Pittsburgh Penguins at Washington Capitals, 8 p.m. ET, NBCSN

Maybe it has lost some of its pizzazz over the last few years, but with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals in the same division, this rivalry remains an intriguing one. This year finds the two teams in quite different positions to start the season.

While both teams entered this season with Stanley Cup aspirations, it’s been the Capitals flexing their muscles a bit to open the 2015-16 campaign. They’re averaging over four goals per game while collecting a 6-1-0 record. The Penguins, meanwhile, have had an uneven start to the year. At 4-4-0, goal scoring has not come as easily to a team that often has the upper-hand offensively.

There’s also the rivalry within the rivalry, even if the individuals have downplayed it more and more. Alex Ovechkin is off to a typical hot start, scoring five goals and adding four assists. Sidney Crosby, meanwhile, is sitting at three points, all of which came in one game as he goes through what is essentially the worst slump of his career.

Both of these teams made big moves in the offseason to improve their chances. While the Penguins are far from out of the race at this early stage of the season, the Capitals have seen better early returns on the roster they’ve built for what they hope is a deep run.

Each club should be well rested heading into Wednesday night’s contest. The Caps, who are riding a five-game winning streak, haven’t played since Friday. A 7-4 win over the Edmonton Oilers closed out a successful three-game road trip through Western Canada. The Penguins have been off since Saturday, when they earned a hard-fought 2-1 overtime win over the Nashville Predators. So there is little excuse for either to have anything less than their best game.

Any time you can get two of the league’s biggest stars under the national spotlight, it makes for great TV. However, will the disparity between the two early this season continue in Tuesday night’s contest?

The Capitals’ scoring attack, which is absolutely loaded has been so difficult to slow down for any team. Led by Evgeny Kuznetsov‘s 11 points, the Capitals’ forward corps provides tough matchups throughout four lines. There are five players with seven or more points for the Caps and just one for the Penguins — Evgeni Malkin. Even the defense has been producing at a high clip, with John Carlson currently second on the team with 10 points.

On top of that, the only game Washington lost this year — a 5-0 route to the San Jose Sharks — neither Alex Ovechkin or Nicklas Backstrom were in the lineup. They’ve only had one game so far where they scored fewer than three goals. With the Penguins averaging just 1.62 goals-per-game early, they’re going to be in trouble if this game becomes a shootout.

However, Washington’s defense is unlikely to allow it to become a shootout in the first place. They’ve been among the league’s best at limiting shots and scoring attempts. If the Pens want to get out of their offensive funk, the Caps are going to be a really tough team to do that against. Pick: Capitals 4, Penguins 2

John Carlson has been one of many bright spots for the Caps this year. (USATSI)

The rest of Wednesday’s picks

Calgary Flames 3, Ottawa Senators 2

Nashville Predators 3, San Jose Sharks 1 (NBCSN)