Caps Take Game One

The game was deadlocked at two late in the second period when Crosby broke into the zone.

Sid the Kid criss-crossed with linemate Chris Kunitz, leaving defenseman Tom Poti in a vulnerable position. Kuntiz took a drop pass from Crosby and then sent a pass back across the low slot. Crosby reached out and was able to get some wood on the pass, tapping it towards the empty Washington cage.

Enter Simeon Varlamov. The rookie tender was able to reach back to the goal-line, and get his stick on the Crosby redirection at the last possible moment.

This set the stage for the third period, where Tomas Fleischmann was able to redirect a nifty Nicklas Backstrom pass off of Marc-Andre Fleury's helmet and into the back of the net. The Caps were able to stave off the Pittsburgh attack for the remaining 18:14, and will now take a 1-0 series lead into Game Two in the Verizon Center.

While Simeon Varlamov, who looked shaky at first but came on strong as the game progressed, will surely grab most of the headlines, the best player on the ice for the Caps was checker David Steckel.

He scored the first Caps' marker while driving the net, putting a halt to Pittsburgh's early dominance in the first period. Steckel was a beast on the penalty kill, breaking up pass after pass, winning battles, and continually getting the puck deep into the Pittsburgh end.

In the first installment of "Crosby vs. Ovechkin," give the edge to Crosby. Despite missing that key opportunity off of the Kunitz pass (which was no tap in as suggested, but still one Crosby would say he needs to bury), Crosby still had an excellent game. He was all over the place, and was noticeable every time he hit the ice. Ovechkin had a 5-on-3 power play goal, and also hit two posts, but wasn't necessarily as involved in the game as he usually is. The Great8 had an average game, while Crosby was his squad's best player.

To be more successful in Game Two, the Penguins will need to receive better efforts from Marc-Andre Fleury and Evgeni Malkin. Fleury failed to make pivotal stops when his team needed them. He has to stop atleast one of the Steckel or Fleischmann goals. Malkin had a solid third period, but was fairly invisible in the first two periods (outside of an assist on an Eaton goal that has no business going in). I expect him to play a full 60 minutes in his next outing...

In tonight's action, the Canucks will play host to the Blackhawks. It goes without saying - huge game for Chicago. If they can take Game Two, they'll have to feel confident going back to the friendly confines of the United Center, a place where they have been dominant all season long.