Caps-Pens Series Outlook: Varlamov Shows Steely Reserve in Game 1

One thing is for sure; the NHL got the match-up they'd been hoping for since Ovie and Crosby got into the NHL with Washington and Pittsburgh facing off. This is the kind of polarizing match-up (ala Manning/Brady Shaq/Kobe) that can boost ratings and maybe even give the NHL a pulse in the U.S. but don't hold your breath. When it comes to #8 and # 87 even the most passive hockey fan has some opinion about who they root for. The sparsely facial haired, toothless Wildman from the Soviet Union represents the Caps while the demonic, pre-pubescent dainty schoolgirl from the land of Molson fuels the Pens. As a Caps fan there is little debate as to who is the more dominant individual athlete, but one of the interesting things about OV-Cros is that both teams feel like they have the right guy. The tools around Crosby play to his strengths while Ovechkin is happy to take a game over when they need it or play cheerleader for Semin and Backstrom when they are on. The ballerina style of Crosby and the balls out style of Ovechkin will be in the spotlight throughout this series and we will finally see which style stands up to the standards of the modern NHL. I say modern because 20 years ago Crosby would have been the only player with a bonnet on and would be in a body bag by his second shift, while Ovechkin would probably be the only guy to actually take off his skate and stab someone with it during a celebration. As much as I would like OV to ravage Crosby in every statistical category throughout this series we have bigger fish to fry.

Grabbing game 1 was huge for the Caps because ultimately this team plays best when they are freewheeling and giving them a cushion does that. It was clear in the first series that the Caps knew they had a monkey on their back having not won a series in 10 years but now they are playing with house money and have been given a match-up with a team they know they can beat. Not that this series will be anything but painfully close down to the last bloody second but I think this will be a different Caps team than the one the Rangers pushed around. With that cautious optimism in mind, I am reminded that I am a Washington sports fan so I am just waiting for this whole thing to blow up in my face. In my heart I just know god is devising new ways to make me suffer. Between the agony of rooting for the Redskins, Bullets, Nats, O's, Caps and Terps over the last 26 years I have come to expect failure, especially when it comes to the playoffs and, god forbid, a national stage. This mental ailment has recently eased when it comes to the Caps as they have won in fashions unseen since Gibbs Part I, that is: winning late, holding a lead, adjusting to the opponent and not gut-punching the fans late in games.

The Caps could very well lose this series for a number of reasons. 1. The Pens have more experience, they went to the friggin finals last year while the Caps were teeing off at Congressional. 2. Varlamov could wake up and act like a 21 year old. In post game interviews veterans like Federov say stuff in broken Russian like, "He don't realize what he doing." Add that to the fact that Boudreau doesn't even talk to him for fear of throwing him off kilter and you've got yourself a genuine concern as the stakes get higher. 3. Ovechkin makes it about him v. Crosby, not the team v. Pitt. This is the least of my worries because I think Ovechkin doesn't give a shot of Stoli what anybody thinks of him he just wants to win, but you never know, people have egos even in Russia. 4. Pittsburgh could win a heart-breaking overtime game and the series could turn. Up 1-0, the momentum is the Caps to lose but I just don't know if the team is over the Game 7 OT loss last year and I know fans aren't over the Pens ownership of the Caps throughout the 90's including this gem. God I hate Pittsburgh. Despite these negatives I think the Caps win this series in 6 games. Home ice is the least advantageous home advantage in playoff sports, sure it's more fun to win at home but hockey teams win anywhere. The separation from the fans and the speed of the game don't let the fans play a factor like they do in other sports. Sure a tripping call here or there may get called at home and missed on the road but generally the refs are pretty consistently terrible. Given that the Caps took the first game I think this series gets to 2-2 before the Caps steal the last two and lock up a trip to the conference finals in front of a bunch of people with mustaches in the city whose two best exports are ketchup and Steel. Caps in 6.