On this day in Penguins history: Dueling Hat Tricks

Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty ImagesTen years ago, the Penguins and Capitals were facing off in their first Stanley Cup playoff meeting of the Sidney Crosby/Alex Ovechkin era. Before the series even started, the hype machine was in full force. It was a meeting between the game’s two biggest stars on the sport’s biggest stage. Good news for fans, Crosby and Ovechkin smashed even our wildest expectations with two of the best individual performances you may ever see in a single playoff series.

Crosby and Ovechkin both scored goals in the first period of a tight Game 1 that swung in favor of the host Capitals thanks to an early third period goal by Tomas Fleischmann to give Washington a 1-0…