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Eras change. Stars change. Coaches change. Styles change.

Coming into this week , the Pittsburgh Penguins had won nine of 10 meetings in the postseason against the Washington Capitals. It is a history marked by epic collapse, unlikely comebacks and wild finishes.

Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin and company rewrote the script a bit this time around: Washington is moving on after ousting the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins in six games. Here’s an updated history lesson:

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THE YEAR: 1991

THE ROUND: Patrick Division Finals

THE RESULT: Penguins in 5.

THE DEFINING MOMENT: The Capitals scored three times in the first 10:26 of the third period of Game 2 in Pittsburgh to take the lead. Randy Gilhen – he of the three career playoff goals – jumped onto the ice during a delayed Washington penalty and emerged from a sea of bodies to tie it with less than 5 minutes left in regulation. Kevin Stevens won it with a wrist shot off a pretty setup by Ron Francis 8:10 into overtime to even the series. The Capitals scored three goals total the rest of the way as the Penguins advanced to the conference finals for the first time in franchise history.

GUT PUNCH LEVEL: 2. The massively talented Penguins had seven Hall of Famers on the roster (eight if you include the ageless and sure-to-be inducted Jaromir Jagr) and won their first Cup two rounds later.

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THE YEAR: 1992

THE ROUND: Patrick Division Semifinals

THE SERIES: Penguins in 7.

THE DEFINING MOMENT: The Capitals sprinted to a 3-1 series lead. After getting drilled at home in Game 5, Washington led 4-2 4 minutes into the second period of Game 6. And then Mario Lemieux happened. Super Mario scored or assisted on three power-play goals over the final 30 minutes as the Penguins tied the series, then shut the Caps down in Game 7, a 3-1 win on the road to propel them to a second straight Cup.

GUT PUNCH LEVEL: 8. Pittsburgh had a bit of a Cup hangover after winning it all in `91 and appeared on the verge of collapse after the Capitals crushed them 7-2 in Game 4. And then … well, consider this the start of a trend.

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THE YEAR: 1994

THE ROUND: Eastern Conference quarterfinals.

THE SERIES: Capitals in 6.

THE DEFINING MOMENT: Washington again jumped out to a 3-1 series lead only to lose Game 5. Back home for Game 6, the Capitals went up 3-0 only to have the Penguins cut it to 3-2 after the first period. Momentum teetering , Washington defenseman Calle Johansson beat Tom Barrasso 1:25 into the second to restore the Caps’ two-goal lead and Washington closed out Pittsburgh for the first time.

GUT PUNCH LEVEL: 6. Pittsburgh viewed 1994 as a redemption tour after its bid for a three-peat was derailed by the Islanders in the 1993 playoffs. The Penguins won the Northeast Division and had the third-best record in the league only to lose to a Capitals team that started the season 0-6 and fired coach Terry Murray at midseason and replaced him with Jim Schoenfeld.

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THE YEAR: 1995

THE ROUND: Eastern Conference quarterfinals.

THE SERIES: Penguins in 7.

THE DEFINING MOMENT: Lemieux sat out the lockout-shortened 1994-95 season due to fatigue and the Capitals took advantage in the playoffs. Washington – stop us if you’ve heard this before – headed to Pittsburgh with a 3-1 lead and jumped ahead four separate times in front of a stunned crowd at the Igloo. Kevin Stevens, however, drew the Penguins even with 8:18 left in regulation and Luc Robitaille kept Pittsburgh’s season alive with his OT winner 4:30 into the first extra period to give the Penguins a 6-5 victory. Pittsburgh went on to win Games 6 and 7 by a combined 10-1.

GUT PUNCH LEVEL: 9. For a franchise that didn’t exactly have a reputation for answering when pushed, Washington’s remarkable play in Game 5 went against the grain and it didn’t have to worry about Lemieux. And yet …

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THE YEAR: 1996

THE ROUND: Eastern Conference quarterfinals.

THE SERIES: Penguins in 6.

THE DEFINING MOMENT: Make it defining moments. All of them seeming to come in an epic Game 4 . The Capitals led 2-1 and didn’t have to contend with Lemieux after he was ejected late in the second period for fighting Washington’s Pat Peake. Regulation ended tied at 2. So did the first overtime. And the second (after Washington’s Joe Juneau couldn’t convert the first overtime penalty shot in NHL history). And the third. With 45 seconds left in the fourth extra period, Petr Nedved threw a shot in from outside the left circle that slipped by Olaf Kolzig and into the net to tie the series. Pittsburgh captured the next two to advance to the conference finals.

GUT PUNCH LEVEL: They might not have invented the number yet to rate the emotional toll of this one. Say ”Nedved” around Caps fans at your own risk.

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THE YEAR: 2000

THE ROUND: Eastern Conference quarterfinals.

THE SERIES: Penguins in 5.

THE DEFINING MOMENT: Washington lost 7-0 in Game 1, but had a chance to even the series when Game 2 went to overtime. Jaromir Jagr, however, effectively ended the competitive portion of things with a power-play goal 5:49 into overtime as the Penguins – who finished a middling third in the Atlantic Division – knocked off the Southeast Division champions with relative ease.

GUT PUNCH LEVEL: 3. Washington’s record was a bit of a mirage in a division that included the teams (Atlanta and Tampa Bay) that finished with the two worst records in the NHL.

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THE YEAR: 2001

THE ROUND: Eastern Conference quarterfinals.

THE SER Marcus Stroman ended his winless drought against a Detroit Tigers team struggling to snap out of their worst losing streak in nearly 15 years.

Stroman pitched seven innings to get his first victory this season , Justin Smoak hit a two-run home run and the Toronto Blue Jays beat Detroit 3-2 Friday, handing the slumping Tigers their 10th consecutive defeat.

Stroman (1-5) had not won since beating the New York Yankees last Sept. 24 in Toronto’s final home game of the 2017 season, but snapped a career-worst streak of six straight losing decisions.

Making his second start after missing 39 games because of a sore shoulder, Stroman allowed two runs and five hits, lowering his ERA from 6.80 to 6.20. The right-hander struck out four and didn’t issue a walk for the first time in nine starts this season.

The emotional pitcher said he felt like himself again after taking down the Tigers.

”It’s a relief just being able to be myself out there,” Stroman said.

Manager John Gibbons agreed that success had given his pitcher a new spring in his step.

”He looks like the old guy,” Gibbons said. ”He’s got a little strut going, like John Travolta.”

It’s Detroit’s longest losing streak since a 10-game skid from Sept. 13 to 22 , 2003.

”The guys are really pushing hard in the dugout but it’s just not happening right now,” manager Ron Gardenhire said.

Detroit slugger Nick Catsellanos said Stroman kept the Tigers off balance both with good stuff, and a funky delivery full of pauses and hesitations.

”He’s a very unorthodox pitcher with the way he delivers,” Castellanos said. ”He kind of dances on the mound a little bit. That can be difficult to get in synch with.”

Seunghwan Oh pitched the eighth and Tyler Clippard gave up an infield single to begin the ninth but retired the next three batters in order for his fifth save in nine chances.

Detroit opened the scoring when JaCoby Jones scored on Dixon Machado’s double play groundout in the third, but the Blue Jays answered with a three-run fourth, with the first six batters reaching safely against Detroit’s Francisco Liriano.

Smoak hit his 10th home run and first since June 3 at Detroit, and Randal Grichuk added a two-out RBI single.

Tigers infielder Jeimer Candelario cut it to 3-2 with a solo homer, his team-leading 12th , to begin the seventh.

Liriano (3-4) allowed three runs in six innings to lose his third straight decision. The left-hander is winless in seven starts since a victory at Baltimore on April 28.

OSUNA UPDATE

Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said he expects RHP Roberto Osuna to rejoin the team when his 75-game suspension for violating baseball’s joint policy on domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse. It’s the first time the team has publicly endorsed Osuna’s return to the roster since his arrest in early May. Osuna is still facing an assault charge in Toronto. His next court date is July 9.

”Roberto is our closer,” Atkins said. ”We’re running a baseball team and our goal is to win championships. Roberto could potentially be very much a part of that.”

Osuna has no record and a 2.93 ERA with nine saves in 10 chances this season.

MILESTONE K

Stroman fanned Tigers C James McCann in the fifth for his 500th career strikeout. He’s the 21st pitcher in Blue Jays history to reach the mark.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Tigers: LHP Daniel Stumpf (ulnar nerve) allowed one run and two hits in one inning at Triple-A Toledo. It was the first time Stumpf had pitched in back-to-back games since beginning his rehab assignment June 19.

Blue Jays: RHP Aaron Sanchez (right index finger) has not been able to throw since landing on the 10-day disabled list June 22 and is unlikely to be ready to return when eligible Monday, manager John Gibbons said. … Toronto selected utilityman Darnell Sweeney from Triple-A Buffalo to take the roster spot of OF Steve Pearce, who was traded to Boston on Thursday.

UP NEXT

Tigers LHP Matthew Boyd (4-6, 4.15) faces Blue Jays RHP Sam Gaviglio (2-2, 3.98). Boyd is 0-3 with an 8.66 ERA in four career starts at Toronto. Gaviglio is winless in five starts since beating Philadelphia on May 25.

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