O le tauvaga na faʻamaluluina tele mo le isi lima tausaga ina ua maeʻa le 2001 playoff feiloaʻiga, e pei o Uosigitone ma Pittsburgh tuʻufaʻatasia mo naʻo le tasi playoff foliga mai i lenei taimi (Washington leiloa i le Tampa Bay Moli i le 2003 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals). O le lē taulau manuia o 'au e lua i le vaitau masani na maua ai e i laʻua le tomai e saʻili mai ai taleni maualuluga. Alexander Semin (13th overall, 2002), Alexander Ovechkin (1st overall, 2004), ma Nicklas Backstrom (4th overall, 2006), na tusia e le Capitals, aʻo Ryan Whitney (5th overall, 2002), Marc-Andre Fleury (1st overall, 2003), Evgeni Malkin (2nd overall, 2004), Sidney Crosby (1st overall, 2005), ma Jordan Staal (2nd overall, 2006
) na tusia e le Penguins. Na faia e nei tagata taaalo la latou vaega i le vave suia o le tulaga manuia o a latou au. O le taimi muamua na feiloaʻi ai Crosby ma Ovechkin, o le tagata taʻaʻalo sili ona lauiloa i 'au taʻitasi, ia Novema 22, 2005, ma Crosby maua se sini ma se fesoasoani ma Ovechkin mauaina se fesoasoani. Na manumalo le Penguins i le 5 i le 4. O le mea na tupu e lua na ola e tusa ai ma o latou faamoemoega, ao latou togiina 106 (Ovechkin) ma le 103 togi (Crosby) e faauma lona tolu ma le ono i le tauvaga sikoa a le NHL, i le faasologa. Peitaʻi, e leʻi taʻalo uma le ʻau e lua i le taʻamilosaga mulimuli i lenā tausaga. O sini e 52 a Ovechkin na tuu ai o ia i le tulaga tolu i taimi uma mo sini na sikoa e se rookie i se tasi vaitau masani, i tua atu o Teemu Selanne (76) ma Mike Bossy (53)