TAMPA Josh Morrissey Jersey , Fla. (AP) Like many young Russian hockey players, Nikita Kucherov grew up following Alex Ovechkin’s career, hoping to someday become a prolific scorer and maybe even compete against his countryman in the Stanley Cup playoffs.The 24-year-old Tampa Bay Lightning winger has spent five seasons fulfilling the first portion of the dream.The other part becomes a reality Friday night, when the Lightning open the Eastern Conference finals against Ovechkin’s Washington Capitals.”When he came in the league, he was the best player, and I mean he’s still the best player,” Kucherov said.”Everybody would talk about him, and I definitely wanted to be in his spot one day, scoring goals,” the Lightning star added. ”He’s a great example for young kids and someone to look up to.”Ovechkin is also looking for his first trip to the Stanley Cup Final, a platform Kucherov has already performed on.The Lightning, who also feature of couple of other young Russians playing key roles in goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy and rookie defenseman Mikhail Sergachev, are in the conference final for the third time in four years.In 2015, they defeated the New York Rangers before losing to the Chicago Blackhawks in the Cup Final.”It’s great competition to play against the best players and then against your countrymen,” Kucherov said.”I think it’s great for Russia to see the young guys come into North America and go through the CHL, AHL and then make it to the NHL,” he added. ”It’s great to see and to see how the kids want to be in the best league in the world. They don’t care about the money in the KHL, they want to be in the best league and play against the best. It’s nice to see.”The Lightning have been exceptional through the first two rounds of the playoffs, going 6-1 at home while eliminating both the New Jersey Devils and Boston Bruins in five games.The Capitals beat Columbus in the opening round before ousting the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins in six games.”They are similar to us in that they have a pretty deep lineup, a very lethal power play and forwards that can really change the momentum of the game with how good they are,” Lightning captain Steven Stamkos said.”We are going to need to rely on our depth as well and stay disciplined. That’s something we’ve talked about going against Boston with how good their power play is and we saw first hand that if we are going to take penalties, teams are going to make us pay,” Stamkos added. ”Washington is very similar in that regard. That will be one of the keys for us.”Ovechkin expects the Atlantic Division winners to be a stern test, too.”Right now, in this situation in this time of year, everybody has the best players, the best goalies, and you have to be the best to beat them,” the Capitals star said.”That has to be in our mind and we have to play as a group, not play individually.”Some things to know about the Capitals and Lightning, one-time Southeast Division rivals meeting in the playoffs for the first time since 2011:CAPITALS REINFORCEMENTS: Washington won Game 6 in overtime at Pittsburgh without top center Nicklas Backstrom and wingers Andre Burakovsky and Tom Wilson.Backstrom, who took a shot from Justin Schultz off his right hand in Game 5 against the Penguins on Saturday, skated and did some light stickhandling Thursday; Burakovsky (out with upper-body injury) practiced and are each considered day-to-day.Wilson will be back off a three-game suspension, and with Backstrom and Burakovsky potentially close, the Capitals could have their full lineup soon.”The first instinct is to try to put the lines back together that you had, but this time of year, you go with the guys who are going,” coach Barry Trotz said. ”The guys that are going well http://www.officialhockeyjetsshop.com/authentic-adidas-kyle-connor-jersey , you use, and the other guys wait for another opportunity. When I get the word, then we’ll put them back together.”ROAD WARRIORS: The Capitals are 5-1 on the road through two rounds and 9-3 away from home going back to the 2017 playoffs. It helps Trotz to be able to get his top defensive pairing of Dmitry Orlov and Matt Niskanen out against opponents’ stars, but beginning on the road could prove beneficial for Washington.”With the matchups on the road, you don’t get them all the time so I think guys are a little more aware of who they’re on the ice against, maybe a little more engaged in terms of knowing who’s on the ice,” winger Brett Connolly said.”So I think we’re just playing on the road. Barry’s just throwing guys over the boards and they ultimately get to decide who they want to play against that line, so guys are feeling confident and comfortable and just playing and feel good about themselves.”LONG TIME SINCE 2011: Only five players in this series were around when the Lightning and Capitals last met in the playoffs back in 2011: Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman and Washington’s Backstrom, Alex Ovechkin and John Carlson. The Lightning won in a sweep before losing in seven to Boston in the East final.”Obviously we haven’t played these guys in meaningful games like this for a while,” Stamkos said. ”So we can definitely expect a different series than that was.”—AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno contributed.— COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) Hours after the trade deadline, the Columbus Blue Jackets had the kind of first-period offensive explosion they’ve been missing this season.The Blue Jackets scored four times in the opening period and went on to beat the Washington Capitals 5-1 on Monday night. One of the goals in that flurry came from Mark Letestu, who was acquired in a trade on Sunday.”When you come over at the deadline, you want to contribute right away,” said Letestu, who previously played four seasons for the Blue Jackets in 2011-15. ”That’s the way to earn the respect of some of the guys in the room.”Seth Jones and Cam Atkinson each had a goal and two assists as Columbus won its second game in three days and the first in four tries against the Capitals this season. Artemi Panarin had a goal and an assist , and Sonny Milano – who missed 18 games with an injury – also tallied, his first since Dec. 29.Sergei Bobrovsky had 25 saves for the Blue Jackets, who held onto the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with a knot of teams still in contention. The Capitals dropped to second place behind Philadelphia in the Metropolitan Division.”They got pucks to the net,” Washington coach Barry Trotz said. ”They were winning all the puck races, the battles. We didn’t give ourselves a chance in the first because we didn’t match their enthusiasm.”Alex Ovechkin got his league-leading 39th goal for Washington. Braden Holtby had 12 saves for the Capitals in the first period, and Philipp Grubauer had 18 in the last two.In the opening period, 14 seconds after Washington’s Dmitri Orlov went to the penalty box for holding, Jones backhanded a pass to Panarin, who rifled a shot from the left circle for his team-leading 18th goal of the season.The Capitals took about 1 1/2 minutes to even it, with Ovechkin scoring a power-play goal from the left circle. Fifty-six seconds later, Alexander Wennberg centered up a shot for Milano, who delivered a spinning backhander from the slot to put Columbus up 2-1.”I don’t think many guys on our team could score that goal that he scored,” Columbus coach John Tortorella said.Letestu made it 3-1 with 5:28 left in the period when he buried a puck that Matt Calvert had shoveled out from behind the goal line. Jones went up over Holtby’s shoulder with a power-play goal from the point late in the period to give the Blue Jackets a three-goal lead at the first intermission.Atkinson capped the scoring for Columbus with a short-handed, empty-net goal late in the third period.Former Pittsburgh Penguin Ian Cole, acquired by Columbus from Ottawa on Monday, skated in the third defensive pairing with David Savard, and Tortorella praised his hustle and communication.”The bench was more alive,” Tortorella said. ”I think some guys relaxed after the deadline. We got contributions from everybody.”NOTES: Ovechkin played in his 984th game for Washington, passing Calle Johansson for the most in franchise history. He has five goals and an assist in the last five games. … Jones’ assist on Panarin’s goal was his 100th point with the Blue Jackets. … Milano scored his first goal since Dec. 29 after missing 18 games to injury and rehab. … Letestu is the sixth player to have two separate stints with the Blue Jackets. … D Taylor Chorney, who was claimed off waivers from Washington last week, was a scratch for Columbus. … The four-goal first period was the first of the season for the Blue Jackets. … Panarin has three goals and three assists in the last five games.UP NEXTWashington: Hosts Ottawa on Tuesday.Columbus: Plays at Los Angeles on Thursday.—