Questions for the Capitals for the Playoffs

With the regular season set to wrap up in a month, the Washington Capitals have already clinched their 3rd straight Southeast Division title. Their 14 point lead in the conference also is likely to hold barring a massive collapse from the team, but there are still a lot of questions surrounding this team going forward that coach Bruce Boudreau will have to figure out in the remaining month. The acquisition of four players at the trade deadline has given this team a lot of depth. An NHL team is allowed to dress 18 players ( 12 forwards and 6 defenseman usually) and 2 goalies. The Caps now have 15 forwards and 9 defensemen for a total of 24 players. Should injuries creep up on some players the Caps won't have to rely on call ups from minor league affiliate Hershey, but it also means good players won't be getting jerseys. Boudreau has been switching lines up a lot to see what matchups he likes the best and no doubt will continue to do so to prepare for playoffs.

Offesive Lineup: You won't see a change in the Caps top line of Ovechkin, Backstrom, and Knuble. They have played well together all year and they have been the one consistent so far during Boudreau's recent mixing and matching. The questions begin with the three big right wingers Brooks Laich, Tomas Fleischmann, and Eric Fehr. All three are good enough to play on the second line, but are really too good to be delegated to the fourth line. The Caps have had an abundance of right wings who they previously managed by playing some at center and left wing. As a result the Caps really struggled at times without natural left wings and centers. This is something McPhee tried to address all season with acquisitions of center Brendan Morrison in the offseason and then left wing Jason Chimera and center Eric Belanger during the season.

So how do the second, third, and fourth line stack up? Of course the Alexander Semin will play left on the second line. He has super star talent and could start for most NHL teams, but plays behind the best left wing and best hockey player in the world. Although Morrison has slumped as of late, he will most likely remain the center for the second line. He has shown he still has talent and scoring capabilities and the second line needs a natural center as an achor and playmaker. Chimera and Belanger were brought into the team to be positional players for that third line so I have a hard time believing either of them will be put back on the fourth line so a right wing can take their position. Where do the right wingers go? I think Laich is still seen as the best of the three and the best crease-crasher and will be put on the second line. Despite a great season, Fehr will be put on the third line. Since Fleischmann has some experience at center he will be put on the fourth line with Scott Walker and Matt Bradley on either side. This leaves Dave Steckle, Boyd Gordon, and Quintin Laing on the outside looking in. On the one hand, you hate to sit any of these players, especially since all 3 are good penalty killers and the Caps really seem to struggle with that. On the other hand, to have a fourth line as good as Walker, Fleischmann, and Bradley is impressive. Putting a 20 goal scorer on the back line makes every line dangerous. It will really stretch opponents defenses very thin.

Defensive Lineup: The top pair on defense, like the top offensive line, is unlikely to change. Boudreau really likes Mike Green and Jeff Schultz playing together. Schultz provides a very good defensive anchor for the always offensive Green. Joe Corvo is just too good to not receive a spot and they wouldn't have given up Brian Potheir, Oskar Osala, and a draft pick if they didn't think he was a key player come playoff time. The same goes for Milan Jurcian who, despite a hernia that will keep him out for a few weeks, the Caps would not have traded for at the deadline without the intention of playing him. One thing the Caps are clearly concerned with is keeping the shot hands relatively equal. This is the key going forward. John Carlson was unexpectedly recalled from Hershey to provide the Caps with another right handed shooter to call on if they need him and he has played well so far.

Like the offense, it is impossible to look at these defensemen and single out six players who are head and shoulders above the rest, so they'll have to work backwards. The obvious first scratch for me is John Erskine. He can fight and that's it. With the acquisition of Walker, I really don't think the Caps can justify playing Erskine who just is not good enough. Tyler Sloan is also, unfortunately, on the outside looking in. Despite an impressive offseason tryout that earned him a regular spot on the team, he doesn't yet have the talent to take a slot away from any of the others. This leaves 7 players for 6 slots. As the Caps have made clear they are concerned with keeping an even number of left and right handed shooters. Of the seven left Shaone Morrisonn, Tom Poti, and Jeff Schultz are left handed shots. As these three are also very good I think it's a safe bet that they will be playing. Corvo and Green will definitely have spots and this leaves one spot left. I think if Jurcina is healthy he'll play despite how well Carlson has done. Most likely he was called up because the other two scratches, Sloan and Erskine, are left handed shots.

Goalies: With how well Jose Theodore has played so far this season, Budreau can't really justify playing Simeon Varlamov. To start the season both were playing exceptionally well which gave the edge to Varlamov who played so well in the playoffs last year. His groin injury, however, has really taken a lot out of him. Since he came back he has let in a lot of soft goals. What he still had going for him was the fact that he still never loses with only one career regulation loss in the regular season, but he can't even hide behind that anymore with a loss last night to Tampa Bay. Playing Theodore has its risks of course. Theodore's history is to do well in the regular season and taper off in the playoffs. Remember last season? Game one against the Rangers Theodore looked awful and a much better Washington team went down 1 game to 0. If Boudreau's history in the AHL is any indication, he's not above a two goalie system in the playoffs. While Theodore may start, Boudreau would be quick to put in Varlamov if Theodore were to play poorly.

All of this of course is my speculation. A lot can change in the next month as Boudreau tweaks the lines. With one month left the Caps can really make sure they have the best lineup possible for a run at the Stanley Cup.