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 12th 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
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