Which may similarly effect Washington hockey fans for Game 4 and, if necessary, Game 5, when the series returns to the Beltway.

"Pretty embarrassing," Washington captain Calle Johansson said.

What was supposed to be a hockey game looked more like a prison break. Embattled goaltender Olaf Kolzig faced more breakaways and odd-man rushes through the first half of the game than he did all season as a Pittsburgh lineup dominated by Europeans put on a clinic of dazzling puck-handling skills.

Suddenly, a team many predicted to represent the Eastern Conference in the Stanley Cup Finals looks vulnerable, an early bet for the kind of first-round upset for which the East is famous.

Pittsburgh is the kind of team that exposes every weakness Washington has, and given the playoff history between these two clubs the Caps really didn't need their coach to suggest, with the type of bravado that has gotten him in trouble before, that they could play all seven games at the Igloo in Pittsburgh and it wouldn't change the outcome.

Those comments made it to the bulletin board faster than a Jaromir Jagr breakaway, and the rout was on before the puck was dropped.

Now the last thing we would ever suggest is that Wilson quit talking. He is one of the most thoughtful and engaging interviews in the NHL, with strong opinions worth listening to on the major issues confronting the sport and the league. But you'd think he'd check his mouth at the door at such an important time for his team.

Especially the way his team closed the season. Sure, Washington might have been the NHL's hottest team since the holidays, but it didn't play many strong 60-minute games down the stretch, getting walloped by Toronto and Ottawa and blowing a lead to Pittsburgh, which won the season series 3-1. The Caps also developed a bad habit of over-relying on Kolzig, which was fatal in the 7-0 opener in Game 1.

A postscript to this story: How about that trade Pittsburgh made with Ottawa at the deadline? Getting goaltender Ron Tugnutt and defenseman Janne Laukkanen for spare goalie Tom Barrasso was pure genius. Tugnutt throws a shutout in his playoff debut for the Pens and Laukkanen gets two goals. Barrasso? He lost his opener against Toronto.

Now the Caps have to play Game 3 without winger Chris Simon, their leading goal-scorer suspended a game for a cross-checking incident.

What to do now? At least try to get a field goal for Kolzig. But even that might not be enough against that Pittsburgh offense.

Let the mind games begin

Who is Toronto coach Pat Quinn trying to kid. Surely he was exaggerating just a bit when he described Ottawa defenseman Jason York's hit that injured Leafs forward Yannic Perreault as "the dirtiest" he has seen in 35 years in hockey. What game was Quinn watching for those 3½ decades.

Suffice to say that the mind games are under way in hockey's newest, hottest rivalry. The Leafs won Game 1, 2-0, but may have lost Perreault, possibly for the remainder of the playoffs, with a knee injury. The Senators, conversely, are saying they wouldn't be surprised to see Perreault suit up for Game 2.

York couldn't even remember the hit and had to be reminded with video replays that showed him pushing Perreault into the boards and then giving him an easy shove while he was on the ice.

The latest incident merely escalates tensions after a series of incidents in which the Leafs have been on the wrong side of serious injuries in games involving Ottawa: Defenseman Bryan Berard's season ended when he was hit accidentally with a follow through shot by Senators winger Marian Hossa; The Leafs lost Mats Sundin for 13 games with a broken foot on a shot by Senators forward Radek Bonk that the Leafs tried to suggest was intentional; and Perreault broke his arm earlier this season when he was whacked by former Penguins goalie Barrasso.

Quinn's public tirades have increased in frequency since well before the playoffs began, and the Senators recognize the game he's playing.

"He's trying to get as much attention on himself as he possibly can," defenseman Grant Ledyard said, "and he's trying to take all of it away from the players."

That's a page right out of the book authored by Scotty Bowman, with a forward by Mike Keenan.

No rest for the weary

Those tense playoff races of the last month apparently took a toll on some of the lower seeds in the Stanley Cup field. Only one of the eight lower-seeded teams (Pittsburgh) won its opening game.

"It's awfully hard for some of those teams that have been in a playoff mode for two or three weeks or longer just to make it," Dallas coach Ken Hitchcock said. "I think we're seeing some of that early on here."

Certainly Edmonton looked fatigued, managing just 21 shots in the first five periods against Dallas and just one goal in the first two games.

And Buffalo players felt it in the Sabres' opener at Philadelphia. Captain Michael Peca said he noticed that some of his teammates were missing that little extra zip you look for when the playoffs begin.

Previews of coming attractions

Best bet for major confrontation before this first round is completed: Dallas defenseman Derian Hatcher has taken Oilers forward Ryan Smyth, who has slew-footed Hatcher in each game.

A slew foot is a dangerous move in which a player attempts to kick the skates of another player from behind. Hatcher also took a vicious slash to his calf from Oilers defenseman Igor Ulanov. Clearly, Edmonton has targeted the Stars' captain for some extracurricular abuse. Hatcher missed two months of the season when his calf muscle was severed by a skate. Now he's mad as hell and not about to take it anymore.

"It's ridiculous," Hatcher said. "Ryan Smyth has two hits this series and they're both slew-foots."

Hatcher has been the Stars MVP through two games and he's starting to show why he'll emerge as a top Norris candidate next season. He logged 59 minutes of ice time in the two games with a playoffs-leading 23 hits.

Injuries worth monitoring

That problematic ankle injury to two-time Selke Trophy winner Jere Lehtinen is starting to worry the Dallas Stars. Lehtinen is a doubtful participant for Games 3-4 in Edmonton, and his availability the remainder of the postseason is suspect. After missing 65 games of the regular season with the injury that required surgery, Lehtinen returned for the final game on Sunday and jammed it again.

"We're optimistic he'll play during these playoffs, at some point," a Stars medic told SportsLine.com Friday. He couldn't be more specific because the injury has baffled physicians. . .

Give Los Angeles center Bryan Smolinski a medal for courage, playing a gritty game against Detroit in Game 1 Thursday just 10 days after sustaining a tear in the medial collateral ligament in his knee. "We're calling him Kirk Gibson," Kings coach Andy Murray said. Careful there. Gibson may have hobbled around the bases with one of the most dramatic home runs in World Series history for the Los Angeles Dodgers, but he's Detroit born and bred -- and a huge Red Wings fan. . .

Red Wings captain and leading scorer Steve Yzerman missed the final four games of the season with a knee injury, and declared himself fit for duty for Game 1. But he was a scratched because of the flu. At least that's what the Wings said. . .

Slapshots

• Add Detroit's Darren McCarty, Martin Lapointe and Mathieu Dandenault to the NHL's blond brigade. "My kid looked at me and didn't recognize me," Lapointe said. Apparently, playoff beards are passé. "That's back then," Dandenault said. "This is for a new generation." See what happens when you stop hazing rookies. . .?
• Colorado's Patrick Roy needed just 12 saves to record his NHL record 111th playoff win, a 6-3 rout of the overmatched Phoenix Coyotes.

The final word

"I came here to play for a team that had a chance to win a Cup. And I wanted to see how my game would measure up if I played for a better team." -- Ray Bourque, traded at the deadline from Boston to Colorado. He had eight goals among 14 points in 14 games to close the regular season and two assists in his playoff debut for the Avs. Safe to say his game measures up just fine. . .