NHL Eastern semis: Penguins at Capitals, Game 1
It’s the matchup the NHL dreamed of and one that every hockey fan wanted to see: Sidney Crosby vs. Alex Ovechkin in the playoffs.
That’s what we get starting Saturday afternoon as the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals begin their Eastern Conference semifinal series. The Caps have opened as -145 money line favorite on WagerWeb.com for Game 1.
Pittsburgh will be better rested, having finished off the Flyers in six games, while Washington had to go the distance in beating the New York Rangers.
Crosby and Ovechkin, the first overall picks in 2004 and ’05, are the winners of the last two MVP awards and the two biggest stars in today’s NHL. And they don’t much like each other, with Crosby considering Ovechkin a showboat while the Russian thinks Crosby whines too much.
“There’s more to stars meeting here, great hockey players meeting, there’s great personalities, strong personalities, there’s faces of the league that are clashing,” Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said. “That’s great for the league, great for the postseason.”
Ovechkin, who is a finalist to win the MVP again this season, took a league-high 528 shots this season on the way to a league-high 56 goals. Those 528 shots on goal were the second-highest single-season total in league history (Phil Esposito had 550 in 1970-71). He was second in the NHL this season on power-play goals (19) and third on game-winning goals (10).
Crosby was no slouch, exceeding 100 points again with 33 goals and 70 assists. But he was outshined on his own team by Evgeni Malkin, who is a finalist for the Hart Trophy this year. He led league in scoring with 113 points and in assists with 78.
Ovechkin has 10 goals and 11 assists in 16 career games against Pittsburgh. Malkin has six goals and 11 assists in 12 games and Crosby has eight goals and 18 assists in 15 games against Washington.
The Pens did not see Caps goalie Simeon Varlamov this season. The 21-year-old started only five games during the season before replacing Jose Theodore two games into the Ranger series. Varlamov responded by going 4-2 with a 1.17 goals-against average.
Of offense, the Capitals are much more than Ovechkin, as they feature defenseman Mike Green, a Norris trophy candidate who led all blueliners with 31 goals. Nicklas Backstrom’s 66 assists trailed only Malkin and Crosby. And Alexander Semin, who earlier this season asked “what’s so special?” about Crosby, had 79 points in the regular season and has eight in the playoffs with a league-high five goals.
Pens goalie Marc-Andre Fleury struggled this year against Washington, going 1-3-0 with a 4.73 GAA and a .873 save percentage.
This will be the eighth playoff meeting between these franchises, with Pittsburgh holding a 6-1 lead.
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