Crosby vs. Ovechkin overshadows series

Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin have lived up to the hype surrounding the second-round… Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin have lived up to the hype surrounding the second-round series between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals.

Both stars have four goals through two games. Both recorded a hat trick in Game 2, and both have carried their teams.

So in a series touted as Crosby vs. Ovechkin, why does Washington have a 2-0 lead when each team’s headliner has played equally well? The answer falls on the supporting cast.

While Crosby has performed as expected, Evgeni Malkin — who beat out Crosby this season as a Hart Trophy finalist — sits without a goal in the series. The only evidence that he has been on the ice against Washington is his -3 plus/minus.

Likewise, forwards Jordan Staal, Chris Kunitz and Petr Sykora have the same amount of goals in this postseason as star winger Jaromir Jagr. The problem: Jagr no longer plays in the NHL.

As a result, Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma demoted the goalless Kunitz from the first power play unit. This sounds good in theory, but when 10 other forwards are also struggling, it’s like replacing a burnt-out light bulb with another burnt-out light bulb.

The offensive drought appears teamwide. Crosby has scored all but one of the Penguins’ goals this series. He’s good, but he can’t do it alone.

As for Washington, Ovechkin’s teammates have risen to the occasion. Center Dave Steckel has both dominated the faceoff circle and chipped in two goals. Tomas Fleischmann, an unheralded third liner, scored the winner in Game 1. Washington won 3-2.

Because of Pittsburgh’s anemic supporting cast, the power play has struggled as well. The last player not named Crosby to score a goal with the man advantage was Malkin — six games ago.

The Penguins’ power play went 0 for 5 against the Capitals in Game 1, the fourth straight game without a goal with the man advantage. While the Penguins did have two power play goals in Game 2, missed chances resulted in a 4-3 Washington win.

Immediately after wasting a power play in the third period, Pittsburgh’s Malkin took a penalty and gave the Capitals a turn with the man advantage, the game tied 2-2. Four seconds later, Ovechkin put Washington ahead with a one-timer goal. Where Pittsburgh has failed, Washington has succeeded.

Similarly, in Game 1, Pittsburgh failed to convert with two third-period power plays. Down 3-2, a timely goal could have sent the game into overtime.

When a team’s power play goes cold in the postseason like the Penguins’ has, players don’t warm up until they hit the sunny offseason golf course.

Not all the blame for Pittsburgh’s struggles falls on the team, though. Washington goaltender Simeon Varlamov already has two highlight reel saves against Crosby. His goal-line stick save in Game 1 has been replayed as often as old episodes of “Seinfeld.”

The 21-year-old Russian rookie has posted a 1.51 goals-against average this postseason, best in the league, and a .945 save percentage. If the Penguins want to climb back into the series as they shift home to Mellon Arena, they have to find a chink in Varlamov’s armor.

And as Ovechkin and Crosby duel once more, Pittsburgh will have to overcome its obstacles and make the most out of its power play in Game 3 to avoid a 3-0 series deficit.

If the Penguins don’t, the Ovechkin-Crosby showdown won’t last much longer.