The Ottawa Senators entered the playoffs as the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference with 105 points. The Pittsburgh Penguins also earned 105 points during the regular season, but they finished as the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference after losing the tie-breaker with Ottawa in total wins. This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. The Penguins qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2001. Pittsburgh won this year's four-game regular season series earning six of eight points.