Television viewing audiences have been sagging, but the Washington Capitals-Pittsburgh Penguins matchup may be just the tonic to cure what ails the NHL.
Numbers appear to be down across the country, due in no small part to the lack of a Canadian team competing for post-season glory. The hockey giants known as the Kings and the Blackhawks have been slain, and upstarts like the Nashville Predators and the New York Islanders press on in search of hockey’s greatest accolade.
While the shakeup in the Western conference has pundits and prognosticators contemplating alternate scenarios to an L.A. or Chicago championship, the eastern conference is about to kick off what could be the most-viewed series of the post-season, between long-time rivals Washington and Pittsburgh.
Washington Capitals vs Pittsburgh Penguins Series Preview
While the Caps quickly established themselves as legitimate contenders this year, the Penguins waddled around in mediocrity until a mid-season coaching change that saw Mike Sullivan promoted last December.
What appeared to be lukewarm seasons from both Sidney Crosby and newcomer Phil Kessel turned out to be pretty impressive showings thanks to a little roster shuffling by Sullivan.
In just five playoff games, Crosby has three goals and five assists, while Kessel has three points and three assists. Evgeny Malkin made his return after game one versus the New York Rangers in round one, and has added two goals and four assists in just four games, quashing any doubts about his game-readiness following injury.
While star netminder Marc-Andre Fleury remains sidelined with a concussion, his understudy, Matt Murray, has been nothing short of brilliant, earning a sparkling 1.33 goals-against average in three games, good for a .955 save percentage.
On the other side of the ledger, we have Brayden Holtby holding it down between the pipes for the Caps in what has been a Vezina-worthy year for the talented netminder. Holtby has the advantage here in that he is both more experienced, and he has a level of “cool” about him that makes him almost unflappable. His zen-like focus during gametime is the stuff of legend, and his ability to track the puck and anticipate the flow of play will require Pittsburgh’s shooters to be at their level-best if they are to beat him.
While Pittsburgh has done a tremendous job of parking their early-season challenges and pushing through to become what appears to be a bona fide threat to make the conference finals,Washington has similarly overcome its own challenges, and are set to compete in second-round action, and hopefully advance for the first time since 1998. The Caps closed out the season on a less-than positive note faltering ever-so-slightly, dropping seven of their last ten games; two of which were against the Penguins, interestingly enough. They were also out-scored 10-5 in those last two games versus their round-two opponent, making this series about as tough to predict as it gets. Here are three keys that may influence the outcome for each team:
Washington
- Brayden Holtby needs to channel his inner zen-master and lead his team in terms of poise and composure. If Holtby stays calm, his team will follow that example. Alex Ovechkin may be the captain, but Holtby is their spiritual leader. If he shows any sign of weakness, it could be over sooner than later.
- Play them hard. I have always felt that the Penguins are a team that requires favourable circumstances in order to succeed. With respect for their talent, I see them as a team that can be easily deflated. Knock them off their stride and get under their skin and they can become unraveled. Former Leaf Phil Kessel has proven time and again that he can get rattled pretty easily, and he’s not the only one. Both Crosby and Malkin have shown flashes of frustration and lack of composure in key moments.
- Attack in waves, but don’t abandon your station. Pittsburgh has the skill to counterpunch any team into ill-health as well as an ability to capitalize on over-zealous offensive campaigns, so finding that balance is key. Kessel has the speed to burn even those among the fleetest of foot and make them pay for an ill-timed pinch or blue line bobble, and he’s certainly not the only one sporting Penguin colours with that skill. The Caps will need to find that critical balance between sustained offensive zone pressure and leaving themselves vulnerable to an odd-man rush coming back.
Pittsburgh
- Stay composed. Play whistle-to-whistle and don’t expect ideal playing conditions. Star players are going to be hacked, slashed and otherwise abused, and if the Pens want to get past Washington, they need to prepare for a war of attrition and focus on playing through the abuse, because it only gets worse from here on out.
- Go with the hot hand. Matt Murray is feelin’ it right now, and if Fleury finds himself good to go, he needs to be a mentor from the bench and a cheerleader until Murray shows signs of cracking under pressure. If it aint broke, don’t fix it.
- Play in the “fun zone”. Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock coined this term in reference to playing the game in the offensive zone. Pittsburgh needs to use their cycle game to their advantage to create scoring opportunities and limit the need to play defense; an area where Washington has a decided advantage. The longer they control the possession game, the more apt they are to finding themselves putting up points and playing on the powerplay, and with two teams that feature great goaltending and offensive depth, special teams could win the day here.
For Washington to win, Ovechkin needs to do more than put the biscuit in the basket. He needs to take over the physical game and impose his will out there, and Brayden Holtby needs to steal a couple from the Pens. If they are ever going to do it, this is the year, and coach Barry Trotz will need to out-maneuver his opponent behind the Penguins bench shift-by-shift.
For Pittsburgh to dispatch the Caps as they have in the past, they’ll need to stay composed and win the special teams battle. Their goaltending will also need to be other-worldly if it is to contain the Caps’ offense.
It will be a classic battle re-enactment of the days of yore when Sid the Kid and the Great 8 went head-to-head, matching each other hat trick-for-hat trick. The supporting cast is plenty strong and talented on both sides, but I’m going to go with the Penguins in six because I think they know how to exploit weakness and they have the edge in terms of experience. They won’t get the perfect storm they often need to defeat such a worthy opponent, but I just have a feeling they have Washington’s number.
Pens in six.
And the rest of the LWOS Hockey Dept.
Chris Lizza: Caps in 7
Ben Kerr: Caps in 7
Connor Ferguson: Pens in 7
Mark Grainda: Pens in 7
Nicholas Di Giovanni: Pens in 7
Catherine Dore: Pens in 7
Zachary DeVine: Caps in 6
Markus Meyer: Caps in 7
Ken Hill: Caps in 7
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