Crosby may have lost the individual battles, but he and the Penguins won the series in seven games. They went on to win the Stanley Cup, defeating the Detroit Red Wings in the Final.
The Penguins also won when they played the Capitals in the second round of the 2016 playoffs, this time in six games. It again served as a springboard to winning the Stanley Cup; the Penguins defeated the San Jose Sharks in the Final.
In the series between the Penguins and the Capitals last year, Ovechkin had the better offensive numbers. He had seven points (two goals, five assists), a plus-2 rating and 33 shots on goal; Crosby had two assists, a minus-3 rating and 14 shots on goal.
In 13 head-to-head games in the postseason, Ovechkin has 21 points (10 goals, 11 assists) to Crosby's 15 (eight goals, seven assists). But Crosby has two series victories and has won the Cup twice. Ovechkin has never been past the second round.
Crosby and Ovechkin have played against each other 54 times (41 times in regular season), and Crosby has won 33 of those games (61 percent), according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Crosby has 75 points (28 goals, 47 assists) and Ovechkin has 64 points (35 goals, 29 assists).
Since entering the League together for the 2005-06 season, Ovechkin is No. 1 in the NHL in goals (558), and Crosby is second (382). They're also first (1,035) and second (1,028), respectively, in points. They have combined to win the Hart Trophy five times, with Ovechkin (2008, 2009, 2013) holding a 3-2 edge against Crosby (2007, 2014). They're the only players to win the award multiple times since 2006.