NEW JERSEY VS. TORONTO BUFFALO VS. PITTSBURGH COLORADO VS. LOS ANGELES DALLAS VS. ST. LOUIS

NHL SERIES BREAKDOWN Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Washington Capitals ESPN analyst Bill Clement breaks down the first-round series between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals. EDGE 5-on-5 In February, this matchup wouldn't have been close; it would have been a big advantage for Washington. But with Pittsburgh's introduction of the left-wing lock near the end of the season, the Penguins have become a far better 5-on-5 team. Plus, they have some goaltending to keep pucks out at even strength. If you compare second-line scoring totals, the Penguins are also the better team. Martin Straka, Alexei Kovalev and Robert Lang are an incredibly difficult matchup for the Capitals. Pittsburgh has a great 1-2 punch with its first two lines. EDGE Pittsburgh power play vs. Washington penalty kill I don't care who is skilling penalties against Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr. With the two greatest players in the world, I'll give the Penguins' power play an edge against any penalty killing unit in the world. I defy any penalty-killing unit to say they can neutralize the Penguins' power play. The key for Washington will be Olaf Kolzig. For the Capitals to have a chance against Pittsburgh's power play, Kolzig must be the best penalty killer. Kolzig's size is an advantage against Lemieux's sharp-angle one-timer that he always takes. If Kolzig can anticipate the shot and stay upright to take away the upper part of the net, he'll have as good a chance as anyone to negate Lemieux. EDGE Washington power play vs. Pittsburgh penalty kill Sergei Gonchar's numbers this season back up his dynamic play on the blue line. The Capitals have the best set-up guy in Adam Oates, who tied Jagr for the league lead in assists with 69. They also have a right-hand shot down low on his off wing in Dmitri Khristich, something the Capitals didn't have before Khristich arrived. He gives them more looks on the power play. In addition, Washington was No. 4 on the power play; Pittsburgh was No. 26 on the kill. EDGE Goaltending Going into the series, we have to say the Caps have a big edge, although Kolzig looked like both a Vezina winner and a great big awkward guy at different times down the stretch. Kolzig must be exclusively Vezina-like in the series. But his track record gives them the advantage. Pittsburgh's X-factor is Johan Hedberg. So far everything is coming up sevens and 11s for the Penguins with Hedberg in net, but now the real games start. It will be interesting to see if he can hold up. EDGE Coaching If anyone can be accused of undercoaching, it's Ivan Hlinka. On the other side, Ron Wilson has to be careful not to overcoach. He and his staff are so thorough that they have to make sure they don't brain-lock their players. Lemieux and Jagr will have the Capitals talking to themselves on their own. EDGE Intangibles I don't think Pittsburgh is the team Washington wanted to face. You never want to play the two greatest players in the world, backed by a second line that is as good as most team's first lines. Plus, the two teams have met in the playoffs six times in the last 10 years, and the Penguins have won five of them. You know that's in Washington's heads. EDGE Prediction - Penguins in 7 Simply put -- Lemieux will be the difference. I expect him to be huge in the playoffs as long as he stays healthy. Bill Clement is a hockey analyst for ESPN. He played 11 seasons in the NHL as a center and won two Stanley Cups with the Philadelphia Flyers.

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