The differences between two faces of the NHL don’t end there. Ovechkin is brash on and off the ice and his personality either endears him to fans or makes them hate him, just ask Don Cherry.. Crosby is the exact opposite of Ovechkin. He plays the game seemingly like a robot and many believe he lacks personality. Many believe hockey is a game to Ovechkin, but a business to Crosby. There is one major difference between the two that goes a long way in determining the best in the game: Crosby has never lost to Ovechkin in the playoffs.

Throughout his career in the NHL Alex Ovechkin has dazzled us with spectacular goals and he has turned the Caps from Eastern Conference cellar dwellers to regular season conference champions. Despite all of his success in the regular season, he has won back to back MVP awards and led the NHL in goals the last two seasons, but he has yet to lead the Caps even as far as the Eastern Conference Finals. Crosby on the other hand, has stepped his game up in the playoffs and has led the Penguins to two straight Stanley Cup finals, winning one. While his Penguins team of two seasons ago was more talented than the Caps, last year’s team advanced past the Capitals as the number four seed en route to winning the Stanley Cup.

The biggest stars shine the brightest on the biggest stage, and nobody can rightfully put Ovechkin ahead of Crosby in modern NHL hierarchy when he has never beaten Crosby in the playoffs.  Now I am not naive enough to discount the fact that hot goaltending can single handedly carry teams far in the playoff and I know that has been the Capital main Achilles heel the past few seasons. However, great players overcome that and find a way to get the job done.

This season Alex Ovechkin led the Capitals to the Presidents Cup and the top seed in the Eastern Conference, while Crosby and his Penguins are the 4^th best team in the conference. However, the more talented Capitals have failed to close out the 8^th seeded Canadiens while Crosby led his Penguins to a dismantling over 5^th seeded Ottawa, where he shined. Crosby currently leads all players in playoff poinst with 14( five goals, nine assists) while Ovechkin has been shutout in two of the six games he has played and failed to register a shot in Game one.  The Capitals once again face a game seven in the Playoffs, and if they lose again, the debate on how great of a player Alex Ovechkin is will continue.

Great players don’t lose games seven’s in the playoffs at home to the number eight seed. Furthermore, Ovechkin watched Crosby celebrate a game seven victory on his home ice in the playoffs last season.

I must admit I am not the die hard Caps fan that some people are, so my hatred for Sidney Crosby is nowhere near my hatred for the likes of A-Rod, Jeter and Roethlisberger, but I am a huge fan of the Great Eight”. However, the stats prove that in the discussion for greatest in the game, the advantage has to go to Sid the Kid, as hard as that is for Caps fans to stomach.

The time is now to prove your greatness Alex. Lead the Caps past the Canadiens and all the way to a Stanley Cup victory and you will take your seat atop the NHL. Lose game seven at home on Wednesday, or lose to the Flyers or Penguins, and be forced to hear people once again label Crosby as the heir to Wayne Gretzky’s throne.

Rocking the red and rooting on Ovi in Game 7- The Little Roman

How is Italy’s hockey team?

The Washington Capitals issued a resounding beat-down to the storied Montreal Canadiens Monday night, grasping control of the best-of-seven series in the first round of the 2010 NHL play-offs. Having gone to OT in both games at home at the Verizon Center — the Caps lost game 1 but rebounded to take Game 2 courtesy of a divine Nicklas Bäckström winner — many had started to jump off the Big Red bandwagon. “The Canadiens have our number”, grumbled the casual fans. “Our goal-tending and defense aren’t good enough to win play-off hockey games” sighed the more avid follower. Down 4-1 at home in Game 2 to the 8th seeded Canadiens, many pulled out the tried and true, “Choking Dogs” slogan made popular by snooty D.C. area journalists — the kind that think you order Championships to go and should be upset when they don’t arrive within 30 minutes.

What a difference an extra hour (or so) of hockey can make. Not only did the Caps storm back to win Game 2 in OT, they left the Bell Center ablaze with a 5-1 thrashing that had Canadiens fans heading for the exits with 5:00 still left in the 3rd.

Some will say the Caps finally found their offense, and to a large extent that’s true. Montreal’s Slovakian goal-tender Halak had gloved and befuddled the Caps through 4 clean periods of hockey. How do you lose Game 1 and wind up trailing 4-1 at home when you’ve out-shot and outworked your opponent? Simple: your shots on goal don’t find the back of the net because of a hot goaltender.

Leading the comeback in Game 2 was Nick Backstrom, who had a memorable performance netting a hat-trick and dishing out an assist for a 4-point game. Alex Ovechkin chipped in as well with 3 assists and a goal, but was held without a shot on goal in Game 1.

Having pulled starting goal-tender Jose Theodore (a.k.a. “Three Or More”) mid-way through Game 2, Caps coach Bruce Boudreau went with young Russian upstart, Semyan Varlamov to start Game 3. And my how the gamble paid off. The Canadiens came out with a knife between their teeth and were determined to put the #1 seeded Caps to the sword on home ice. Shot after shot was repelled in the early going by “Varly”, whose angles and reactions were nearly perfect. The Caps struggled to mount any real offense as the period came to a close tied 0-0. I’m personally convinced the Caps would have lost outright had the damn broken, and had Varly let one slide through.

But what transpired in the 2nd period was such an absolute blitz that I can only compare it to Super Bowl XXII. Just as Doug Williams chucked 5 TD’s in the 2nd quarter to put that game away by half-time, the Caps barnstormed Montreal’s net for 4 goals in the 2nd period. First to get on the scoreboard was Boyd Gordon, converting on a breakout and scoring a momentum changing short handed goal. Laich, Fehr, and Ovi all followed suit to put the game effectively out of reach by the end of the 2nd period. Montreal wasn’t coming back, and everyone knew it: you’re obviously outclassed when your players start spending more time picking fights than winning the puck. And that’s exactly what the Canadiens did, embarrassed in front of their home crowd, they continued to “drop gloves” in an attempt to gain back momentum by goading the Caps into a fisticuffs.

My MVP thus far has to be Varly, but coach Boudreau isn’t far behind. Varly changed the whole course of the series when he came into Game 2, and his superb reflexes in the first period kept the Caps in what could have been an early blowout. But Boudreau deserves much of the credit too. He limited Ovi’s minutes down the stretch and used all four lines seamlessly, keeping his players fresh and focused on notching the W.

The pivotal Game 4 takes place Wednesday night at the Bell Center in Montreal. A Canadiens win could mean a 7-game series for the #1 seeded Caps. Not good, especially if the dreaded Penguins await in the next round. But a Caps’ W would lead Washington to a commanding 3-1 lead, giving the boys in red a chance to close it out in Game 5 at home at the Verizon Center. Rest & Rehab are the fuel of success in play-off hockey.

And one last note: can we get the “Ole Ole” chant going for the next Caps’ home game? I’m thinking we need to recreate the atmosphere of the Bell Center — it seems to work for the Caps, for whom life, at the moment, is belle indeed.

El Beagle Loco

Masters: Which do you think is the better story: celebrating the victorious return of a golfer that left the PGA tour because he cheated on his wife, or celebrating the 3rd green jacket for a player that left the tour to be with his wife while she battled breast cancer?

I think it was divine intervention at Augusta this past weekend. Phil Mickelson played some of the best golf I have ever seen in my life. His shot during the final round on the 13th hole was epic. Phil not only handled the pressure, but thrived and conjured up his best play.

The whole world had to be extremely moved as “Lefty” hugged his wife after walking off the 18th green a winner. In my Masters preview, I was hopeful that Tiger would use spite as a catalyst for success. However, the real emotional story was Phil Mickelson and his wife. It seems like only yesterday that Phil was labeled as the best player “never to win a major”. Moreover, how many affluent, country club and silver spoon individuals can capture the affection of so many Americans that otherwise typically embrace the blue-collar underdog?

NHL: The Washington Capitals won the first “Presidents Cup” trophy in franchise history by posting the best regular season NHL record. The 121 points earned by the Capitals is the most EVER for a non Original-Six hockey team. The Caps will play Montreal in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, and this is the million dollar question: Do the Caps have the defense and goal-tending required to hoist the Stanley Cup?

UFC: Dana White is furious in the aftermath of UFC 112. After watching Frankie Edgar pull off a historic upset to capture the UFC lightweight crown, White sat and watched Anderson Silva prance, dance, and run from Demian Maia in a battle for the Middleweight championship.

This is my take on both fights: B.J. Penn must have been injured before his loss to Frankie Edgar. B.J. was not himself, and entered the ring with a wrap on his knee. Because he made excuses following the “Grease-gate” loss to St. Pierre, I am sure Penn was reluctant to bring up the injury at post-fight interviews for fear of being criticized again. I will tip my hat to Edgar for being quicker, and for putting together a good game plan; but he shouldn’t have beaten a healthy B.J Penn. The Lightweight division will get interesting in the next 18 months, as one of my favorite fighters, Kenny Florian, will certainly get the first shot at the title. Can you say Florian vs. Penn II in late 2011?

This is my take on the Anderson Silva debacle: most fans think that Silva should apologize to them and Dana White for “The Spider’s” ridiculous display on Saturday night in Abu Dhabi. I think the UFC should apologize to Silva for failing to produce even one fighter that can remotely challenge him at all. Maia had ZERO chance of threatening “The Spider”, and I think that he is simply bored and irritated that over the course of his Octagon career, not one single fighter has given him a real fight. Chael Sonnen, a friend of the show, will likely get the next shot at Silva and the Middleweight belt. Reached for commentary post-fight, Sonnen said that it was his “moral obligation to beat up Anderson Silva.” Sonnen is a warrior and will not be afraid to stand and bang with “The Spider”. Hopefully he can present Silva with a viable challenge, so that fans get to see Silva perform at his best. Sonnen has been very outspoken and critical of Silva, so it should give “The Spider” a reason to give his best. If Silva moves up to Light Heavyweight full time, it is conceivable that a bigger fighter with heavier hands could stun him with a shock knockout. But I doubt it….

MotoGP: Nine-time champion Valentino Rossi won the 1st race in the 2010 Moto GP season with a victory in Doha, Qatar. Australian Casey Stoner, who has won this race the last three years running, crashed out after grabbing the lead 10 laps into the race. The race was tightly contested, but Rossi remained undaunted and made no mistakes in taking the checkered flag. Americans Nicky Hayden and Ben Spies (the latter is in his first year on the GP circuit), each put forth a great showing and just missed the podium, finishing fourth and fifth, respectively.

MLB: Last but not least, the Orioles are just AWFUL. Mike Gonzalez took ALL the wind out of this team’s sails, and the Birds are now 1-5 and facing the most difficult stretch of their season. The O’s may very well be 10 games below .500 by mid-May. New faces, new expectations, new Spring training facility—same old results.

And for those of you that think the Orioles have good offense, think again. Let me reiterate that Toronto walked our #3 hitter to get to our clean-up hitter! What a joke…This team has ZERO power, and will have to win National league-style games with suspect pitching and erratic defense. The O’s cannot hit with runners on base, and Tejada offers ZERO protection to Jones & Markakis, who are both off to horrible starts themselves.

By the way, how do you feel about Jones blowing a bubble right before he dropped the ball in the 1st inning against Toronto, on Opening Day?
Typical O’s.

Woodman – at least I have the NHL playoffs & NFL draft to cheer for

I really thought history was going to repeat itself. It would have been 50 years ago to the day that the U.S. defeated Canada in Olympic hockey to win gold in Squaw Valley, CA. Also, I thought it would have been fitting to repay the Canadians for beating us on home soil in the gold medal game at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake. However, it wasn’t meant to be as the Canadian National team was able to exact revenge on the Americans in the gold medal game winning 3-2 in overtime.

The Canadian National team featured 14 NHL All-Stars, compared to just four on the American roster. Not surprisingly, the majority of hockey fans and media thought the Canadians would come out breathing fire and demolish the Americans in the gold medal game. The reality is that the game was very evenly contested and the Americans took the Canadians best shot and had a chance to win gold in overtime.

U.S. hero Zach Parisse scored with 24 seconds left in regulation to tie the game and send it to overtime. The U.S. showed the grit and determination that makes this country great in erasing a 2-0 deficit in order to force overtime. U.S. goaltender Ryan Miller was named the tournament MVP and played another outstanding game. The first two Canadian goals were a result of poor turnovers right in front of the U.S. goal leaving Miller with little chance to make a save. However, I am disappointed in the winning goal as Crosby scored from a very tight angle on the shortside. I am even more upset that of all the people to score the winning goal for Canada, it was my least favorite player in the world, Sydney Crosby. I just hope that Alexander Ovechkin ripped his TV off the wall after watching Crosby celebrate once again in a big moment,  and will use this as fuel to propel the Capitals to the Stanley Cup.

Team Canada had better skaters and offensive skill, and certainly benefitted from the open ice of  4 on 4 hockey in overtime. The Americans were a physical team that was hurt by the Olympic overtime rules, but I don’t want to make any excuses. Even if the U.S. had won gold, Americans would have cared for one day, and by tomorrow people would have been talking about the NFL combine. If Canada had lost this game, they would have been second guessing this team for the next four years.

Here are my questions to the readers: 1) what did you think of the 4 on 4 rule in OT? 2) do you think Olympic hockey should return to amateurs in 2014, or should the NHL send their stars to Russia in the next Winter Olympics? 3) Did anyone dig the female curling athletes? I know I did.

Woodman – I hate Duke basketball the most, Crosby a close 2nd.

#1, Ted Leonsis is one of the best owners in sports. Not only does he spend money and possess a keen understanding of marketing the brand, but he demonstrates loyalty as well. Every other owner in sports would have fired GM George McPhee as the Capitals endured a seven year playoff drought. However, Leonsis has stuck with McPhee and look at the results:

McPhee drafted star Russian youngster Alexander Semin in the 1st round in 2002. In 2004, McPhee proceeded to dismantle the team after the failed Jaromir Jagr experiment. Capitals fans cannot blame McPhee for this debacle as every fan wanted the Capitals to bring in the marqee NHL star. McPhee garnered three first round picks by dealing Jagr along with popular veterans Peter Bondra, Sergei Gonchar, and Steve Konowalchuk. McPhee parlayed improved draft position and extra first round picks in 2004 into Alexander Ovechkin (#1 overall), Jeff Schultz, and Mike Green. The icing on the cake occurred in the 2006 draft when McPhee drafted Nicklas Backstrom and Semyon Varlamov in the first round. McPhee had successfully rebuilt the future of the Capitals with a nucleus of talent that will keep the team in Stanley Cup contention for the next decade.

Following the NHL lockout season of 2004/2005, the Capitals finished in last place the next two seasons. The Capitals hit rock bottom in mid 2008, and promoted Hershey coach Bruce Boudreau to the bench to help salvage the season. The team responded by winning 15 of their last 19 games to make the playoffs. Unfortunately, the young Caps got ousted in seven games by the hated Philadelphia Flyers, but took a big step forward in the rebuilding process. Alexander Ovechkin emerged as a star, scoring 65 goals and won the franchise’s first Hart trophy as the regular season NHL MVP.

In 2009, the Capitals won the Southeast Conference and overcame a 3-1 series deficit to the New York Rangers to win their first playoff series in over a decade. The Caps proceeded to lose in the conference semifinals to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. Once again Alexander Ovechkin won the Hart trophy and was recognized as the leagues’ best player.

Currently, the Capitals sit atop the Eastern Conference with 82 points, a 10 point lead over second place New Jersey. They are riding the highly publicized 11 game winning streak, the best in franchise history. The Caps lead the league in scoring, and feature three of the top scorers in the NHL (OV, Backs, and Semin). Six of the top thirteen rated NHL skaters in +/- wear a Capitals jersey. And, once again Mike Green leads all NHL defensemen in scoring. Needless to say, barring injury, Alexander Ovechkin is a lock for a third straight Hart Trophy. Only Bobby Orr and Wayne Gretzky have won three consecutive Hart trophies in NHL history. The Great One won eight in a row, and nine in a ten year span between 1979-1989.

Not to jinx anything, but no player that has won multiple Hart trophies has failed to win a Stanley Cup.

McPhee brought in veterans Sergei Federov and Victor Kozlov to help groom the young guns, and it helped propel the team to back to back playoff appearances. Both players are gone, but McPhee brilliantly replaced them with key veterans Brendan Morrisonn (11 goals, 20 assists) and Mike Knuble (19 goals, 15 assists). McPhee has built the Capitals into the deepest and most dynamic team in the NHL. I never thought in my lifetime that the Capitals would be this stacked with talent.

I thought the Caps would forever be a blue collar, hard working team that gets a seven seed in the playoffs at best. In the 80′s and 90′s, teams like the Rangers, Canadiens, Avalanche, and Red Wings would have already bought our top young players. Washington was not a hockey town and there wasn’t enough revenue for Abe Pollin to justify paying huge money for marquee NHL talent. Not anymore. Ted Leonsis is committed to keeping his core young stars and is not afraid to spend big money. The current Capitals sell out every game, and the Verizon Center is no longer half full of Penguin, Ranger, Devil, and Flyer fans. This is the Renaissance of hockey in the Nations capital and the future looks bright. Much of the credit has to go to Leonsis and his brilliant marketing strategy in growing the Caps fan base throughout the entire region.

Did I mention that every NHL player that has won multiple Hart trophies has won the Stanley Cup?

Unlike the Wizards who put all of their eggs in Gilbert Arenas’s basket, the Capitals entrusted their franchise to Alexander Ovechkin. Get it? Ever since OV has become captain, he is a man possessed. What other star player back-checks and plays with the physicality and edge that OV does? Not only is he the fastest skater and hardest shooter, but he is also the hardest worker.

I am nervous about the upcoming break in the NHL season due to the Olympics. Not because I fear an injury in Vancouver to one of the Caps star players, but because I want the team to stay on this roll. However, it may end up being a blessing in disguise. Hopefully the team will miss being around each other, and when they get back together, will rekindle the enthusiasm and excitement that led to the current win streak. This young team is gaining the confidence, maturity, and consistency required to win a Stanley Cup. I just hope the goaltending holds up when it matters most. Even though Jose Theodore takes a lot of heat, the guy did win a Hart Trophy in 2002.

Woodman – former Caps season ticket holder and Caps fanatic

I haven’t contributed anything to the site for a few weeks and wanted to weigh in on some of my recent thoughts relating to the current sports landscape.

U.S. Men’s National Team forward Charlie Davies was seriously injured in a car accident the night before the World Cup qualifying game against Costa Rica. Davies will be unavailable for the 2010 World Cup as a result of the severity of the injuries suffered during the crash which left 22 year old Ashley Roberta of Phoenix, MD dead. Davies was the one American forward who had legitimate pace and could have given elite defenders around the world a real run for their money. Davies was also developing a special chemistry with striking partner Jozy Altidore. The combination of Altidore’s size and Davies speed would have given the U.S. a real chance of making it out of the group stage at next summer’s World Cup. Without Davies (who was getting solid minutes and delivering goals for Sochaux in France’s Ligue 1) it is still possible to have success in South Africa next summer, but all U.S. futbol fans would have loved to have seen Davies put in some work for the Red, White, and Blue.

Rivals’ magazine has the Terps ranked #45 in the preseason College Basketball poll. Every other website and ratings service that I have investigated is shortchanging the Terps as well.

Fortunately, my strongest impression from Midnight Madness was that incoming freshmen James Padgett (6’9″, 225 lbs.) and Jordan Williams (6’10″, 260 lbs) definitely have the physiques to step right into ACC play for the Maryland Terrapins basketball team. They may not provide much (if any) offense this year, but they will give us some big, athletic bodies to help defend elite post players like Carolina’s Ed Davis. The Terrapins frontcourt was a real achilles heel last season and finished last in the ACC in rebounding differential. I know Padgett and Williams will help rectify the rebounding deficiencies and add much needed athleticism and depth. My only real concern for this season is the need for a steady 3 point shooter, but I am hoping Hayes can build on the end of last season and step into this role. Whatever your expectations are for the 2009 Terps you need to raise them. I am guaranteeing that the Terps finish top 4 in the ACC and make it to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament. They will be a top 25 team all year. Don’t forget about the 2010 recruiting class featuring Terrence Ross, Mychal Parker, Terrell Stoglin, and a stud to be named later. The present and future is bright for Terp hoops. What do you think Duke and Carolina fans?

Winning ugly in the NFL is beautiful. It doesn’t matter what happens during the 60 minutes other than who comes away with a W. The NFL is a bottom line league and nobody cares about the woulda-coulda-shoulda come January when playoff spots are being determined. The fact that you beat a winless team by one point is frustrating in October, but nobody remembers how you won in January, only that you are 11-5.

NFL fans look at their favorite team’s schedule and truly think they can predict what is going to happen. Please stop wasting your time. Nobody has a clue, and what you feel today and think is true and absolute, will certainly change after this weekend’s games are played.

In the NFL, being dynamic on offense is overrated. The primary result of being potent on offense is that most defenses and special teams will lack urgency because they feel like they have a margin for error. Look at the teams that have won the Super Bowl in the last ten years. The majority are boring, physical, efficient teams that stop the run, win the turnover and penalty battle, and grind out close games with their defense. This message goes out to all Raven and Steeler’s fans: you have to be careful what you ask for when you want your team to stop “winning ugly”. Because the dynamic offense that you were so desperate to see will only lead to your team “losing pretty”. The NFL is the ultimate team game and you need urgency from your defense and special teams. When you know your offense is anemic (or brutally efficient), the other parts of the team play full throttle EVERY play. This urgency evaporates when players get used to the offense throwing up 30+ most games. The NFC East formula for winning is an oldy but goody…tried and true. Don’t believe me, go ask Josh McDaniels.

Alabama has one of the best defenses I have ever seen in college football. It reminds me of the 1992 Alabama team that throttled Miami 34-13 in the Sugar Bowl on the way to their first National Championship with a coach not named Bear Bryant. Nobody is going to move the ball consistently on this team. Alabama literally plays 11 guys in the box and they have the speed to take away anything over the top. Even though their offense is pedestrian, Heisman trophy candidate RB Mark Ingram and big play WR Julio Jones provide more than enough offense for the Crimson Tide. Fast forward to the National Championship game of Alabama vs. Texas. Guess who is a lock?

Think about this Thanksgiving day crew sitting around watching the Dallas/Oakland game. Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell, Kate Hudson, and A-Rod. I wonder if they will be impressed with A-Rod’s World Series ring and MVP trophy? What movie do you think they will watch after the game? Wildcats? Overboard? Used Cars? Big Trouble in Little China? Captain Ron?

Valentino Rossi has all but put away the 2009 MotoGP championship. Rossi has a 38 point lead with two races to go virtually guaranteeing “The Doctor” his 9th title. On the Nascar front, Jimmy Johnson has a 90 point lead over sentimental favorite Mark Martin with five races left in the chase for the Nextel Cup. Hendrick Motor Sports and Jimmy J are going for an unprecedented 4th consecutive points title. Fan favorite (and son of deceased Nascar legend Dale Earnhardt Sr.), Little E is the only Hendrick driver not involved in the chase for the Cup. C’mon man!

Who is going to win the scoring title in the NHL this year? Ovechkin or Malkin?

Can we please get rid of the muscle-bound wrestler guy and get more martial arts back in MMA?And does anyone think that it is inevitable that Hollywood will remake the cult classic ‘Bloodsport’ with Georges St. Pierre playing the role formerly played by Claude Van Damme?

Stay tuned for my World Series preview which should be out following a Yankee win tomorrow.

- Woodman – I will never stop sawing the wood

The Stanley Cup Finals is living up to its billing so far and is helping to bring the NHL back into the mainstream sports landscape. After taking a 2-0 lead at home, the Detroit Red Wings proceeded to drop both road games in Pittsburgh to the resilient Pens. This has been a very evenly matched series so far and gripping to watch. A couple of breaks going either way is what is deciding this dramatic series that is a rematch of last years Stanley Cup finalists. In the first two games a couple of the Pens’ shots came within inches of the goal line before they were covered by Detroit goalie Chris Osgood. On the flip side is the Red Wings exasperation with a few shots which bounced off the back of Penguin netkeeper Marc-Andre Fleury. In game 3, the Pens had six men on the ice for about 25 seconds that neither the Red Winds nor the officials noticed. At that point the Wings had just scored to take a 2-1 lead. A power play there and it could have been 3-1. Instead, the penalty wasn’t called and the Penguins scored a minute later to go on to win. In game 4, the offensive firepower fans were expecting came to life. A 2-1 Detroit lead early in the 2nd period was blown wide open by Malkin and Crosby. The Penguins scored the next 3 goals, including a beautiful 2 on 1 from Malkin to Crosby to win 4-2.

The skill level of both teams has been fun to watch. Crisp passing by both teams has led to some key breakaway scores. Marion Hossa, who came to Detroit from Pittsburgh in the offseason has been mostly invisible so far. He came to Detroit because he thought he had a better chance to win a cup with the Wings. Maybe he should start contributing! The Red Wings best player, Pavel Datsyuk has yet to play because of a nagging foot injury. Evgeni Malkin has 35 points so far this postseason, the most in a single postseason since Doug Gilmour had 35 in 1993. Sidney Crosby and Malkin both recorded their 12th multi-point game this postseason, two shy of the NHL record of 14 held by Mario Lemieux (1991) and Wayne Gretzky (1988). If the Red Wings hope to keep the cup in Detroit they need to improve their penalty killing which has been just awful. Also, the Red Wings need be more aggressive on offense. Of the 16 teams that qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs, Detroit’s penalty kill ranked 14th overall and an alarming 15th on the road, second-worst to the Montreal Canadians. Detroit has permitted a power-play goal in 16 of its 20 playoff games, including a post-season record 14 games in a row. The Penguins will need to keep the pressure on in Detroit by continuing their physical play and trying to get Crosby in open ice. ~contributed by Hockeytown’s own Colin Exelby