The Washington Capitals and Columbus Blue Jackets are familiar foes that are similarly built. Both squads have a stud goaltender who has battled playoff woes, a dynamic Russian-born forward, and a defenseman that logs a ton of minutes.
Which players will help determine the winner in the opening round? Let us help:
Pierre-Luc Dubois
It feels totally insane to write that the opening round series rests largely on the shoulders of a 19-year old who wasn't even a sure-fire NHL player before the year began, but here we are.
It's no secret that past Stanley Cup champions share a few commonalities: a goalie that gets hot (more on that in a moment) and strong play down the middle of the ice.
Dubois has met – and exceeded – all expectations this season. He holds the club rookie records for games played, points, and compliments given by John Tortorella (note: not a real statistic). But now, a new challenge: replicating his performance in the hotly-contested and pressure-filled playoffs. The Capitals don't boast the center strength of the Penguins, but with Evgeny Kuznetsov and Nicklas Backstrom holding down the top two Capitals lines, Dubois will have his work cut out for him.
He's not once been a liability, and Tortorella clearly will trust him to log big minutes. He's played 20+ minutes in four of the past five games, and the lone exception was in Nashville, where the coaching staff was happy to keep minutes down for its remaining top players. Dubois will be leaned on in a big way.
Sergei Bobrovsky
It's so obvious it almost doesn't need said, but the pressure is on Bobrovsky to perform well.
In 18 career playoff games, Bobrovsky has a .887 save percentage and a 3.63 goals against average. In 14 starts, he has just three wins. Columbus fans have seen Bobrovsky win two Vezina Trophies as the league's top goaltender, but when the stakes are raised, Bobrovsky has been, in a word, bad.
But good news: behind the strongest defense corps in franchise history, Bobrovsky should have more help than ever to stymie a Capitals offense that can fill the back of the net.
It's not a stretch to say that Sergei Bobrovsky has millions of dollars riding on the line. Much like pitchers in baseball and quarterbacks in football, the spotlight is (for better or worse) on goalies. If he fails to deliver a first-ever series win, he'll head into a contract year with a complicated legacy: a dynamic regular-season goalie who can't win when it matters most. If he wins a series (or more), his play will be vindicated.
Alex Ovechkin
Sticking with the theme of common sense, Ovechkin is a truly legendary scorer who has one line missing from his resume: a Stanley Cup.
With 49 goals on the season, Ovechkin won his NHL-record seventh Rocket Richard Trophy.
In 30 career games against the Jackets, he has 16 goals and six assists, which is incredible on the surface, but even more so when considering that his 10.1% shooting percentage against Columbus is actually lower than his career 12.4% shooting percentage. He's the definition of a volume shooter. He attempts over 20 shots per 60 minutes (5v5), which is third-highest in the NHL this season. He also led the NHL in shots on goal this season.
Long story short, expect Ovechkin to shoot pucks from everywhere. He'll almost certainly score goals in this series. But keeping him in check will go a long-way towards winning the series.
John Carlson
The Capitals' star defenseman is set to become an unrestricted free agent after the season, and he'll get paid. The 28-year-old was fifth in the NHL in minutes played (Seth Jones was 19th, for reference), and led the NHL in points among defensemen with 68 (Jones was 10th).
More bad news: Carlson has thrived against the Blue Jackets. In 22 career games, Carlson has posted 17 points on six goals and 11 assists. His six goals are the most goals against any team in the league.
Expect to see a lot of Carlson. He, along with Ovechkin, represent 40% of their deadly power play, and they've proven to be dangerous at 5-on-5 as well.
Both clubs have plenty of firepower. In the end, these four players will play key roles in the success (or lack thereof) in the series.
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