The Capitals have three of the top 20 scorers in the NHL, including the brilliant Alexander Ovechkin. But they also have Alexander Semin, Nicklas Backstrom and high-scoring defenceman Mike Green. That is a ton of firepower. The power play ranked second overall. The key for the Capitals is to be able to neutralize not one big line, but two, and for Ovechkin to become a goal-scoring machine again

One of the keys for the Capitals in the last round was to get good goaltending from Jose Theodore. Well, they didn't but still survived. Rookie Simeon Varlamov got the job done, but the pop-gun Rangers offence is not quite what the Penguins will be bringing in this series. The Capitals defence and goaltending will see a lot more pressure and skill than they did in the Rangers series.

Alex Ovechkin. He is the club's best player and he will set the tempo and make the difference in this series.

Any doubts about Sidney Crosby being a playoff performer no longer exist. He has been magnificent in every facet of the game. He is tied for the most points, leads in goals scored and his plus-12 rating ranks second in the playoffs. Then there's Evgeni Malkin, who has been brilliant. Sergei Gonchar, when healthy, and Marc-Andre Fleury have also been at their very best. This team appears stronger than the one that lost to Detroit in six games last season.

Last year, the Penguins were known as a talented team that lacked playoff toughness. So far this year, they have shown no hint of playoff nerves. These guys have have a job to do and are entirely focused on winning. Surprisingly, one of their weaknesses is the power play. They have scored fewer power-play goals than the Red Wings and their success ratio is much lower.

There doesn't seem to be any doubt that Sidney Crosby will deliver. At the moment, his game is flawless. That puts the pressure on Evgeni Malkin to keep up his torrid pace and on Marc-Andre Fleury, who must be at the top of his game for every minute of every game.