Kammala jumla mai zuwa: Rikici ya yi sanyi sosai a cikin shekaru biyar masu zuwa bayan gwagwarmayar wasan kwaikwayo na 2001, kamar yadda Washington da Pittsburgh suka haɗu don bayyanar wasan kwaikwayo guda ɗaya kawai a wannan lokacin (Washington ta yi rashin nasara ga Tampa Bay Lightning a cikin 2003 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals). Rashin sa'a na ƙungiyoyi biyu a cikin kakar wasa ta yau da kullun zai ba su damar tsara ƙwarewar ƙwararru. Alexander Semin (13th gaba ɗaya, 2002), Alexander Ovechkin (1st gaba ɗaya, 2004), da Nicklas Backstrom (4th gaba ɗaya,
2006), Capitals ne suka tsara su, yayin da Ryan Whitney (5th overall, 2002), Marc-Andre Fleury (1st overall, 2003), Evgeni Malkin (2nd overall, 2004), Sidney Crosby (1st overall, 2005), da Jordan Staal (2nd overall, 2006) aka tsara su ta hanyar Penguins. Wadannan 'yan wasan sun yi nasu bangaren a cikin saurin jujjuya sa'ar kungiyoyinsu. Crosby da Ovechkin, mafi yawan 'yan wasan da aka fi sani da su a kowace ƙungiya, sun fara haɗuwa a ranar 22 ga Nuwamba, 2005, tare da Crosby samun burin da taimako kuma Ovechkin yana samun taimako. Penguins sun yi nasara 5 zuwa 4. Abubuwa biyu sun rayu har zuwa tsammanin su, kamar yadda suka ƙidaya maki 106 (Ovechkin) da 103 (Crosby) don kammala na uku da na shida a tseren tseren NHL, bi da bi. Koyaya, ƙungiyoyin biyu sun rasa wasan karshe a wannan shekarar. Kwallaye 52 na Ovechkin sun sanya shi a matsayi na uku a duk lokacin da aka zira kwallaye a raga ta hanyar rookie a cikin kakar wasa guda, bayan Teemu Selanne (76) da Mike Bossy (53)