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29	August 2018

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There was no dogpile in the dressing room. No champagne celebration. Not even a beer. Nothing.

The Washington Capitals have been here before. Many times Martavis Bryant Jersey Elite , actually. It�s not that they don�t appreciate winning Metropolitan Division title after Metropolitan Division title like the one they wrapped up with a 3-1 victory over rival Pittsburgh on Sunday night.

It�s just that they�re tired of division banners being the only ones raised to the rafters.

Still, star Alex Ovechkin knows not all playoff runs are created equal. The group that skated off the ice at PPG Paints Arena after keeping the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions in check for three taut and occasionally chippy periods is not the juggernaut that rolled into postseason in 2016 and 2017 only to be sent home in the second round by Pittsburgh.

�We lost lots of players,� Ovechkin said after playing in his 1,000th career regular season game. �Guys in the locker room, experience guys. But different guys step up and they play different. � We play as a team.�

One that hopes following a familiar script will lead � at last � to an unfamiliar ending.

Philipp Grubauer made 36 saves to continue his push to supplant Braden Holtby as Washington�s top goaltender as the Capitals won for the 10th time in 12 games to assure themselves of home-ice advantage through the first two rounds of the playoffs.

�We had a challenge there from the beginning (of the season) on,� Grubauer said. �We lost a couple experienced guys. We learned from our mistakes and we�re still learning. It�s nice to wrap that up, for sure.�

T.J. Oshie, Dmitry Orlov and Tom Wilson scored for Washington and Grubauer did the rest, including a spectacular glove save on Penguins star Sidney Crosby in the third period that served as an exclamation point on the kind of performance that would fit right in over the next two months.

�Last couple games we played in here weren�t too good Authentic Orlando Brown Jr. Jersey , so it�s a momentum builder for us,� Grubauer said. �We have to make sure we play the right way next couple games. It�s going to be huge.�

The Penguins have the top power play in the league but went 0 for 5 with the man advantage. Patric Hornqvist picked up his 27th of the season late in the third period to avoid a shutout. Matt Murray stopped 31 shots but couldn�t quite match Grubauer.

�I thought that�s probably as good as our power play has looked the last month, we just didn�t score,� Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said.

A night after earning a playoff berth for a franchise-record 12th straight year, the Penguins lost at home in regulation for just the second time since Jan. 4 to end a late push for a division crown. Not that it matters much to Pittsburgh. The Penguins have ended each of the last two regular seasons as the division runner-up to Washington. And each time the Penguins have used a second-round playoff series victory over the Capitals as a springboard to the Stanley Cup.

�We never win division,� Pittsburgh center Evgeni Malkin said. �It�s not first time. It�s not surprise. We�re fine.�

Ovechkin called becoming just the 57th player in NHL history to play at least 1,000 games for one team �a milestone� but didn�t exactly get caught up in the moment. The 32-year-old knows his career has been equally defined by his 603 goals and his team�s inability to make a deep playoff run.

Despite seven division titles and nine playoff appearances since he made his debut in 2005, Ovechkin has never played on a team that reached the Eastern Conference finals. Postseason success is the only thing that�s eluded him, but Washington appears to be peaking behind Grubauer.

Washington coach Barry Trotz opted to give Grubauer his first career start against Pittsburgh and Grubauer responded brilliantly. He was at his best in the second period Breeland Speaks Jersey , when the Penguins� lethal power play had four chances to draw even and came up empty each time, including an extended two-man advantage in which Grubauer received a little help from the crossbar when a shot from Malkin clanged off the crossbar.

The lucky bounce preserved a 1-0 lead. Orlov pumped in his career-high 10th just after a Pittsburgh power-play expired later in the period, firing a shot from the slot that went between the legs of Penguins defenseman Olli Maatta and over Murray�s right arm.

When Tom Wilson redirected Matt Niskanen�s shot from the point by Murray 23 seconds into the third period the Capitals had another division title wrapped up but not bragging rights. That will have to come later.

NOTES: Washington went 0 for 4 on the power play. � Malkin was given a 10-minute misconduct with 1:01 left in regulation after mixing it up with Oshie. � Penguins C Derick Brassard missed his third consecutive game with a lower-body injury. � Pittsburgh is 9-7-2 on the second night of back-to-backs this season.

UP NEXT

Capitals: Visit St. Louis on Monday. Washington beat the Blues 4-3 on Jan. 7.

Penguins: Get three days off before finishing regular season with a back-to-back starting on Thursday in Columbus.

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87. LOS ANGELES RAMS (11-6)

LAST SEASON: In breakthrough year for long-suffering franchise, Rams snapped streaks of 13 consecutive non-winning seasons and 12 straight non-playoff seasons by winning NFC West under first-year coach Sean McVay. Los Angeles went from worst to first in league in scoring with dynamic offense led by Offensive Player of Year Todd Gurley and quarterback Jared Goff, whose solid sophomore NFL season proved Rams weren't wrong to trade up in 2016 to grab him. Coordinator Wade Phillips' solid unit was led by Defensive Player of Year Aaron Donald, and though defense came up short in handful of late-season games, it has strong base around dominant defensive lineman. Los Angeles also had NFL's best special-teams units, with Pro Bowlers at every skill position. Turnaround season ended quickly with home playoff loss to postseason-tested Atlanta.

THEY NEED: LB, DL Cheap Kevin Hogan Jersey , OL, WR.

THEY DON'T NEED: QB, RB, DB.

POSSIBLE FIRST PICK: T Brian O'Neill, Pittsburgh; LB Tegray Scales, Indiana; LB-DE Rasheem Green, Southern California; LB Shaquem Griffin, UCF.

OUTLOOK: For second straight year, Rams don't have first-round pick. They sent this one to New England for WR Brandin Cooks Authentic Su'a Cravens Jersey , and they'll be thrilled if Cooks becomes No. 1 deep threat as expected. They also don't have second-round pick, sent to Buffalo last summer for Sammy Watkins, last season's deep threat. Rams can only look for depth in draft, most obvious hole is in middle of defense after trading top tackler Alec Ogletree to New York Giants so they could fit veteran CB Aqib Talib under salary cap. Los Angeles needs tackle machine at linebacker, along with depth on D-line to supplement big stars.

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