On Wednesday night, the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins will tangle for the first time since the Penguins ousted the reigning Presidents' Trophy winners in Game 7 of their second-round playoff series last spring.

The Penguins and Capitals have long been the kings of the Metropolitan Division and, while the Columbus Blue Jackets are certainly making strides, the Caps and Pens remain the behemoths.

Both teams are offensively sound and strong between the pipes (although Pittsburgh goaltending has been shaky to begin the season). And let's not forget the Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin never-dying rivalry. If you aren't completely convinced, here are three reasons why Wednesday's contest is a must-watch:

"Just hatred"

When a team eliminates you from the playoffs in two straight seasons and then goes on to win the Stanley Cup - twice - chances are you're not their biggest fan.

That appears to be the case, as Capitals head coach Barry Trotz discussed the emotion felt by his club toward their Metropolitan rival.

"No, just hatred," Trotz said, according to NHL.com's Tom Gulitti. "You hate the guys that bumped you out and all the credit to the Penguins. They've been the standard for the last two seasons and we've had to try to get by them and we have not."

It's not the playoffs, but you would be foolish to think that the Capitals aren't chomping at the bit to try and get some sort of redemption.

Emotions will be high, and while Capitals tough customer Tom Wilson will remain sidelined due to a suspension, Ryan Reaves and Ovechkin will almost guarantee that there is no shortage of rough stuff on Wednesday.

Crosby vs. Ovechkin

It's the storyline you just can't avoid.

Crosby and Ovechkin will go head-to-head once again and, as per usual, each are the focal point of their respected club.

Ovechkin has set the league ablaze with his seven goals through three games, including two hat tricks, and there doesn't appear to be any sign of him slowing down.

Meanwhile, Crosby has been no slouch either. The Penguins captain has tallied five points in three contests, recording at least a point in as many games.

Eyes will clearly be on these two and for good reason.

There will be goals

This shouldn't come as a surprise, but chances are we are in for some goals on Wednesday night.

Through a total of six games, the two clubs have combined for 22 goals for and 24 against. In fact, a quick look at the numbers from each team's top producers really proves just how much talent these clubs boast.

Meanwhile, though the stats are largely inflated by the Penguins' 10-1 drumming at the hands of the Chicago Blackhawks, Antti Niemi currently sports a 26.67 goals-against average and a .692 save percentage while Matt Murray holds a 3.84 goals-against average and a .879 save percentage.

It's hard to take those numbers too serious early on, but the point is the Penguins' goaltending is off to a rocky start, which opens up the potential for a high-scoring affair.

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

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It will be at least another week until Erik Karlsson makes his season debut.

General manager Pierre Dorion announced Wednesday that while Karlsson has not suffered a setback, he will not join the Ottawa Senators on their current Western Canada road trip, according to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun.

"No setback. It’s all about when he’ll be ready to play. It’s all about conditioning and he’s got to get used to a different sensation in his feet but there’s no setback," Dorion said. "We’re always hopeful he’d be ready (this week) but we felt the best thing for him would be to skate with Shean Donovan on a daily basis and we’re very hopeful he’ll play next week."

The Senators are coming off a 3-2 shootout win over the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night and will now travel to play the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers on back-to-back nights starting Friday.

Karlsson - who is coming off surgery to repair tendons in his foot - stated last Saturday that he still hadn't taken contact in practice, but felt he wasn't too far away from returning to the lineup.

With Karlsson out for the remainder of the road trip, the earliest date for his potential return is Oct. 17 when the Senators host the Canucks.

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The Calgary Flames will reportedly have a legend in the lineup Wednesday when they suit up against the Los Angeles Kings.

Jaromir Jagr is set to make his debut with the Flames against the division rival Kings, one week after signing with Calgary as an unrestricted free agent, according to Sportsnet's John Shannon.

The Flames have posted a 2-1-0 record through their first three games of the season.

Calgary will be the ninth NHL club Jagr has suited up for over his illustrious career.

Jagr, 45, spent parts of the past three seasons with the Florida Panthers. He wrapped the 2016-17 campaign with 16 goals and 30 assists to finish fourth in Panthers scoring.

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Exhibition is over and the games now count for real points. Despite the small sample size, some squads are already drawing many positives from the season's initial offering. Here are three teams that can celebrate exceeding expectations.

St. Louis Blues

Despite key injuries to forwards Alex Steen, Robby Fabbri, and defenseman Jay Bouwmeester, the Blues charged out of the gate for a perfect 4-0 start.

They've been powered to the NHL's best record by contributions from new face Brayden Schenn, acquired in an offseason deal with the Philadelphia Flyers, and center Paul Stastny, who can become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Jaden Schwartz has also chipped in with seven points.

Chicago Blackhawks

It seemed reasonable to assume the Blackhawks would take a step back this season, particularly given the inexperienced blue line the club pieced together over the summer. In the early going, though, Chicago's done anything but take a step back - the team stands atop the league with an eye-popping 21 goals in four games.

The Blackhawks have also been sound defensively, allowing just seven goals for a league-best plus-14 goal differential. After being reacquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets, Brandon Saad has wasted little time getting reacclimated to his old surroundings, tallying seven points. He's also sparking offense from captain Jonathan Toews, who is scoring above a point-per-game pace.

Vegas Golden Knights

Playing with house money is doing the trick for the Golden Knights. The free-wheeling expansion club came away with the victory in its first three games - an NHL record. A team that pundits nearly unanimously predicted would finish in the league basement is leading the Pacific Division and enjoying the first phase of its inaugural season.

Among the many key contributors for the Golden Knights, two stand out: three-time Stanley Cup champion goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, who's allowed just four goals in three contests, and James Neal. He lost to Fleury's Penguins in this spring's final while with the Nashville Predators, but now he's putting on a show in Sin City, notching five goals in three games.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

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The attendance for the Carolina Hurricanes' first two home games of the season has been a tale of day and night.

After the club bested the Minnesota Wild in front of a capacity crowd of 18,680 inside PNC Arena on Saturday night, the Hurricanes followed that up with a 2-1 overtime loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets in front of just 7,892 spectators.

Of course, the sudden drop shouldn't come as much of a surprise. Last season, the Hurricanes' average attendance was 11,776, which equated to 63 percent capacity, the lowest mark in the league.

- With h/t to Sportsnet

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James Neal couldn't draw up a better start to his season if he tried.

The 30-year-old helped propel the Vegas Golden Knights to a 3-0-0 record on the back of five goals in the first week of the season, and in the process, achieved feats that only a select few have managed with new teams.

Related: Golden Knights win home opener, become 1st expansion team to start 3-0

With his five goals, he joins Real Cloutier of the Quebec Nordiques as the only players in the expansion era to score five or more goals in an expansion team's first three games.

Neal became just the second player to score the game-winner in his team's first three games of a season after Brian Propp of the Philadelphia Flyers did it in 1982.

Finally, Neal is just the fourth player in the expansion era to score in the first three games of his team's inaugural season, joining Billy Harris, Larry Keenan, and Kent Douglas.

Look out, David Copperfield: There's a new magician in town.

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Although it came after a losing effort, the Arizona Coyotes made sure to salute the Vegas crowd following an incredible atmosphere at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday night.

The gesture was an appropriate conclusion to what was truly an incredible night.

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LAS VEGAS (AP) The Vegas Golden Knights' debut on the Strip was a poignant smash.

James Neal scored twice during a thrilling four-goal first period, and the Golden Knights remained unbeaten three games into their inaugural season with a 5-2 victory over the Arizona Coyotes in their home opener on Tuesday night.

Tomas Nosek scored the first home goal in franchise history just 2:31 into the first period, and Deryk Engelland added his first goal for his adopted hometown's new team moments later.

Marc-Andre Fleury made 31 saves for the Golden Knights, who became the first team in NHL history to begin their debut season with three straight wins.

Just nine days after the Las Vegas Strip shooting massacre, the Golden Knights reverently honored the victims and heroes before the long-awaited home debut of the city's first major professional sports franchise.

The Knights held a pregame ceremony during which the names of the shooting victims were projected in gold onto the ice during 58 seconds of silence. Engelland spoke eloquently to the fans, vowing that the Golden Knights ''will do everything we can to help you and our city heal. We are Vegas Strong.''

After that emotional outpouring, the Golden Knights charged into their home opener with some inspired hockey.

Nosek and Engelland connected in the opening minutes before Neal scored back-to-back goals in 4:27, giving him five goals in three games - and all three game-winning goals in team history. Vegas led 4-0 in less than 11 minutes, getting well on its way to a cathartic victory.

Oscar Lindberg scored in the second period for the Golden Knights, who opened their inaugural season with back-to-back road victories before returning home.

Tobias Rieder and Kevin Connauton scored for the Coyotes, who remained winless after losing back-to-back games to the expansion Golden Knights in a four-day stretch.

The crowd had scarcely quieted from the pregame festivities when Nosek, the Czech wing who spent the past two seasons with Detroit, fired a shot through Antti Raanta. Engelland, the veteran defenseman who has lived in Las Vegas since playing here for a minor league team several years ago, then took a pass from Brendan Leipsic and fired it through traffic.

Neal, who scored the first goal in franchise history, made it 3-0 just 6:15 into the first period and chased Raanta, who stopped only three shots. Neal added the first power-play goal in franchise history 4:27 later, setting off roars of excitement in T-Mobile Arena.

Connauton's goal in the third period was his first in his 27 games for the Coyotes.

The Golden Knights' opener was a bit more somber than the franchise originally planned, although the crowd was still whipped into a frenzy by its team's excellent play.

Before the game, the Golden Knights introduced their players alongside a member of the medical or law enforcement communities that responded to the massacre.

T-Mobile Arena had no ads on the boards around the ice for the opener. Instead, the all-white boards simply displayed the same message: ''Vegas Strong.''

NOTES: Coyotes forward Brendan Perlini left in the first period and didn't return due to an upper-body injury. ... Arizona's Mario Kempe made his NHL debut. The 29-year-old Swede spent the last three seasons in the KHL. He nearly made the Coyotes out of training camp, but briefly went to the AHL before replacing No. 3 overall pick Dylan Strome on the Coyotes' roster Monday. Kempe's younger brother, Adrian, plays for the Los Angeles Kings. ... Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis attended the game.

UP NEXT

Coyotes: Host the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday.

Golden Knights: Host the Red Wings on Friday.

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