Consolation

Alex Ovechkin had a Lebron-like performance at the NHL Awards grabbing three trophies. I say like Lebron because he might have not reached the Finals and won [Crosby|Kobe], he did get MVP of the league. Not only that but he receieved the Rocket Richard Trophy [top NHL scorer] and also the Lester B. Pearson [top player voted by players]. Even though nothing can take the place of a Stanley Cup, he sure did get a heck of a consolation prize.

First time in 11 years somebody has won back-to-back NHL MVPs

Battle 1 [Advantage-Crosby]

Well the first matchup in the playoffs did not disappoint until the 7th game. In Game 7, the Capitals were just outlasted by the Penguins, who won 6-2.  Personally, I thought this game would go down to the wire since all the other games have been so good. But looks like Sid [The Kid] Crosby and his boys came to play tonight. Crosby would score twice and assist on another. His final goal would come after he steals the puck from Ovechkin and beats two of his teammates for the 6-1 score. Alex [The Great] Ovechkin would be shut down tonight and I think that is what hinder his team from scoring and playing better [he did score 1 goal]. By no means is that his fault. We can't advice both superstars to the next level, but this year Crosby comes out on top. I really hope that there are more of these two in the playoffs to continue the rivalry they have. In this battle, Crosby scored 13 points while Ovechkin scores 14. But Crosby comes out with the main thing, and that is advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Penguins will face the winner between the Bruins|'Canes, who is also in a Game 7.

Round 2

In game two of the series between Crosby [Penguins] vs Ovechkin [Capitals], the Capitals came away with the win. They won 4-3 behind Ovechkin's hat trick. Although not to be out done, Crosby had a hat trick of his own. This I would considered one of the best hockey matches that I have seen [I only seen 2 prior to tonight's]. Ovechkin would get the best of Crosby in this game as the third period he would score not once but twice in a span of three minutes to make the score 4-2. 

With this win, it gives the Caps a 2-0 heading to Pitts on Wednesday. So far the match-up has been as advertised but if Crosby Penguins cannot find a way to win, it will be over in 4 or 5. They might want to start with stopping Alex from scoring so easily. Also, they might should rely on some one else to score besides Sidney to take some of the pressure off. I do expect a different outcome in Game 3 though for the goalie.

Note: The duo has combined for eight of the series' 12 goals; top three lines [Penguins] have combined to average 23.3 shots per game.

Crosby vs Ovechkin

I am usually not big on hockey, but this matchup right here is something I may have actually sit down and watch. This is being compared to Magic and Bird type series [although these two play diff. positions]. You have to of the best hockey stars going at it. They both have contrasting styles but are great at what they do. The regular season head to head was quite a show. This season, the Capitols have won the series but the Penguins won the last game on a shootout. They have a certain respect for each other off the ice, but during the game is another story. The first game is today @ 1 on NBC. This is the first time they have met in the post-season. I am hoping that this goes into 7 games, kind of like the Bulls|Celtics series. Overtime that causes shootouts between the two will cause more drama. Lets just hope that this series lives up to it's hype.