Crosby-Ovechkin Decided in a Landslide

Alex Ovechkin showed up for Game Seven on Wednesday night. Sadly, none of his teammates came to the game.

Sidney Crosby and the Pens ended the epic matchup in a rout, winning 6-2 after scoring four goals in about 25 minutes.

Crosby's powerplay goal to make the score 1-0 was only a sign of things to come. Just eight seconds later, Craig Adams added to the Caps' misery.

An amazing performance by G Marc-Andre Fleury was merely the icing on the cake that was Penguin domination.

Washington had no answer for Pittsburgh's relentless pressure and tremendous defense.

The dream that was Simeon Varlamov's stunning performance in net ended at 4-0 midway through the second period.

The Capitals looked lifeless by the end of the first period. Bill Guerin's goal, less than 30 seconds into the second, ended all hopes of the Caps turning the game around.

Kris Letang blasted the jugular goal home two minutes later, all but putting the nail in the proverbial coffin.

This game showed the depth of the Penguins and that their run to the Stanley Cup Finals last year was not a fluke.

It also showed that the Capitals are still a year away and could use some more talent to step up around Ovechkin.

Still, Crosby has Evgeni Malkin to help take pressure off of him. Ovechkin has no one like Malkin who can be the Robin to his Batman.

Pittsburgh will face the winner of Boston-Carolina in the Eastern Conference Finals for their chance to successfully defend their conference title.

Slowly, the Pens are becoming a powerhouse and the type of team that elevates their game several levels higher in the playoffs.

They have the young core in Malkin, Crosby, Fleury, and Jordan Staal to rack up championships.

But after round one of what looks like the most exciting rivalry in the postseason, expect Ovechkin and the Caps to be ready for the rematch possibly next year.

No doubt, this was a learning experience for this group. Hopefully for them, it gives them the juice to come back next season.