Time for Braden Holtby to Get Past His Mistakes

Braden Holtby has had another rough start this season. Will he ever get past the mistakes to become one of the NHL's elite? Click here for the full story.

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Caps enter offseason far too early, yet again

There was an all-too familiar feeling in DC Monday night; that awful, sinking feeling fans have come to expect every year. The Caps were headed home after another early-postseason exit.

The script always seems different, but the ending remains the same for the Caps. With a new coach, the odds were stacked against them coming out of the lockout. The team struggled immensely to start the season as they struggled to grasp the new system put in by Adam Oates, their third coach in two seasons.

Just when it looked like the Caps had dug themselves a hole too deep to dig out of, the team turned things around and grew white-hot. Alex Ovechkin became a superstar once again, Braden Holtby turned back into the star goalie from last year’s playoffs, and the team rallied to win its fifth Southeast division title in six years.

There was hope that the Caps would be able to stay hot in the playoffs as they faced the New York Rangers yet again, but after jumping out to a two game lead, the Caps were unable to close out the series and lost an embarrassing 5-0 contest in Game 7 in DC.

Yet again we are left to wonder what went wrong; yet again we ask what is this team missing?

Much has been made about the refereeing, especially after Ovechkin spoke out against the refs during his exit interview. The Rangers had 28 power-play opportunities in the series while the Caps had only 16. The Rangers were the least penalized team in the NHL in the regular season, so perhaps it is no surprise that there would be a discrepancy in power-plays, but the numbers hide just how important the penalties were and how bad some of the calls seemed to be. Too many penalties derailed the Caps’ offense. Frustration over the lack of calls against New York boiled over and led to more penalties as the Caps lashed out against their opponents.

The reffing was undeniably one-sided, but not for any sinister reason. My theory is that the refs were fed up with players like Jason Chimera and Mike Ribeiro who have made a habit of voicing their displeasure to the refs. As a result, whether consciously or subconsciously, the refs made the Caps pay.

Still, the Caps did this to themselves. The Rangers agitated the Caps, and they responded by committing stupid penalties. You cannot blame the refs for the numerous delay of game penalties or the Caps retaliatory penalties. Teams are going to agitate the Caps as long as it works. They needed to keep cooler heads on the ice and they were unable to do so.

The contributions of Henrik Lundqvist also cannot be over-stated. He is one of the best goalies in the league and he looked like it. The Caps managed only 12 goals in seven games against the Rangers and were shutout in the last two. Ovechkin was the league’s leading scorer but scored only one goal in seven games.

As good as Lundqvist was, the Rangers exposed a major weakness for the Caps; scoring depth.

Alexander Semin may have been a scapegoat over the past few years, but his departure left a gaping scoring hole on the second line. To try and fix this problem, General Manager George McPhee attempted to address this problem by trading for Martin Erat, but it was not enough.

Ultimately, the Caps are a skilled team without enough skill and with little offensive grit. No one wanted screened Lundqvist and the Caps managed few ‘dirty’ goals. There was not enough traffic in front of Lundqvist and not enough offensive creativity. The Rangers forced the puck back to the point and the Caps struggled to distribute, as demonstrated by the team’s shot totals. Ovechkin led the team in shots, but the next three highest shot totals came from defensemen. If Ovechkin is struggling to beat Lundqvist, you can beat Karl Alzner will as well.

Depth was also an issue on defense, where the John Erskine and Jack Hillen were exposed as major weaknesses at the blue line.

I have constantly spoken out against Erskine in the past, but this year he really turned me around. This season may have been his best as a professional. Hillen also played incredibly well, but the Ragners were not impressed.

Both Hillen and especially Erskine were victimized by the Rangers. This is an area the Caps must address this offseason. This was Erskine’s best season and he was still a step behind come the playoffs. He simply is not a player you can depend on when it matters most.

Without question, the biggest problem for the Caps is in their heads. There are weaknesses in their lineup, the refereeing could have been better, Lundqvist was hot, but all of these obstacles could have been overcome. The Caps just flat out did not play well enough to win this series.

Secondary scoring became a glaring weakness because their stars were not producing. Ovechkin had zero points in the last five games, Backstrom had only three points total, and the team’s leading scorer was Mike Green with two goals. That simply is not good enough.

The fact that the Caps could be so easily agitated and pressured into taking dumb penalties shows a lack of progression and maturity that just boggles the mind. The Caps have a great roster full of stars in their prime with years of playoff experience. Why are they still struggling to stay disciplined? Why are their stars struggling to produce? Why is the pressure still affecting them so blatantly?

Despite everything else, the biggest problem for this team is the mental hurdle they still have yet to overcome. That fragile mentality was evident in the 5-0 loss Monday night when the team collapsed at the first hint of adversity.

That same night, the Bruins overcame a three goal deficit in their game 7, to defeat Toronto in overtime. Between the Caps and Bruins, which would you guess is only two years removed from a Stanley Cup?

Time for the Caps to toughen up mentally or every year we will be left to ask ourselves, what’s missing?

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Caps-Rangers preview

And so they meet again.

For the third year in a row and the fourth time in five seasons, the Washington Capitals will meet the New York Rangers in the playoffs. Every year these teams take very different routes to the playoffs and this year was no different.

Every Caps’ fan knows the roller coaster season the Caps have had. After starting the season 2-8-1, the Caps went on a tear. They looked like a lottery team and finished as one of the hottest teams in the league. Much of their success coincided with the resurgence of Alex Ovechkin, who wrapped up his third career Rocket Richard Trophy for most goals in the league. Despite the rocky start, the Caps rebounded to win the last ever Southeast Division Championship, their fifth in six years and seventh in team history.

The Caps head into the postseason having won 11 of their past 13, but really have been riding a hot streak for half the season now. That kind of streak and confidence can go a long way in the postseason, as the defending champion LA Kings can attest to.

Similarly, the Rangers are riding their own streak having gone 10-3-1 in the month of April which was sorely needed as the Rangers have been underachieving all season long. Will their new found confidence be enough to lead them past the Caps?

Offensive Key: Which offense will stay hot?

New York lost in the Eastern Conference Finals last season to New Jersey. With the addition of star winger Rick Nash in the off season the Rangers looked poised to challenge for the Stanley Cup, but were unable to gain the type of offensive veracity most people envisioned. They finished the season with 2.6 goals per game, good for 15^th in the NHL. John Tortorella, the angry grandfather of NHL coaches, might not be the right coach for the roster this team has assembled.

The Ranger's recent run, however, came after a deadline trade with Columbus that sent Marion Gaborik to Columbus and brought in Derik Brassard, among others. The result thus far has been the type of offensive productions the Rangers have sought all year. Is this is a sign of improvement or simply a recent hot-streak that will cool down in the postseason?

It is well known how good the Caps are offensively, the question is whether the Rangers will be able to keep up.

Defensive Key: Can the Caps control their defensive zone?

The Rangers may have struggled to score but with their offensive talent they can put together a potent attack at any time.

Defensively, the Caps have really struggled to control their own crease. Tortorella’s teams always like to agitate and I expect on every offensive shift, someone will plant himself in front of Braden Holtby and dare the defense to kick him out.

The Caps also are terrible at covering the cross-ice pass. The defense can at times get sucked into a play and lose track of an opposing winger, leaving them open for an easy strike.

Controlling the crease will be a major key for the Caps. With the Rangers’ recent offensive surge, however, the Caps also cannot afford to lose track of New York’s dangerous scorers.

Goalie key: How many games can Lundqvist steal?

The Rangers managed to climb into the playoffs thanks to star goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. In the recent history between the Caps and Rangers, many players have come and gone. Lundqvist, however, has been there for all three of the recent series and he has been a rock each time. He will be critical in this series.

The Caps have the fourth best offense in the league and the top ranked power play. The Caps have been able at times to score on Lundqvist, but he is more than capable of stealing a game or two for the Rangers in this series and he will have to for the Rangers to have any chance.

Opposite him, will be Braden Holtby who established himself last year when he was thrust into the spotlight thanks to injuries to both Tomas Vokoun and Michal Neuvirth. Holtby unexpectedly found himself as the starting goalie in the playoffs and he was fantastic. The Caps will not rely on Holtby as much as the Rangers will rely on Lundqvist, but he will still need to be strong in this series if the Caps hope to win.

Special teams key: Can the Rangers stay disciplined?

The Caps have the best power play in the league. The Rangers have the 15^th penalty kill. They are extremely aggressive, but to a fault. There are times when all four penalty killers will swarm to the puck, leaving someone alone and open in front of the net. The Rangers know they cannot do that against Ovechkin and the Caps because they will be shredded. If Ovechkin finds himself alone and by himself, it will not matter who’s in net.

Still, unless you see drastic improvement from the Rangers, the power play will be an obvious strength for the Caps.

As I said before, Tortorella coached teams love to agitate their opponents. They will play very physically against the Caps, but they must stay disciplined. The Rangers cannot afford to give the Caps too many chances on the power play or the Caps will make them pay.

Prediction:

Offense will decide this series. The Rangers need to score like the team everyone thought they would be all season long and the Caps need to score like the team we’ve seen in the second half of the season. More specifically, Ovechkin needs to score like the player we’ve seen in the second half.

Ovechkin leads the team (and the league) with 32 goals. Troy Brouwer is second on the team with 19 and Mike Ribeiro is third with 13. For you math whizzes out there, that means Ovechkin has more goals than both Brouwer and Ribeiro combined. You can say the Caps need to get secondary scoring, but who are we kidding? Ovechkin got them here; the postseason is not the time to suddenly depend on secondary scoring.

The Caps will win this series if Ovechkin can score five goals. That’s a tall task for a playoff series and against a goalie like Lundqvist, but the Caps will need that kind of production from him to survive.

The hotter Ovechkin remains, the better the Caps will fare against their familiar foes.

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What's wrong with Neuvirth?

Michal Neuvirth was supposedly scheduled to start Sunday when the Capitals traveled to Philadelphia, but he was held out as a precaution after taking an Ovechkin shot to the mask in practice the day before.

It was unfortunate timing for Neuvirth, but oddly enough it was the third time this season Neuvirth was scheduled to start and could not. For someone who’s starts have been few and far between, this seems a bit too curious.

Something does not smell right about this.

Since starting five of the team’s first seven games, Neuvirth has only started four of the last 29. He came in one other game in relief of Braden Holtby, but was pulled quickly during one of his own starts.

So Adam Oates has decided Holtby is his number one goalie, there’s nothing wrong with that. That’s simply part of the business.

The problem, however, is that Oates seems to be going out of his way not to play Neuvirth.

Conventional wisdom in the NHL is to switch your starters when your team plays on consecutive nights. Holtby, however, has played on consecutive nights three times this season. Perhaps Oates is not worried about tiring out his starter in a shortened season, but don’t forget, Holtby was playing in Hershey during the lockout.

The NHL may be playing a shortened season, but Holtby is not.

This brings me back to my original point. Three times this season Neuvirth has been expected to play and at the last second plans changed.

In two of those instances, Neuvirth was reportedly sick. This past weekend the team was evidently worried about a possible concussion.

I would have no questions about the team’s caution after Neuvirth took a puck to the mask, but as this is the third time something has happened just as he was supposed to play, it makes me question whether something else is going on.

I won’t argue that Neuvirth is a better goalie than Holtby. He’s not. Holtby deserves to be the top goalie. Neuvirth is, however, an above average goalie who has proven his abilities with this team. Had he not gotten injured late in the season last year, he would have been the team’s starting goalie in the playoffs. At the very least, he is good enough to relieve Holtby on consecutive nights.

I cannot tell you for sure what is going on; whether Neuvirth has fallen out of favor with Oates, if there is some sort of lingering injury, or whether Neuvirth himself has checked out mentally. What I can tell you is that Neuvirth started seven of the first 11 games. In that eleventh game in Pittsburgh, Neuvirth was pulled in the second period after allowing only two goals on 11 shots. It was too quick in my opinion and he has only started twice in the 25 games since.

Holtby is the better goalie, but Neuvirth’s play was not poor enough to justify such a complete shutdown.

If something happened, it is likely that it happened around that game in Pittsburgh. Was there an injury we are not aware of? Did Neuvirth resent the early hook? Did Oates completely lose faith in his backup goalie? Is Oates so desperate to make the playoffs he refuses to rest his starter?

I can’t answer these questions. What I can say is that teams have backup goalies for a reason. The Caps are fortunate to have a starting caliber goalie as their backup; it makes no sense not to use him.

If there is a situation between Neuvirth and the Oates, then Neuvirth needs to be traded before the deadline later today. You cannot have a situation where a goalie and coach do not trust one another. Should Holtby get injured down the stretch, whom does Oates turn to?

If you trust him, play him. If you don’t, then move him while you have the chance.

It’s possible I’ve read too much into this situation, but look at the facts. Neuvirth starts seven out of 11 games, he is pulled quickly in one game, and starts only twice in the next 25. Three times Holtby has played in consecutive games and three times Neuvirth has had to bow out of the precious few starts he’s been projected to play.

Something is definitely going on here.

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Caps Struggling to Start the Season

Through the lockout, all the Washington Capitals wanted to do was to play hockey. All they want now is to go back to the lockout.

The young season has not been kind to the Caps who, after Sunday’s loss to Pittsburgh, have stumbled to a 2-6-1 record. With a very short camp and a new coach, the Caps were likely to struggle to start the season, but the transition has been harder than many expected and have left the team searching for answers.

So what’s gone wrong so far? A little bit of everything.

The Caps thought they were set in goal with both Braden Holtby and Michal Neuvirth, but at its best the goaltending has been inconsistent. Holtby, last season’s clutch performer has so far looked anything but. In four games, he has a whopping 4.52 GAA. He has shown none of the poise and focus of last season and his play has reflected that. Neuvirth has been the stronger of the two by far, but his mostly-solid performance has been marred by soft goals.

It is hard to put too much blame on the goalies, however, because neither is getting a lot of help. Defensively, the Caps have been a mess. Bad turnovers, bad penalties, and miscommunications have been prevalent especially from John Carlson.  Carlson has been on the ice for the vast majority of goals the team has allowed.  He has looked sluggish and out of sync with the rest of the team.  While the Caps have several bodies on defense, they have few top four defensemen.  So while Carlson has been terrible, he keeps getting top minutes; 22:52 per game, second highest on the team behind only Mike Green.

Offensively, the Caps just are not scoring. They rank 25^th in goals per game. They are creating good chances and great pressure, but that just has not translated into more scoring. Alexander Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and Mike Green have five goals combined.  Alexander Semin may have become a punchline at the end of his tenure in DC, but he did provide the Caps with another weapon other teams had to account for.  He was a skilled winger capable of producing pionts and taking pressure off the other stars.  The Caps are missing his presence more than they expected.  They are getting secondary scoring from players like Joel Ward and Mike Ribeiro, but they need their stars to start producing.

More than anything else, it has been the mental mistakes that have hurt this team. The Caps are ranked 21^stin penalty minutes and 26^th in penalty kills. They have gotten off to poor starts and have collapsed at the end of games. When a team transitions to a new coach, these mental mistakes can happen because the players are thinking too hard. Rather than instinctively knowing what to do, players have to stop and think and that split second can mean everything.

When the Capitals have managed to put together a solid effort, you can see the makings of a good team. When they finally figure things out, this team will be much better. It is not time yet to panic in DC.

While things may not be as dire as the record may suggest that’s not to say Oates has done everything right; he’s made his share of mistakes.

Knowing what a burden the transition was going to be for the team with the abbreviated training camp, it was Oates’ responsibility to try and make that transition as seamless as possible. Moving Ovechkin from the left, where he has played his entire life, to the right while teaching him a new system in a 6-day training camp was overly-ambitious. I like the idea of trying him on the right, but that will be something to try next season after Ovechkin has a summer to get used to it.

The Caps thought they may have an advantage coming out of the lockout because Backstrom and Ovechkin had been playing with each other in Russia, but Ovechkin was playing left wing in Russia.  By switching Ovechkin to the right, you have negated whatever chemistry and familiarity the pair had built with one another.

Now Backstrom and Ovechkin are not even on the same line and Oates has struggled to find a combination that produces. In his tinkering, Oates tried for a time to match Ovechkin with Jay Beagle and Joey Crabb. This was a disaster from the start.

The season has been condensed in order to get as many games as possible in between now and April, making conditioning a major factor. It is important therefore for the team to be able to roll four lines to prevent fatigue. Spreading the grinders and energy players with the stars can bring a new energy to some of the stars and keep each line fresh. Matching Ovechkin with Beagle and Crabb, however, puts far too much pressure on Ovechkin’s shoulders. For a player who has been struggling to produce and has been criticized for trying to do too much at times, why would you put him on a line with no other offensive playmakers? With all due respect to Beagle and Crabb, this line forces Ovechkin to try and do everything himself.

The biggest problem facing the Caps now is time. If and when they finally adapt to Oates’ system, will they have dug themselves a hole they cannot get out of? Of all the seasons to have new coach, this is about as unfortunate as you can get.

When Dale Hunter took over mid-season for the Caps last year, the team lost six of their first 11 games and that was after losing 10 of their previous 15. The difference was that the Caps still had half a season left to turn things around.

It may not be time to panic, but the clock is ticking. The Caps need points and they need them now.

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Capitals Preview: Shortened Season Provides New Challenges

The most baffling work stoppage perhaps in the history of sports finally came to an end Saturday with the NHL and NHLPA’s signing of the “memo of understanding” on Saturday night. Now the Washington Capitals must fit an entire offseason of preparation into one week as they prepare for the season opener on January 19^th in Tampa Bay. Here are the big questions that face this team heading into training camp.

Can Adam Oates instill a successful system quickly?

Adam Oates takes over for Dale Hunter as the third coach for the Caps in the last year. Oates served as an assistant coach in Tampa Bay for the 2009-2010 season and in New Jersey from 2010-2012. He has been universally praised for his offensive acumen, and the hope is that he will be able to revive Alex Ovechkin and the Caps’ potent attack. His system is seen as a hybrid of Bruce Boudreu’s and Hunter’s, and I think the Caps will thrive under it. Eventually.

Oates has no head coaching experience and only a week to instill his system on his new team. With a shortened season the Caps cannot afford any growing pains that can come with a new coach. A bad first month will be much harder to recover from. The Caps went 5-5 in their first ten games under Hunter, and 11-9-1 in their first 20. They did not qualify for the playoffs until the second to last game of the season. A similar stretch this season may prove too steep a hill to climb.

Can Braden Holtby transition into a full-time NHL goalie?

Who can forget the heroics of Braden Holtby in the playoffs last season? Called upon when both Tomas Vokoun and Michal Neuvirth went down with injury, Holtby showed he was more than ready for NHL action with an impressive postseason performance. The Caps hope he can continue playing at the same level this season as a full-time, albeit for a shorter season, NHLer.

Neuvirth returns as well so expect to see a dual goalie system again. Both played during the lockout, Neuvirth in Europe and Holtby in the AHL, so both should be in game shape. One of the Caps’ main weaknesses over the past several seasons now looks to be a real strength for this team with two solid, playoff tested goalies on the roster.

Do the Caps have enough offensive weapons to make up for the loss of Alexander Semin?

In Semin’s best season with the Caps, he scored 40 goals and tallied another 44 assists. As the team hopes for a bit of an offensive revival under Oates, Semin’s goal-scoring capabilities will be sorely missed. The Caps have speed and playmakers, but without him they lack real goal-scoring depth.

The hope is that Mathieu Perrault will develop into a top scorer and Wojtek Wolski will makeup for the rest. A resurgent Ovechkin would also be nice. The three of them together can easily makeup for the absence of the fickle winger.

That’s wishful thinking.

The loss of Semin will takeaway from Ovechkin’s potency. While Semin only scored 49 goals in the past two seasons, he was someone else teams needed to account for. In clutch situations when both players would play together, teams had to be aware of both wingers at all times. Without Semin, teams will continue to key on Ovechkin. He may have been playing well in Russia, but unless Oates can devise a way to get him free from opposing defenses, he will continue struggling to produce at the level Caps fans expect and haven’t seen since 2010.

Perrault has shown great potential, but he remains incredibly inconsistent in his offensive production. I like the addition of Wolski, but I would not be surprised if McPhee is looking for more offense before the trade deadline.

Are injuries already an issue?

The Caps had a scare when they learned Nicklas Backstrom had suffered a “neck injury” while in Russia that reportedly made him feel dizzy. After seeing a concussion expert upon returning, it appears he did not suffer another concussion and should be fine for the start of the season. Still after how long he was sidelined last season, the Caps are likely to be very protective of their star center.

Brooks Laich has not participated in training camp and a report by TSN’s Bob Mckenzie says Laich could miss the first one or two weeks of the season. Laich is a great player whose leadership will be missed while he is away, but his grinding style of play is more effective in the latter months of the season. The Caps of course would prefer to have him in the lineup, but two weeks to start the season is not the end of the world.

Young defenseman Dmitry Orlov also has yet to make his debut at camp due to an upper-body injury and, according to the Washington Examiner, he will not be ready for the start of the regular season. I’m not quite sure how serious this is. No one seems to talk about it, but he’s been out since early December. He played well as a number 6 or 7 last season and I was hoping to see further development this season. Hopefully this injury will not keep him out of the Caps lineup for an extended amount of time.

Predictions?

We will learn everything we need to know about this team in the first month. This season will lack the major ups and downs of a typical 82 game schedule which means a quick start will be crucial. That’s not good news for a team with a new coach and several new key players. The team will likely lean on Ovechkin for offense and Holtby in net as they continue to learn Oates’style. If they can quickly adapt to it they can make a lot of noise in the Eastern Conference.

Unfortunately, the shortened schedule and makeup of this season really hurts a team like the Caps. They have too much talent to underachieve as badly as last season, but not enough time to put it all together and will finish second in the division yet again. They will make the playoffs, but it will not be a deep run.

The Caps will thrive under Oates eventually, but not this season.

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New Look Capitals Finding Success Where They Previous Have Fallen

The Washington Capitals tied their series with the New York Rangers at 2 Saturday with a 3-2 win.  The grinding style of play that led to the victory has become a trademark of the Caps this postseason as the team continues to redefine itself.  Previously, the Caps were a run-and-gun, offensive juggernaut who could outscore any team in the league as they coasted their way into the postseason.  Yet, the past four seasons have ended far too soon as they Caps fell victim to upset after upset.  Suddenly, the stars could not score and the team rapidly imploded.  Now with a new defensive system and a new coach, the Caps have exceeded almost everyone’s expectations.

The Caps have been a playoff team every year since 2008 but have yet to reach the conference finals despite twice being number one seed from the East and winning the President’s Trophy in 2010.  Prior to 2012, the constant of each postseason has been disappointment, most notably in 2010 when the Caps took a 3 -1 series lead over Montreal before losing in seven games in one of the biggest upsets in NHL history.  This year, after Dale Hunter took over as head coach, the Caps struggled under his tutelage and nearly missed the playoffs.  The coaching change appeared to have failed when the Caps lost 5-1 at home to Buffalo in what was thought to be the decisive game between the last 2 playoff contenders.  Yet, the Caps clawed all the way up to the seventh seed and were rewarded with a matchup against the defending Stanley Cup Champions.  Most experts I saw predicted Boston would win in five.  Yet here we are in round two, now tied at 2 with the top seeded Rangers.  What happened?

When Hunter took over the team, he preached a more defensive strategy.  The players struggled initially with it and Hunter went into the playoffs with a 30-23-8 record.  Add to these struggles injuries to the team’s top 2 goalies and hockey writers around the country began preparing their reactions for the yearly Washington collapse.  Yet, you could tell from games one and two that this was going to be different.  Facing the second best offense in the league, the Caps and rookie goalie Braden Holtby held the Bruins scoreless through 60 minutes before losing in overtime.  Rather than collapsing, the team fought back and won game two in Boston in yet another overtime game.  Two games in, and the team had allowed only two goals.  The series became the closest series in the history of the NHL before the Caps finally won it in game seven.

Not only had they won a series in which they were clearly outmatched, but it was the way they had won it that made it so noteworthy.  The team had not collapsed after not one, but two OT losses; they never trailed by more than one goal at any point; they led and still lead the playoffs in shots blocked; and they did it without relying on their top scorers.  Few playoff stories have gotten as much traction as Ovechkin’s ice time.  There are times when he has been “benched” receiving sometimes as little as a minute and a half of ice time in a single period.  Some have questioned if there was trouble in the locker room of if Hunter was sending a message, some people (myself included) ripped Hunter for taking out his best player so the other team wouldn’t have to.  The thing is…it’s working.  Hunter plays matchups and situations when it comes to his lines.  When the team is ahead, Ovechkin sits.  Does Ovechkin enjoy this setup?  No, and he has said so, but he has also said he’ll do whatever is good for the team.  Even Ovechkin’s staunchest critics will admit that he is a team player.  If the team keeps winning, he’ll keep sitting on the bench.

So far, however, the Caps have not relied on only his scoring in order to win.  The team is buying into this new system and everyone is playing two-way hockey.  The grinders are scoring big goals and the scorers are blocking shots.  Think back to game seven, the Caps won off of goals from Matt Hendricks and Joel Ward.  The team is getting contributions from everyone in their lineup.  The only player without a point so far is Jeff Schultz and he has only played 7 of 11 games.  The same effort can be seen on the other end of the ice where some of the Caps best players are giving themselves up to block shots.  Marcus Johansson has been hit in the face, Nicklas Backstrom looks unafraid despite coming back from a concussion, everyone is chipping in.  Even Alexander Semin, who consistently disappears every year come the playoffs, has turned in some gritty performances.  Did you ever in your life think anyone would describe Semin as “gritty”? 

Right now, we are watching a different kind of Capitals team.  They are finding ways to win when previously they would have found ways to lose.  While it may be fair to say that the Caps have gotten lucky with the remarkable play of Holtby in net, the Caps have seen a rookie step in before and were not able to capitalize.  In 2009, the Caps turned to rookie Semyon Varlamov after Jose Theodore was lit up for five goals and a loss in game one against New York.  The Caps still collapsed in round two, losing four out of five games to Pittsburgh after winning the first two.  Of course there’s no telling what may happen in this series.  With game five tonight in New York, the Caps may collapse and find themselves sent home in the second round yet again.  But, watching the way we have played thus far, I head into tonight’s game and this series with a renewed sense of confidence.

Caps Head Back to DC with Series Tied

Heading into the playoffs, there were a lot of question marks for the Capitals. Would the Caps be able to match Boston's physical play? Could the defense handle Boston's scoring depth? How did the Caps plan to beat Tim Thomas? Would Braden Holtby be able to handle the pressure of his first NHL playoff appearance? Well, heading back to DC, I'd say the Capitals so far have answered all of those questions and now have a chance to take the lead in a series most people gave them no shot of winning.

There is probably no bigger story so far in this series than the performance of Holtby in net. He has allowed only two goals in two overtime games against a Boston team that had the second best offense in the regular season and has a whopping .973 save percentage in the series. His unflappable demeanor was really on display yesterday when he turned in another impressive performance despite giving up the OT winner in game 1. A lot of goalies would have had trouble rebounding from that, but he looked just as cool and calm as always. He tends to give up too many rebounds and trusts too much in his stick, something that contributed to Boston's only goal Sunday, but otherwise I have been more than impressed by his performance. I knew he was good, but I did not think he was this good yet.

Boston has also been unable to take advantage of Holtby's rebounds because of how well the Caps have played defensively. They have been in great position to tap away those rebounds and shot block and it has clearly frustrated Boston's vaunted offense. They have not been pushed off the puck in their own zone, something I was concerned may happen, and they are getting an all out effort by everyone on the ice. Everyone is laying out to block shots, both Marcus Johansson and Jeff Schultz have taken pucks to the head. Even Alex Semin, a player long criticized for not always giving his best effort, contributed about four or five key defensive plays yesterday in OT. When players see someone like Semin going all out, it inspires the rest of the team. Even though he did not contribute to the score sheet yesterday, he was one of the best players on the ice.

The biggest thing the Caps need to improve on is their offense. The team only mustered 56 shots in both games, and that's including OT. There was some criticism of Alex Ovechkin, but I thought he has played well. Playing against the 6 ft 9 Zdeno Chara is a tough matchup, but he has created opportunities and matched him hit for hit. He even had an assist on Troy Brouwer's goal making a great pass to the front of the net. He needs to continue generating what he can and pushing the tempo. The other lines need to pick up the slack. I knew secondary scoring was going to be key, and as a result, Backstrom and Semin are playing on the second line away from Chara's shadow. So far, Backstrom has generated some chances and netted the OT winner yesterday, but the team will need more than 56 shots and a few chances from 8 and 19 to beat Boston.

Besides the offense, the Caps look to be in good shape. They've allowed only two goals despite playing the second best offense in the league and having a rookie goalie. They have matched Boston's physical play and tied up the series. Now, with two games down, three of the last five games are in DC. The Caps need to continue playing great defense to help Holtby, but the best thing they can do to help him is generate more offense. While the Caps have only allowed two, they have only scored two. For both games to come down to OT is putting a lot on Holtby's shoulders, despite how well he has played. Whoever can solve the other team's defense is going to be moving on to the next round.

Caps Prepare to Meet the Bruins in Round One

The Capitals and Bruins square off tonight at 7:30 to open their playoff series. This year, the Caps are playing the unfamiliar role of the underdog and will have to start quickly in Boston to have a chance. Thanks to a strong finish, the Caps qualified for the playoffs in the 81^st game and climbed into the 7^th spot on the last day of the regular season. The unfortunate reality of being in the bottom of the conference, however, is that the Caps managed to avoid a matchup with the top team in the conference and instead will now face the defending champions. If the Boston of 2011 shows up for this series, the Caps may be facing yet another early playoff exit.



To start the season, Boston had the typical Stanley Cup hangover and struggled in the opening month. They quickly rebounded and became the best team in the league by December and, despite some late season consistency issues, they have remained near the top. Offensively the Bruins tend to share the wealth. Boston was the only team this season to have six players with 20 or more goals. With scorers on their top three lines, the Bruins have the luxury of being able to cycle through all of their lines without sacrificing offensive pressure. They will, however, be playing without Nathan Horton who is suffering from a concussion. He produced in key moments last season and the Bruins may struggle to find that clutch weapon in key moments. Defensively, the Bruins are led by their big man, Zdeno Chara. He is known for shutting down opponents’ star players and is expected to matchup with Alex Ovechkin.



The Bruins, however, will only go as far as goalie Tim Thomas will allow them to go. Boston’s Stanley Cup run last season I think can be credited more to Thomas’ heroics than to anything else, as is evidenced by his winning the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP. Though he is not having the Vezina winning season he had last year, there’s no doubt he’s capable of standing on his head come playoff time. The real question in net is what the Bruins do if Thomas is injured. Normally, Thomas is backed-up by the very stout Tukka Rask, but he is currently nursing a groin injury and will not be available at least initially. That means AHL call up Anton Khudobin will be Thomas’ back up. He won’t see any action unless Thomas goes down, but it’s something to be aware of.



Calling this a rollercoaster season for the Capitals would be an understatement. Despite a 7-0 start, the Caps soon looked mediocre and it spelled the end for the long embattled Bruce Boudreau. Caps’ legend Dale Hunter took over the team and the Caps stayed on the fringe of the playoffs throughout the season only qualifying in the final week. The biggest question mark heading into this series for this team is goaltending. Tomas Vokoun has a possible season ending groin injury that will, at the very least, keep him out of action for round one. Michal Neuvirth suffered a lower body injury late in the season and though he looks closer to returning, it is unlikely he will be ready to go by tonight. That means the pressure falls on the inexperienced shoulders of Braden Holtby. The 22 year old has very limited NHL experience and no playoff experience. Though he has looked good at times, he has also showed his inexperience especially during the 5-1 loss against Buffalo. This is not unfamiliar territory for the Caps, who started the inexperienced Semyon Varlamov three years ago and Neuvirth last season, but it was a situation the Caps thought they would be able to avoid with the signing of Vokoun. The good news is that Holtby always seems to have a calm demeanor and is unlikely to fall victim to the playoff pressure, but how he will play against the physical Bruins is anybody’s guess.



Defensively, the Caps may have struggled to find any sort of defensive consistency this season and they may have trouble matching up against Boston’s offensive depth. Karl Alzner and Dmitry Orlov have played well, but I’m not quite sure how well they will handle Boston’s physicality. Mike Green has struggled immensely since his return and has not provided the spark both Hunter and General Manager George McPhee were hoping for. Roman Hamrlik could be a key blue liner, but his age is a factor. How much left does he have in the tank? Even the team’s lone all star, Dennis Wideman, has a few question marks surrounding him as he tends to be outskated in the defensive zone. The Caps will need all five players on the ice to commit themselves to playing a smart, physical defensive strategy. They cannot allow themselves to be pushed off the puck in their own zone, but cannot allow the Bruins’ physical play to frustrate them and translate into penalties.



When it comes to scoring, most people believe the story begins and ends with Ovechkin. While he has not played up to his potential this season, he really picks things up come playoff time with 50 points in 37 playoff appearances. The problem is that Ovechkin can expect to play across from Chara all series long and Chara is known for shutting down superstar opponents. Hunter will have to rearrange his lines to spread out the scoring. Don’t be surprised to see Nicklas Backstrom playing second line instead of next to Ovechkin. Hunter can’t have Chara shut down both Ovie and Backstrom, so instead I would expect Backstrom to play second line with Alex Semin. Semin can’t give the team his yearly disappearing act. Besides the obvious superstars, the Caps are going to have to rely on players like Jay Beagle and Joel Ward to match some of Boston’s physicality. Towards the end of the season, Hunter began pitting Beagle against some team’s top lines and he was very effective at shutting them down. Matching will be difficult against Boston’s balanced attack, but his physicality will be no less important. As for Ward, he was signed after his playoff heroics last season and thus far he has not come close to living up to that contract. This is what he was brought in for and this is where he needs to really pick up his game.



Looking at this matchup, things don’t look great for the Caps. Despite beating Boston three out of four times this season, Boston knows how to pick up their game in the postseason. The Caps cannot allow themselves to be bogged down by Boston’s physicality. If they do, they will be stuck on their heels in their own zone. They have to transition up and out quickly and work their offense around Chara. Secondary scoring will be key since I’m not sure how much you can expect from Ovechkin. Boston will want to forecheck and keep offensive possession. Most of all, they will try to agitate. They will be merciless in the crease, knowing the Caps will be depending on a rookie netminder. If they can keep possession in the offensive zone, they will tire the Caps out while rolling through their balanced lines and generate goals and penalties.



This series will depend on games one and two. The Caps have always played well at home and are certainly skilled enough to win at Verizon, but this is a bad matchup for them and they cannot afford to go down early. The Caps MUST steal one in Boston. If they head to DC down 2-0, they will lose in five. If they can take one in Boston, they can definitely win at least one at home and anything can happen in a 2-2 series. They need at least one in Boston to have a chance or once again fans in DC will go home feeling the season ended far too early.