Joseph D'Amico

Stanley Cup Playoff Preview – Washington vs. Tampa Bay by The Sports Network

 

WASHINGTON CAPITALS (1st seed, East)

REGULAR SEASON RECORD: 48-23-11

2011 PLAYOFFS: Defeated to NY Rangers 4-1 in conference quarterfinals

(Sports Network) – The Capitals turned in their shortest postseason series in quite some time in the opening round, giving hope that this year’s playoff run will not fall short of expectations.

Washington has claimed four straight Southeast Division titles, but the Caps have won just two of five playoff series over that stretch and both times they ousted the New York Rangers.

The Capitals eliminated the Rangers in five games in Round 1, but it was not exactly an easy series as two of Washington’s victories came after regulation. Still, it marked the first time the Caps had ended a playoff series in five games or less since they ousted the Rangers in five games in the 1990 division finals.

Washington enters this round playing with more confidence than it has in recent years. This is especially true when comparing this year’s club with the one that was bounced out in the first round by Montreal last spring despite entering the playoffs as the Presidents’ Trophy winners.

The Caps have seemed to buy into head coach Bruce Boudreau’s new system and have played a tighter all-around defensive game. The improved strategy helped Washington hold onto leads down the stretch and in the opening round of the playoffs.

Washington held the Rangers to eight goals over five games, but the Caps’ defensive prowess should face a stiffer test this round against the superior offensive attack of their divisional foes, the Lightning. Although, Boudreau’s club did hold Tampa Bay to 10 goals in six meetings during the regular season.

Despite the increased attention to team defense, Washington is still very much a team that revolves around it’s star player, Alex Ovechkin. The Russian sniper had a strong first series, posting three goals and three assists over the five meetings with the Rangers.

That was after Ovechkin turned in what is considered to be a down regular season for his standards, as he posted career-lows in goals (32) and points (85). The 25-year-old had recorded at least 50 goals and 100 points in each of his previous three campaigns.

Ovechkin has 23 goals and 23 assists in 33 career postseason tilts.

Ovechkin’s countryman Alexander Semin also had three goals and an assist against the Rangers. He had entered the series with the Rangers on a 14-game playoff scoring drought, but ended that slump with a tally in Game 1.

Semin was an absolute force in the season series against Tampa, recording a pair of hat tricks and nine points (7 goals, 2 assists) in four games. Ovechkin added two goals and eight assists in six games versus the Lightning this season.

Marcus Johansson and Jason Chimera added two goals apiece in Round 1, but centerman Nicklas Backstrom had an unproductive series with just one assist in the five games. Backstrom, who was second to Ovechkin on the team with 65 points during the regular season, did notch 10 points (2g, 8a) in six tests versus Tampa this season.

The Caps are hoping to get Mike Knuble back in this series, but the veteran forward missed the last two games against the Rangers with an injured right hand and he could sit out Game 1. Knuble, 38, is a physical presence in front of the net and was third on Washington with 24 goals in the regular season. He also tied Ovechkin for the team lead with seven tallies on the power play.

Speaking of the man advantage, Washington was decent on the power play in the opening round, converting on three of 16 chances (19-percent) against the Rangers. The Caps were second in the NHL in killing penalties this season and Washington denied New York 19 times on 20 opportunities with the man advantage.

Washington’s defensive corps was led by Mike Green in the opening round, as he posted one goal and four assists and was a plus-three for the series. Green left Game 5 against the Rangers after getting hit in the head with a puck, but he is expected to be ready for the start of Round 2.

Jeff Schultz did not record a point in the first round, but the blueliner did lead the team with a plus-five rating. However, young defensemen John Carlson, 21, and Alzner, 22, struggled at times against the Rangers and were minus- three and minus-four, respectively, for the series.

Scott Hannan, who was acquired early this season in a trade with Colorado, led the team with 25 minutes, 11 seconds of ice time per game and the veteran blueliner was a plus-three for the series.

The Caps are not counting on having veteran defenseman Dennis Wideman for at least the early part of this series, as he is still recovering from a hematoma in his right leg. Wideman, who was acquired in a trade with Florida at the deadline, hasn’t played since March 29.

Michal Neuvirth was very impressive in net against the Rangers, posting a 1.38 goals-against average and a .946 save percentage in his first-ever NHL playoff series. The 23-year-old Neuvirth did lead Washington’s AHL affiliate in Hershey to a pair of Calder Cup titles in 2009 and ’10.

Semyon Varlamov, who is 10-9 with a 2.49 GAA in his playoff career, will begin this series as Neuvirth’s backup.

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING (5th seed, East)

REGULAR SEASON RECORD: 46-25-11

2011 PLAYOFFS: Defeated Pittsburgh 4-3 in conference quarterfinals

(Sports Network) – Just by getting into the second round of the playoffs, Tampa Bay has ensured itself of its best playoff run since winning the franchise’s one and only Stanley Cup title in 2004.

The road back to respectability has been led by Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman and head coach Guy Boucher, both of whom are rookies at those positions in the NHL.

The Yzerman-Boucher partnership has gotten off to a running start as the Bolts ended a three-year postseason drought with a fifth-place finish in the East. Tampa then came back from a three-games-to-one deficit to defeat Pittsburgh in the first round, marking the club’s first playoff series victory since beating Calgary in seven games for the Stanley Cup in ’04. It was also the first time the Bolts have ever come back from down 3-1 to win a series.

The Lightning’s strength lies in its top forwards, as the club boasts the likes of Steven Stamkos, Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier up front.

However, Tampa also received solid production from lesser-known forwards in Round 1, including Sean Bergenheim, who had three goals against the Pens. Steve Downie was also tremendous with one goal and six assists and even sat out one game in the series due to a suspension.

St. Louis was Tampa’s most dominant player in the opening round, as he recorded four goals and four assists in the series. The 35-year-old is one of three finalists for the Hart Trophy this year after leading Tampa Bay with 99 points (31g, 68a).

Gagne, who had two goals and five assists versus the Pens, and Downie were second to St. Louis with seven points in the opening round, while Lecavalier added two goals and four helpers.

The Lightning are still expecting more from Stamkos, as the 21-year-old continued his late-season swoon. The No. 1 overall pick of the 2008 draft finished the year with 45 goals and 91 points, but he had just two goals and five points over the last 12 games of the regular season.

Stamkos had two goals and an assist in an 8-2 blowout victory over the Pens in Game 5 of the conference quarterfinals, but he had just one assist in the other six tests of his first-ever NHL playoff series.

One of Yzerman’s best moves during the season was the acquisition of veteran goaltender Dwayne Roloson in a trade with the New York Islanders. Roloson stabilized Tampa’s situation in net down the stretch and the 41-year-old turned in an excellent performance in Round 1 of the playoffs.

Roloson recorded a 1.77 GAA and a stellar .949 save percentage against the Pens, stopping 243 of the 256 shots sent his way in the first round. Roloson posted a shutout in Game 7 against Pittsburgh, and after the series comeback, he is now 6-0 all-time in elimination games.

Mike Smith is the backup to Roloson and has never seen action in an NHL playoff game.

Yzerman has done an awful lot of tinkering with the defense since he took over as GM last May. In fact, four of the seven blueliners that saw action for Tampa in the first round were not on the club when Yzerman started making personnel decisions.

The two biggest additions to the back end are Pavel Kubina and Eric Brewer. Kubina, a member of the Lightning’s lone championship team, signed a two-year deal to return to Tampa in the offseason, while Brewer was acquired in a trade with St. Louis before the deadline in February.

Kubina was third on Tampa’s defense with 23 points (4g, 19a) this season and he added two goals and an assist in Round 1. Brewer, meanwhile, had just one goal and one assist in 22 regular-season tests for the Bolts before exploding for a goal and four helpers in the first round.

Brett Clark, who was also signed over the summer, led Tampa’s blue line in goals (9) and points (31) this season, but he failed to register a point in the series with Pittsburgh.

Victor Hedman, who was picked second overall by Tampa in the 2009 draft, did not have a strong first foray into the NHL postseason, The 6-foot-6, 220-pound Swede had one assist versus the Pens and was a minus-four for the series.

Mattias Ohlund was third on Tampa with 20:27 of ice time in the opening series, while Mike Lundin and Marc-Andre Bergeron also saw action on the Lightning blue line.

The Lightning had an excellent power-play attack against the Penguins, scoring eight times on 27 chances (30-percent) with the man advantage. Tampa was ranked sixth in the league in power-play efficiency during the regular season.

The Bolts were eighth in the NHL in killing penalties this year and were even better in that area in the first round. Tampa allowed Pittsburgh to score just one power-play goal on 35 opportunities.

MATCHUP

Washington hasn’t made it past the second round of the postseason since its run to the Cup Finals in 1998, and the Caps will have a familiar foe standing between them and that goal in the conference semifinals.

Meanwhile, the Lightning’s only trip past the second round in club history ended with Tampa lifting the Stanley Cup, something the Caps franchise has never had the pleasure of doing.

The Capitals, who finished four points ahead of Tampa for the Southeast Division lead, posted a 4-1-1 record against the Bolts in the 2010-11 season series.

Between his time with the Isles and Lightning this season, Roloson started five games against the Caps in 2010-11. He was 2-2-1 with a 1.38 GAA, .953 save percentage and a pair of shutouts in those games, but Roloson has never faced Washington in the playoffs.

Neuvirth was 1-0 with a 3.00 GAA in two games versus the Bolts this year. He is 2-0 with a 3.38 GAA in four career tilts against Tampa.

The only time these clubs have met in the playoffs was in the 2003 conference quarterfinals and the Lightning won that series in six games.

After allowing just 14 goals over seven games against Pittsburgh, Roloson and the Lightning will have a tougher task in slowing down the Capitals in Round 2. After all, the Penguins did play the entire series without Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, who are easily Pittsburgh’s top-two offensive weapons.

Expect Washington to continue playing confident hockey as the club will move past Tampa and make the conference finals for the first time in over a decade.

Sports Network predicted outcome: Capitals in 6

You can visit www.aasiwins.com for your FREE NHL winners, news, articles, and updates.

Copyright 2010 All American Sports, All Rights Reserved.                                                                                                                                                             
Privacy Policy: aasiwins.com will never sell, rent or share your email address.
Website Maintained by Truly Unique - Custom Website Design