Round 2 Preview Caps vs. Lightning

The Caps will take on the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight for the second ever Southeast division matchup in the NHL playoffs. Washington has had plenty of rest with them winning their game 5 against the Rangers six days ago. Same cannot be said for the Lightning who won game seven vs. the Penguins on Wednesday night. Unfortunately even with the extended rest the Capitals will still be without Mike Knuble and Dennis Wideman. Knuble has been sidelined since game three vs. New York Wideman is still nursing his lower body injury he suffered a month ago.

Let’s focus on the positives though. The Caps lead the season series going 4-1-1 vs. the Lightning. In the two losses the Caps were stonewalled in shutouts twice by Dwayne Roloson. However, Washington triumphed over Tampa in the last two matchups. Michal Neuvirth will be in net tonight after having a spectacular first round series vs. the Rangers. Neuvy has some fond memories of playing Tampa because it is the team he played when he earned his first NHL win on Feb. 14, 2009. Neuvirth is 2-0 all time vs. the Lightning and will no doubt be ready to roll tonight.

5 Keys to the Series

·         PK. This is possibly the most important factor of this series. Tampa owned the Penguins, capitalizing on 8 of the 27 power plays. The Caps have to continue what they did vs. New York, only giving up one PP goal in five games. If we can shut down their set plays and Steven Stamkos we should be on our way to killing many penalties.

·         The Alex’s. Alex Ovechkin and Alex Semin were tied for the team lead in goals with 3 in the first round. This has to continue for the young snipers to rattle goaltender Dwayne Roloson. Semin logged 9 points in four games this season vs. the Lightning, with two hat tricks. Ovi was no slacker either earning 6 points vs. the Lightning, also adding a decisive shootout goal in the last meeting between teams.

·         Neuvy. There is no doubt that Neuvirth is a key to the series again, especially after his play in round one. He will hopefully keep the keep the confidence and remain the Caps goaltender throughout the series. Neuvy was second in the NHL in GAA and save percentage after round one. Stay strong Michal!

·         Scott and the crew. Scott Hannan in my opinion was the best defenseman in red vs. New York. He led the Caps in penalty kill minutes and had a +3 ice rating. The surrounding cast has to follow by Hannan’s example in this series because Tampa has more offensive threats than the Rangers. I am fully confident that Carlzner will want to redeem themselves on the plus/minus after a tough series. An interesting fact is that these two were not on the ice for any of the goals vs. the Lightning this year. Dennis Wideman could make a return to the lineup later in the series which could be a big help.

·         The 12^th forward. Whoever replaces Mike Knuble whether it’s Eric Fehr, Jay Beagle, or Matthieu Perreault, etc. they need to step up and fill his big impact. He will be deeply missed in this series because of his uncanny way to find the back of the net. I say that Fehr gets the start that only played two games last round but played on the third line that was responsible for the heart of the Game four comeback. Fehr was a +3 in that game and it is only a matter of time before he lights the lamp.

My prediction for this series will be the Caps winning in 5. I do think that Washington could take it in four, so we will see. The Capitals are just too high-powered offensively and well disciplined defensively. The momentum of round one should carry over and rise a little because we are facing a divisional foe. If we can keep an eye on Martin St. Louis, Stamkos, and the boys we should be fine. Alex Ovechkin needs to stay physical along with the rest of the forwards to get the puck deep offensively. Get excited for tonight at Verizon Center and as always Rock the Red!

In Ovi We Trust

Latest Caps News

General Manager George McPhee announced early today that the Washington Capitals recalled Mathieu Perreault, Steve Pinizzotto and Patrick McNeill from Hershey. These moves were made to expand the options of players because of the early exit of Hershey in the AHL playoffs.

Perreault is the only one of the three Bears who has played in a red sweater this year for the Caps. He suited up for 35 games logging 14 points (7 goals, 7 assists). I don’t think he will get any time unless there is an injury, but he represents a quick and agile center that will be up to the task if called upon. We all remember Perreault’s two goal performance vs. Ottawa in December that helped prevent the Caps losing their ninth straight game.

McNeill, a defenseman for the Bears, has played for the Bears the past four seasons. If he were to be called up it would be his first career NHL game. He was a late round pick in the 2005 draft by Washington and doesn’t have any NHL experience, so this could be his chance to prove something. However, I doubt he will get the call because of Dennis Wideman and Tom Poti are on their way to recovery. Sean Collins and Tyler Sloan are also among other defensemen who have yet to get a game sweater in the post season this year.

Pinizzotto has played for the Bears on and off for four years. He plays right wing and also has never played in a NHL game in his career. Pinizzotto was signed as a free agent in 2007 by Washington. I doubt he will get the call either because the Capitals are so deep at the forward position currently. Jay Beagle and DJ King were healthy scratched as forwards for each one of the first round games. Eric Fehr was scratched for three games and then played the final two. It will be interesting to see who gets the final forward spot when Mike Knuble comes back into the lineup.

Round 1 Recap

Well Caps fans we are through to the second round in less than 7 games for the first time since the 97-98 season. The Capitals triumphed over the Rangers Saturday 3-1 to complete the series in five games. Washington outplayed New York for all three periods with Michal Neuvirth having another stellar performance. Neuvy saved 26 of 27 shots and let only one squeeze by in the final minute of the game. I think we finally have our goalie for the playoffs!

Mike Green started the scoring on the power play when he jammed the puck past Lundqvist for his first goal of the series. Unfortunately he left the game later on after taking a shot to the face on a shot block. Greener would return to the bench, but would not play again in the game. Then in the second period, the life was taken out of the Rangers with a stunning Oviesque goal by none other than Alex Ovechkin. Ovi held off Marc Staal only to bury a backhander in for a 2-0 lead. Alex Semin would put the cap on the first round series with a nice onetime goal from Marcus Johansson.

Now let’s go to the 5 keys to the series that I stated were vital in winning the series. Also your very own Caps Daily predicted that the Caps would take the series in five. PROPS!!!!!!

1.      Ovi. The best player in the universe displayed his talents in round one logging a series leading 6 points (3 goals, 3 assists). His hitting and speed played a key role in opening up the New York defense for several goals. Alex is definitely up for the task of Lord Stanley and is off to a great start.

2.      Goaltending. After the five games of the series rookie goaltender, Neuvirth is second in the NHL in save percentage (.946) and GAA (1.38). He kept the Caps in the series with some monumental saves every game. We won two games with only scoring two goals. Thank you Neuvy!

3.      Veterans. Of course the seasoned vets helped out in this series. Scott Hannan continues to get better and lead the way on the penalty kill. He also had a +3 ice rating and logged one assist in the series. Jason Arnott and Jason Chimera also scored game changing points for the Caps using their experience to advantage. Chimmy had two goals in the series both of them being game winners for Washington.

4.      Carlzner. If you look at their plus/minus than you probably think these two had a bead series. Despite a few mistakes they played pretty well against the Rangers, but hey they’re rookies. Carlson and Alzner could be thanked for shutting down Gaborik and New York’s other starts who they matched up against for most of the series.

5.      Garbage goals. Possible the most important of the five keys was garbage goals. List of memorable GG’s

·         Game 1- Ovi ties it late in the third to keep game alive.

·         Game 4- Semin starts the comeback

·         Game 4- Johansson scores off Carlson shot by crashing the net. Ties the game.

·         Game 4- Finally Chimera’s winner in OT doesn’t get more garbage-can like.

The Capitals now look on to round two as they wait for their opponent to finish, whoever that may be. They will have plenty of rest because their soonest possible game will be this Friday. Hopefully this time off will give guys time to heal such as: Mike Knuble (missed Game 4, 5), Tom Poti (missed series, should return), Mike Green (left game 5 early), Dennis Wideman (could make return earlier than expected). I am sure the Caps are already finished celebrating and are focusing on the task at hand. Right now it’s not about who we play, but it is how we take that momentum from round one and use it to our advantage whenever round two begins. Yesterday I couldn’t have been happier with my team while I was rocking the red and smiling, but I am not satisfied. Saturday was a just a taste of the experience we crave which is the Stanley Cup. Congrats on the first round and let’s move on boys. Rock the Red!

In Ovi We Trust

Playoff Edition Who's Hot, Who's Not

Hot

-          Mike Green: Greener came back from his lengthy injury with something to prove in the playoffs. He has been criticized in the past for his lack of defensive play in the postseason, but not this year. In the four games vs. the Rangers Green’s logged 4 assists and has a +3 ice rating. This year he has learned his role and is contributing offensively and defensively for the Caps.

-          Alex Semin: Semin hot in the playoffs? Yes folks Sasha has returned to the stat sheet for the Capitals. He started off the postseason with a bang when he scored the overtime winner in game one. Semin’s hardworking performance in game four added to his stats giving him 2 goals and 1 assist in the series with a +3 ice rating. If he can eliminate his stupid minor penalties Alex will help out the Capitals in a big way.

Not

-          Nicklas Backstrom: Nicky B hasn’t played terrible in this series, but you haven’t heard his name a lot which isn’t a good thing. Last year Nicky logged 5 goals and 4 assists in the seven game series vs. the Habs. Hopefully we will see that Backstrom for the remainder of the playoffs. He simply needs to find the net and setup his line mate Alex the Great to improve his only 1 point, -1 ice rating.

Many people and fans are probably shocked to see Greener and Semin succeeding so much in this year’s postseason. I heard a hockey analyst on the radio yesterday stating that Semin has no heart, and Green hasn’t improved his defensive game. What series are you watching buddy? Obviously not the Caps Rangers! Those two players have made the Caps Daily hot list and have more than proven themselves. As for Nicklas Backtrom, he remains one of the elite players in the NHL and will be back to tearing up the stat sheet in not time.

Chimera completes the comeback in 2 OT

Last night’s game in New York was the definition of playoff hockey. Madison Square Garden was a mad house halfway through the second period when Brandon Dubinsky put away the Rangers’ third goal of the game. “The Caps are choking again,” were probably the words coming out of many Washington fans after the brutal second they had experience. That’s the great thing about the playoffs; the game isn’t over until it’s over. That is the mentality the Capitals had during the second intermission and heading into the final period.

Alex Semin didn’t waste any time in the comeback charge when he stayed with a shot and stashed one past Lundqvist. No later than 57 seconds from the first goal, Brooks Laich found Marcus Johansson for his first career playoff goal. This made the score 3-2, and Mojo wasn’t finished yet. With less than eight minutes remaining Johansson evened things up with a John Carlson shot deflecting off him. Just like that Mojo was fist pumping on one knee and the Caps had proven all the haters wrong.

In the first over time the Capitals had most of the scoring chances, the most memorable being Alex Ovechkin’s breakaway chance where Henrik stoned him. Ovi didn’t play his best game with a -2 ice rating, but some games the rest of the team has to carry the captain. In the second overtime Jason Chimera would put the W on the board and defy the odds. It was Chimmy’s second goal of the playoffs and a well-deserved one for the way he skates every night.

Michal Neuvirth played very well after the three goal hiccup in the middle period. He logged 36 saves for the night and made some ten bell stops late in the game to preserve the tie. I would like to give Scott Hanna and John Erskine for their stellar play on defense last night. Hannan led the team with seven shorthanded minutes which aided the Caps in killing all seven penalties. Also Eric Fehr in his first playoff appearance of the series had a +3 ice rating. Overall the third line of Chimmy, Mojo, and Fehrsy played an outstanding game.

As I said before the game this game was possibly the most important and especially in the way it played out. Game five will be played at the Verizon Center where the Capitals will hopefully take their run to the second round. After that double overtime win Washington definitely has the momentum going into Saturday. Keep the faith and Rock the Red!

Player of the Game: Marcus Johansson (2 goals)

Stat of the Game: 3 goals +5 ice rating (3^rd line)

Unsung Hero: Scott Hannan