No one needs to remind the Washington Capitals what's at stake.

Heading into Monday's Game 6 in Pittsburgh, the two-time defending Presidents' Trophy winners face elimination at the hands of the rival Penguins for the second consecutive year.

Related: Where do the Capitals go if they're eliminated?

Faced with the prospect of history repeating itself, head coach Barry Trotz is encouraging his players to focus on the present while being mindful of the past, all with a view to changing the narrative going forward.

"I think we just said, 'Embrace our past,'" Trotz said, per Tom Gulitti of NHL.com. "Our past is what it is. We can't change it, but what we can do is change our future. I think we've changed our mindset on that. You don't have to tell us what the past is. We already know.

"That's what I'm saying. We're just focusing on this game."

A loss would signal the latest in a string of playoff failures for the franchise, magnifying the reality that Washington has not advanced past the second round in the Alex Ovechkin era.

The Penguins, of course, went on to win the Stanley Cup after eliminating the Capitals last year, just as they did upon setting Washington aside in 2009.

A win for the Capitals in Game 6 would set up a decisive Game 7 back in the nation's capital on Wednesday.

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