World War III: Penguins Draw Capitals In Round 2

It's what I wanted.

It's what most partisans of the two teams would have wanted.

It's certainly what the NHL has been waiting for and dreaming of the last several seasons.

Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and the Pittsburgh Penguins will face off against Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals in a Stanley Cup Playoff series.

The Penguins' drew the Capitals last night when Washington prevailed in game 7 over the New York Rangers, winning 2-1 with a Sergei Federov goal with about 4 and 1/2 minutes to play, while the Carolina Hurricanes overcame a 3-2 deficit in their game 7 against the New Jersey Devils by scoring 2 goals in the final 80 seconds of the third period to win, 4-3 and advance to play the Boston Bruins.

The Pens'/Caps' series begins Saturday at 1 PM at the Verizon Center. The NHL is wasting no time showcasing these two squads, nationally televising that game on NBC.

Game 2 is Monday in Washington, while games 3 and 4 are Wednesday, 5-6 and Friday, 5-8, respectively, at Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh.

If necessary, game 5 is on a back-t0-back day, Saturday, 5-9, in Washington at 7 PM, while game 6 would be Monday, 5-11 at Mellon Arena and game 7 would be Wednesday, 5-13 back at the Verizon Center.

I can't wait for this series. It's full of storylines, rivalry and star power.

First, you have Ovechkin's history with Malkin. Although that seems to have dissipated, don't underestimate the inner drive that both of these countreymen will have to play better than the other.

Then, you have the recent "feud" between Ovechkin and Crosby, stemming from comments made by Ovechkin about the way Crosby acts on the ice.

Of course, who could forget the comment Capitals' forward Alexander Semin made about Crosby earlier in the year when he said that Crosby was "nothing special".

It should be a hell of a matchup with a ton of emotion on both sides.

The Penguins have owned the Capitals in the playoffs over the years, but had trouble with the Capitals in the regular season this year, losing 3 of 4 games, although all of the losses came with former coach Michel Therein behind the bench, while the win came with new "permanent" head coach Dan Bylsma there.

I will post a detailed series preview tomorrow.

Let's Go Pens'