The Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals are going to face off in Round 2 of the NHL playoffs, which will set the stage of reigniting the longtime rivalry between Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin.
While the rivalry has lost steam in recent years, both Crosby and Ovechkin are still elite players. Crosby led the Penguins in scoring this season with 36 goals and 85 points and chipped in eight points in five games against the New York Rangers in Round 1. Ovechkin once again led the NHL in goals with 50, capping off his sixth Maurice Rocket Richard Trophy. He’s scored three times so far in the postseason. The good news for fans, is the two seem to find another gear when they play each other.
Crosby admitted to Josh Yohe of DKonPittsburghSports.com that the rivalry “brings out the best in both of us.” Although, he said Ovechkin’s scoring ability is something he’s not going to pretend he can match.
“I definitely don’t have his shot, I don’t score the way he does,” Crosby told Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “so I’m not going to pretend that I do.”
Crosby is right. He’s not the goal scorer Ovechkin is. However, Crosby’s got plenty of advantages over the Capitals forward, such as his playmaking ability.
The rivalry may be heated, but that doesn’t mean Crosby can’t recognize Ovechkin’s greatness as well.
The Penguins and Capitals matchup is going to be one for the ages. Pittsburgh is coming into the series as an almost unstoppable force while Washington was the best team in the NHL for a long time this season. Throw in the Crosby/Ovechkin dynamic, and it’s going to be must-watch TV.
[theScore]
