Caps take game one

Malkin, not Datsyuk, should be Hart longshot

The better team won, and so did the better star player.

Led by Alex Ovechkin and Mike Green, the Washington Capitals took down the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2, despite the efforts of Penguins stars Evegeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby.

Two plays came up big in this tight battle. One was a great save by Capitals goalie Simeon Varlamov. As Sidney Crosby skated in, the Caps' netminder fell over. Crosby fired and thought that he had scored.

He hadn't. Instead, Varlamov quickly extended his goalie stick to make a miracle save, robbing Crosby.

The other big play came during a 5-on-3 Capitals powerplay. Defensemen Mike Green wound up, as if to take a slapshot and fooled everyone. I don't think I've ever seen a more convincing fake. Even as his stick touched the puck it looked like a slaphot, but it wasn't. It was a pass to Capitals' star forward Alex Ovechkin. Penguins' goalie Marc-Andre Fleury was already down. Ovechkin, who probably had seen the whole thing coming, quickly fired the puck for the goal that gave the Capitals a 2-1 lead.

Now, I need to correct an earlier statement that Pavel Datsyuk ought to be the no-brain selection for the Hart Trophy. After what I saw Saturday, I'd say that he and Oveckin are about even.

Both are constant workers. They never stop fighting. Even when they're bad, their good. If their not scoring goals, their getting assists. If their not getting assists, then they're hitting guys.

Both are magicians at times. On Saturday Oveckin could have easily had several goals if not for the solid effort by Fleury. Why? Because he was constantly doing things that so many other players could not.

Right now, no one is playing at the level that Datsyuk and Ovechkin are playing. Not even Malkin. That is why the Penguins' center ought to be the longshot for the MVP award. Even he cannot measure up to the solid all-around play of Ovechkin and Datsyuk.

Yes, he is having a great year. Yes, he has more points than either of them. But no, he is not better when it comes to all-around play.

Feedback: Do you have an opinion as to who deserves the Hart Trophy, or a comment on the NHL playoffs in general?