Pittsburgh Sports ETC: (4)Penguins vs (2)Captials

Wow - where to start with this one...

The Penguins are coming off a physical 6 game series with arch rival Philadelphia. Its was a tough series, but I believe the Caps can be more physical than the Flyers - with more skill.

The first thing I always do when I look at a playoff series - no matter who is playing - is to see which team has the best player. In this case, there is no clear cut winner in that dept - It could actually go to 3 different players, but I'll take the fact that two of the three play for the good guys.

I'll go through some specific areas of the game, and I'll comment on who has the advantage and why.

Goaltending:

The one area the Penguins have a clear cut advantage is in net. Marc-Andre Fleury has a lot of playoff experience under his belt, and has shown he can steal a game or two in a series.

I will guarantee the Craps will experience a "goaltending controversy" sometime during this series.
Varlamov did well against the Rangers....but the Pens offense is a totally different story.

Totally.

The ONLY way this kid beats the Penguins is if he stones them early and builds off that confidence.
I foresee some high scoring games....
If/when Varlamov gets pulled, the Caps get to rely on Jose Theodore - The Caps won't go much farther with this combo between the pipes.
Advantage: Pens

Defense:
I'm sorry, but nothing scares me about this defense. Green is dynamic offensively, but has shown that he can be taken off his game with a little bit of the rough stuff....the rest of the guys are average at best.

The Penguins defense used to be it's weak link in past years, but I'm not sure you can say that any more. Gm Ray Shero has put together a nice mix of defensive and offensive defensemen. Brooks Orpik leads the NHL playoffs with 31 hits, while Sergei Gonchar scored the series wining goal against the Flyers.
Advantage: Pens

Forwards:
This is where it gets very interesting. Both teams boast stars and superstars - I think the difference will be the 3rd line of the Penguins. The Rangers gave the Caps fits with its cycling game - just wait until Staal, Kennedy and Cooke do their thing.....they are a checking line with a lot of skill.

Washington has an impressive group of forwards, of course starting with Ovechkin, that includes, Semin, Backstrom, Kozlov, and some excellent experience with Sergei Federov.
These guys can be relentless, and can totally intimidate teams just by barraging them with shot after shot after shot. The Penguins on the other had generally make the most of a lot less shots on goal - quality over quantity.

Something I've seen Ovechkin do a lot against the Rangers, is stay out on the ice almost twice as long as his line mates. This has led to at least 2 goals against the Caps, but this doesn't surprise me a bit. (It's a shame this guy is going to most likely win the Hart.)

One thing I have noticed about Sid in the first round - is the look in his eyes. This is now Sid's team. In years past he was "just" the best player on his team. Now he is the captain, and there is no doubt about it.

This is going to be epic. Lemieux and Gretzky never faced each other in the playoffs - this is going to be on the same level as that would have been.

O yea - plus Sid and the "grate ape" genuinely don't like each other.
Advantage: Pens (because of depth)

Special Teams:

Washington's power play was very good in the regular season, but didn't fare so well against the Rangers. Penalty Killing isn't one of the Caps strengths at all.

Pittsburgh's PP isn't nearly as good as it should be. With the talent it possesses, they should dominate...but it hasn't worked that way unfortunately. The penalty killing unit is actually pretty good - they're going to have to be against the Caps.
Advantage: Caps

Intangibles:

Pittsburgh
playoff experience
A true leader - not one that has a highlight goal, and is happy for a few games.
Depth
Better face-off team

Washington
Size - they are a big team
Home ice advantage

Advantage: Pens

All in all this is going to be a very entertaining series - that's a no brainier.

If you've ever read this blog, you will know I don't think much of Alexander Ovechkin or the Caps. I will dream tonight of Kunitz hammering Ovie into the boards and setting the tone for the series - much like he did with Timonen in the Philly series.

Washington won 3 of the 4 game these teams played, but to be fair, two of those games (both victories) came against the Pens in the dead puck era (Thank you Mr.Therrian)

To be honest, I truly think the Pens will split the 2 games in Washington, and win the 2 games at home to take a 3-1 lead.....ultimately to win in 6 games.

Now, enough of the seriousness - he's a bunch of pics that nicely sum up what I think of the Caps and their narcissistic captain:
(I will add more as I find them - and believe me - they are not hard to find)