| 29 April 2009
If you're tired of the "dream matchup" hoopla that's been sweeping the Web and mainstream media, then perhaps you'd like to actually analyze this matchup without using the phrase "Crosby vs. Ovechkin." There are so many storylines that are going to be lost in the headline battle between the stars; we might as well name a few of our most anticipated ones now before we get drowned in another sea of "Crosby vs. Ovechkin" articles.
Is Semin really as dangerous as Ovechkin?
In case you haven't noticed, Semin is tied for second in playoff points with Ryan Getzlaf and Sidney Crosby. We've known for some time now that Semin is as talented and skilled as Ovechkin, but his durability and drive are still question marks. He's not as rough as Ovechkin, but his hands and playmaking are better, and through 14 playoff games in his career he has 16 points. He's a playoff performer, but he's also one of many X-factors for the Caps in this series. If he can draw the same amount of attention from Penguins defenders as Ovechkin will, the Caps offense could open up in a big way, but he's going to have to prove he's just as dangerous first. By now you would think he's done that, but then again he's not Ovechkin, and defenses have routinely fallen asleep on him.
Do the Caps have another "gear" in them?
The Penguins are a playoff-experienced team, much of the Stanley Cup Finals team from last year is still on the roster, and they're more than aware of what it takes to win in the postseason. The Caps just went through their second playoff round since the lockout, and while the lessons learned in Philadelphia and New York will likely be fresh on their mind the second round is where teams with that extra gear emerge. We've seen Washington play it's best hockey when facing adversity, but now we have to wonder if they can get off to a fast start and hit their stride before they need elimination to motivate them.
Was Simeon Varlamov a product of the Rangers offense or his skill?
Varlamov was simply brilliant against the Rangers: he cracked open the series, gave the team life and made the stops that needed to be made to ensure victory. Hell, he even got two shutouts before his 21st birthday. But let's be honest here, the Rangers offense was the third worst in the league; Tampa Bay and Phoenix were better offensively. That's not to say they're a bad team but that offense isn't really their forte. So with the Caps facing a high-octane offense in Pittsburgh, one that averages 3.15 goals a game, Caps fans will once again turn their eyes to the net to find a cornerstone to build a series win on. Varlamov is a product of the Caps system, and he's grown up in this system unlike Theodore or Huet, but he's also extremely aggressive, leaving him open for backdoor goals. Varly's Game One performance is going to say a lot about this series.
Can the Caps defense stay the course?
The Rangers won Game One, but the remaining six games, win or lose, the Capitals were the better team in almost every category. The defense was a surprise, and while they were listed as a weak spot on the Caps, they showed up in a big way, rarely allowing more than 25 shots on goal. Some of this goes back to the Rangers not being as offensively talented as the Caps, but the defense did a great job of limiting where shots were coming from, and making sure that second chance rebounds were quickly cleared from the slot. If the Capitals defense can bog down the Pens offensive attack in the corners and neutral zone, then Varlamov is going to have an easier time in net. Same goes for the Pens: Bog down the Caps offense in the corners and neutral zone, take away the skill game. If both teams get to play a shootout style of hockey, the goaltenders' GAAs are going to look like train wrecks.
What about Backstrom?
Perhaps the one player who is going to get lost in much of the "Crosby vs. Ovechkin" hoopla is Nicklas Backstrom. He has seven assists in this year's postseason, and he's going under the radar in many "previews" of the series. Backstrom is due for an 90- to 100-point season; he's one of the league's most talented centers that nobody is paying attention to. He has a solid two-way game, and he can be a catalyst for momentum for the Capitals offense. The best part? He's not restricted to playing with one line. Backstrom's game translates well with just about any player he's on the ice with, and he can move between centering Semin or Ovechkin on the fly. Semin is one of the X-factors, but Backstrom might be the biggest one.
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