• Ovechkin begins Cup quest

EASTERN CONFERENCE PREVIEWS: WAS vs. MTL | NJ vs. PHI | BUF vs. BOS | PIT vs. OTT
WESTERN CONFERENCE PREVIEWS: SJ vs. COL | CHI vs. NSH | VAN vs. LA | PHX vs. DET

BY MIKE BROPHY
sportsnet.ca



FOR THE CAPITALS TO WIN: The most obvious thing is goaltending. If Jose Theodore, whom you would expect to start for the Capitals given his exceptional regular season numbers, gets the job done, they should win the series easily. But that's a big IF…

We have seen the Caps get knee-capped by weak goaltending in the past and it's almost as if everybody is just sitting on the edge of their seats to see it happen again. That does not mean it will … happen. The Capitals have enough fire power to win games if their goaltending is good enough to not lose games. Based on the way Washington has played this season, that shouldn't be too much of a stretch.

Of course there is also Ovie … or The Great 8 … or The Gr8 One … whatever. Can he lead his team to glory? Alexander Ovechkin has had punishment issues this year and Team Russia flopped at the Olympics, which wasn't entirely his fault. Still, he remains one of the most dominant individuals in the game to not have won a championship. Ovechkin still needs to prove to the world he's a winner and a strong showing in the next two months will do that.

CAPITALS' UNSUNG HERO: You might not know him if you ran into him at the local mall, but Caps defenceman Jeff Shultz led the NHL in plus-minus this season at plus-50.That's plus-53 in the last two years and plus-97 in his career. All of this adds up to a nasty time for any offensive forward he goes up against in the playoffs.

FOR THE CANADIENS TO WIN: The chemistry must come together, like, right away. We all know about Montreal's injury woes this year, but none of it matters now. The Habs made it to the show. Bob Gainey assembled a team he believed had enough playoff history to make a significant jump this year and that may still hold true, even if he isn't around to see it happen.

If the Canadiens are to advance beyond Round 1, Michael Cammalleri will have to find the net. He didn't score in Montreal's final 12 games and didn't register a point in the last six. It is too easy to say the Habs fate lies in the performance of their goaltenders. But no matter how well Jaroslav Halak and/or Carey Price play, if they don't get offensive support, it won't matter.

CANADIENS UNSUNG HERO: He didn't even have a job when the season started, but Marc-Andre Bergeron has been one of the big reasons why his team made the playoffs. A power play specialist, Bergeron doesn't want to do much more than fire lasers from the point. And at the end of the day, that's not bad when you are a difference-maker.

WHAT TO EXPECT: This is a great match-up for Washington. Goaltending shouldn't be an issue and if that holds true, Washington should be able to build a little momentum in this series.
Prediction: Washington wins in 6.

INTERESTING STAT: Although his team only made it to the second round last season, Ovechkin scored 11 goals - tied for third in the post-season - which suggests he puts it on the line at the most critical time of the year. He is primed to make a huge statement this season.

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EASTERN CONFERENCE PREVIEWS: WAS vs. MTL | NJ vs. PHI | BUF vs. BOS | PIT vs. OTT
WESTERN CONFERENCE PREVIEWS: SJ vs. COL | CHI vs. NSH | VAN vs. LA | PHX vs. DET