six-game series win in the second round, ending Sidney Crosby and Co.’s quest for a third straight championship.

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The Caps, buoyed by that breakthrough, rode star Alexander Ovechkin all the way to the franchise’s first Stanley Cup on June 7.

They’ll begin their defense at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 4, in Pittsburgh, where the two teams have more in common than fans might want to admit. Over the last three years, the franchises have won more games and scored more goals than anyone else in the NHL.