3 individual matchups to watch in the Stanley Cup Final

Here are three player matchups that will significantly swing the Stanley Cup Final depending on who gets the upper hand:

P.K. Subban vs. Sidney Crosby

Though it hasn't been confirmed, the pairing of P.K. Subban and Mattias Ekholm will likely draw the assignment of Sidney Crosby's line. Subban and Ekholm did a tremendous job containing Ryan Getzlaf in the conference finals, holding him to zero goals and four assists in six games.

Crosby is a whole different animal, though. His playmaking capability, edge work, and ability to protect the puck are second to none.

Subban, who leads all Predators defensemen with 31 hits in the postseason, is going to have to continue his physical play against Crosby. Keep in mind, Crosby has played a lot of hockey over the past three years:

Game type	Amount
2014-15 reg. season	77
'15 playoffs	5
World Championship	9
2015-16 reg. season	80
'16 playoffs	24
World Cup	6
2016-17 reg. season	75
'17 playoffs	18
Total	294

Crosby has played an astounding 294 meaningful games since the beginning of the 2014-15 season. This could be taking a toll on his body, especially considering the wear and tear of back-to-back deep playoff runs.

Now, Crosby might be in better physical condition than anyone on the planet, but it will still be key for Subban to set a physical presence throughout the series against No. 87.

Roman Josi vs. Evgeni Malkin

With Subban likely to match up against Crosby's line, the pairing of Roman Josi and Ryan Ellis will see Evgeni Malkin's line over most of his ice time.

Malkin has been playing some of the best hockey of his career this postseason - and that's saying a lot. Not quite like his '09 playoff performance, but through 19 games, the big center has seven goals and a postseason-leading 17 assists.

He will certainly be a handful for Josi. However, Josi's best asset could mitigate Malkin's impact in this series: his skating ability.

Josi is one of the best skaters in the entire league. The more he wheels the puck out of his own zone, the less chances Malkin will have to generate offense. Though he certainly isn't a slouch in his own zone, Malkin isn't known as an elite defensive center. He has received a total of four Selke Trophy votes in his career, and they were all for fifth place back in 2008-09.

Forcing Malkin, and his linemates Phil Kessel and Scott Wilson, to play without the puck can lead to frustration, as we saw in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final.

Pekka Rinne vs. Matt Murray

Though Rinne and Murray will never be in each other's faces like the aforementioned matchups, their head-to-head play will arguably be the most important of the entire series. Both goaltenders have been spectacular in the postseason:

Stat	Rinne	Murray
W-L	12-4	3-1
GAA	1.70	1.35
SV%	.941	.946
SO	2	1

Obviously Rinne's numbers are over a much larger sample size, but Murray's play can't be discredited.

Here's a not-so hot take: the better goalie will win the cup. Plain and simple. However, Rinne will likely be relied upon more heavily than Murray will, making his performance that much more crucial.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

Copyright (C) 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.