Winners of two straight Stanley Cup titles and nine straight best-of-seven playoff series, it's difficult to imagine a harder team to eliminate than the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Pens have faced elimination four times over the last two springs, obviously winning all four games, and outscoring the opposition by a combined total of 12-5 in the process.

Video: Two-Man Advantage | May 7

Pittsburgh is at full strength in terms of its personnel, and it is coming into Monday's Game 6 on the heels of its best overall game of the series on Saturday in Game 5. The Caps have closed out each of their last two playoff series wins on the road with victories in Game 6, but they'll have their hands full with a proud and resilient group of Penguins tonight.



"Pressure? No," says Caps right wing T.J. Oshie. "I think there is a sense of compete in here that wants to win every game, especially a game where you can push another team out. I don't think there is pressure; if anything, it's excitement. It's something to drove you to get the job done."



"As I said to our team it's all about an attitude going into it," says Pens coach Mike Sullivan. "It's a great opportunity for us, and that's how we all have to look at it. We know we are in a hard-fought series; it's the first team that wins four games, not three. And so all we've got to do is we've got to make sure that we control what we can to put our best game on the ice tonight, and we win a hockey game, and then we'll go from there.



"We've got to make sure we just stay in the moment. We can't get overwhelmed by the circumstance, we've got to pay attention to details, we've got to take each shift as it comes, we've got to control what we can, and we've got to embrace a great opportunity for us."



There have been lead changes - usually multiple lead changes - in five of the six games in the series, the Pens' Game 4 victory being the lone exception. And whichever team has won the third period has won each of the first five games of this series. The three games played in Washington were more like track meets with a lot of up and down and plenty of chances at both ends of the ice. The two games in Pittsburgh were slower paced and featured more grinding than skating.



Even on the morning of the game, though, Game 6 has a bit of a different feel.



"I think anytime there is an elimination game, it's got to feel a little different," says Oshie. "But for the most part, our preparation is the same. We're gearing up to have a great start and leaving it at that."



"I think you treat every game with a Game 7 mentality," says Caps coach Barry Trotz. "And there is no game that we were treating differently. We just know we've come here with one focus, to try to win a hockey game. And we'll be all in. I think that's the thing about our group; it's been all in, and we haven't looked too far ahead. We just look at the moment right in front of us, and the moment will be tonight."

Video: Rinkside Update | Matt Niskanen | May 7

Hey, Nineteen - Caps center Nicklas Backstrom missed the last dozen or so minutes of Saturday's Game 5, and after the game, Trotz noted that Backstrom had an upper body injury. On Sunday, Trotz expressed belief that Backstrom would be able to play in Monday's Game 6, but the center did not suit up for the team's morning skate, and his status has been altered to "game-time decision."



If Backstrom is unable to play, rookie pivot Travis Boyd would step into the Washington lineup. Boyd is a third-year pro who made his NHL debut with Washington in December, skating in eight games with the Capitals in 2017-18.



"Obviously it's exciting," says Boyd. "Obviously we don't know yet; things are still up in the air. I'm just trying to prepare like I am playing, so that if I do end up going in, you're ready to go. But that would be super-exciting. It should be a lot of fun, it should be a loud building tonight, so yeah, it would be a lot of fun to get in."



Boyd's last game was an April 5 regular season tilt against Nashville, the Caps' next-to-last game of the season. Boyd missed the last game of the regular season because of illness. He's been healthy throughout his pro career, so playing a Stanley Cup playoff game more than a month after he last laced up the blades for a game is definitely a new experience for him.



"The big thing is just getting into game situations," says Boyd. "I don't know if there is really a way for you to practice game situations, and also to practice game conditioning. Getting into a battle in the corner in a game, there is really no way to simulate that intensity, but if I do get in it's [a matter of] really trying to focus on the first couple of shifts that I get, try and get mentally and physically into the game early. I hope that it's a little bit like riding a back and you can just get back on it get into the game and get rolling."



Along with a handful of his Caps teammates, Boyd was a member of the 2015-16 Hershey team that advanced all the way to the Calder Cup final before bowing out at the hands of the Lake Erie Monsters. Those four rounds worth of pro playoff experience sure won't hurt if Boyd is asked to don a sweater for Game 6.



"Just the way you've got to play in the playoffs," says Boyd, "I've been around watching every game, too. Every play in the playoffs is a big thing. Pucks have got to get out, you've got to be blocking shots, and pucks have got to be in on the bluelines. In the playoffs, there is so little room for error, so just go out there, play a hard, complete game and I think we'll be good."

Video: Capitals Pregame Locker Room | May 7

Stormy Weather - Whether Backstrom plays or not in Game 6 remains to be seen, but it does look as though Nathan Walker will draw into the Washington lineup for Shane Gersich for Game 6.



If that's how it plays out, Walker will be making his Stanley Cup playoff debut in a second-round elimination game. It would also be Walker's first game of any kind since April 15 when he suited up for AHL Hershey against the Penguins' Wilkes-Barre/Scranton affiliate. It would be Walker's first NHL action since Dec. 18 when he skated for Edmonton in a game against San Jose.



"I'm just keeping it all in check," says Walker. "But obviously it's a huge, huge game. So if I'm in, I'm just going to try to do my job out there and get the win for the boys."



Walker played seven early season games with Washington before Edmonton claimed him off waivers on Dec. 1. After getting into two games with the Oilers, the Caps reclaimed Walker, and he finished out the season with Hershey. But he spent the first two months of the season on the Washington roster, which should help some in getting back into the swing of things tonight.



"I think it definitely helps," says Walker, "just being familiar with the systems and the guys and everything. I think it definitely helps."

Video: Barry Trotz Pregame | May 7

It Was 20 Years Ago Today - On May 7, 1998, the Capitals opened up their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series against the Ottawa Senators with a 4-2 win in the District. Olie Kolzig stopped 36 of 38 shots to earn the victory, and Peter Bondra netted the game-winning goal and added an assist for Washington.



Richard Zednik scored for the Caps in the first period and Adam Oates tallied in the second. Washington took a 2-1 lead into the third period, and it chased Sens goalie Damien Rhodes with two goals in the first five minutes of the third period. Bondra scored his first goal of the playoffs at 2:39 of the third and Brian Bellows made it 4-1 and chased Rhodes in favor of Ottawa backup Ron Tugnutt into the game with his goal at 4:25.



In The Nets - Braden Holtby is the reason the Caps own a 3-2 lead in this series, and he'll be in net again on Monday. Holtby made 36 saves on 39 shots in Saturday's Game 5 victory, After surrendering a goal to Pens defenseman Jamie Oleksiak on the first shot of that game, Holtby stopped each of the next 27 shots sent in his direction at even strength.



Holtby has a .928 even-strength save pct. in the current series; he has stopped 103 of 111 shots he has faced in those situations, and two of the even-strength goals scored against him came at four-on-four.



Lifetime against the Penguins in the playoffs, Holtby is now 8-10 with a 2.53 GAA and a .910 save pct.



Matt Murray gets the net again for the Penguins. He has dropped three of his last four starts, allowing three or more goals in each game. Murray has a .911 save pct. at even strength in this series, and his .765 shorthanded save pct. is second worst among second-round goalies, ahead of only Nashville's Pekka Rinne (.750).



Lifetime against the Capitals in the postseason, Murray is 6-5 with a 2.59 GAA and a .915 save pct.



All Lined Up - Not only is Backstrom's presence in the Caps' lineup going to be a game-time decision, Trotz says his lineup for Monday's Game 6 will also be a game-time decision. Pittsburgh did not run line rushes during it's Monday morning skate. With all of that in mind, here is how the Caps lined up at Monday's morning skate, and how the Penguins lined up for Saturday's Game 5:



WASHINGTON



Forwards



8-Ovechkin, 92-Kuznetsov, 18-Stephenson



13-Vrana, 20-Eller, 77-Oshie



10-Connolly, 72-Boyd, 25-Smith-Pelly



79-Walker, 83-Beagle, 39-Chiasson



Defensemen



6-Kempny, 74-Carlson



9-Orlov, 2-Niskanen



44-Orpik, 29-Djoos



Goaltenders



70-Holtby



31-Grubauer



Scratches



22-Bowey



28-Jerabek



63-Gersich



Injured



19-Backstrom (upper body)



65-Burakovsky (upper body)



Suspended



43-Wilson (one game remaining)



PITTSBURGH



Forwards



59-Guentzel, 87-Crosby, 12-Simon



62-Hagelin, 71-Malkin, 72-Hornqvist



17-Rust, 19-Brassard, 81-Kessel



43-Sheary, 15-Sheahan, 34-Kuhnhackl



Defensemen



8-Dumolin, 58-Letang



6-Oleksiak, 4-Schultz



3-Maatta, 2-Ruhwedel



Goaltenders



30-Murray



1-DeSmith



Scratches



22-Hunwick



Injuries



46-Aston-Reese (broken jaw, concussion)