Capitals Forced Into Yet Another Game 7

For the fourth time in three years, the Washington Capitals will need a game 7 to finish off their playoff series. Two years ago the Capitals saw their season end with a game 7 loss to Philadelphia. Last season, the Capitals fought back from a 3-1 series deficit to force game 7 and beat the New York Rangers before losing to Pittsburgh in another game 7 in the conference semifinals. Now, despite being the most dominate NHL team in recent memory, the Capitals were not able to end their series against Montreal in games 5 or 6 and will face a winner-take-all situation tonight at the Verizon Center.

The series has been up and down throughout with Washington dropping game 1 and needing a miraculous comeback to win game 2. They then dominated games 3 and 4 to take a 3-1 series lead, but failed to close out with a lackluster performance in game 5. Despite what people may think about game 6, it was one of the best games played by the Caps so far this postseason. The Capitals completely dominated the game shooting a franchise postseason record 53 shots. There were just 3 big problems. One, goalie Semyon Varlamov did not look great, letting in two soft goals; two, the Caps powerplay continued to fizzle going 0 for 6 on the powerplay, including a 2 man advantage in the first period when the score was only 0-2; and third and most importantly, goalie Jaroslav Halak had a performance that would make Patrick Roy gasp. Despite such a great team effort, Washington found themselves on the wrong side of a 1-4 loss and now head home for game 7 wondering what happened and how they are going to beat Halak.

To add to the Caps' problems, one of their best defensemen so far this postseason will not be playing. Tom Poti suffered an eye injury in game 6 and will be out not only for tonight, but for most of the second round should the Caps advance. Tyler Sloan will likely take his place as he stepped up in the two games Shaone Morrisonn sat out with an injury, but the Caps did recall Karl Alzner from Hershey and head coach Bruce Boudreau hinted that he would not be afraid to play him despite tonight's high stakes. There is also some question over whether Boudreau will dress Brendan Morrisonn after sitting him out for game 6, but Boudreau has always been impressed with David Steckle's ability to step up in key situations such as when he scored the overtime winner against Pittsburgh last season to force a game 7. Otherwise Washington's lineup seems set. Some may be asking about a possible goalie change, but this is unlikely. While Varlamov did not look particularly good in game 6, the Caps have had more postseason consistency from him than from Jose Theodore and it is unlikely Boudreau would take such a huge gamble.

So is it time to panic in DC? Not just yet. For one, the Caps are used to game 7s and the added pressure most likely won't affect them. Game 7s are a time superstars step forward and the Caps have plenty to choose from between the best player in the world in Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and Mike Knuble. Montreal also can't ignore Mike Green and Alex Semin, even though both have yet to score in the series.

The key to winning tonight for Washington is solving Halak. The last two games, Montreal has ridden on his back and if the Caps can shake him up, they'll shake the entire Canadiens' team. The Caps came in ready to go on Monday and I would expect a similar performance tonight with a barrage of shots against Halak. While he has allowed only 2 goals in the past 2 games, I really doubt he can do it again. The Caps showed on Monday what kind of a performance it would take to beat them and Halak was up to the task then, but it would be difficult for any goalie in the league to follow it up with an equally spectacular performance. Yet, this may be the only way Montreal can win. The Caps will have to come out of the gate swinging and will hopefully put one or two into the net early in the game. For this to happen, the powerplay MUST be better. The Caps will get their chances, but they have to capitalize. So far what wasthe best powerplay team in the league has scored once this series. Once. Even with all the talent they have they have only managed one powerplay goal. This is really unacceptable. Montreal has not been able to stay out of the box this series and the Capitals have yet to make them pay. They will really need the powerplay to be working tonight.

Varlamov will also have to be solid. While I believe most of Montreal's chances rest on Halak, even when the Caps have managed to solve the goalies this series, Montreal seems to respond with its own offense. Since Halak has played so well the past 2 games, Montreal will have to be careful not to rely only on their goaltender and will have to make their own offensive push. Varlamov cannot allow any easy goals that will pressure his team. Still tonight I think the Caps will need Varlamov to not lose the game more than they will need him to win it.

The biggest key for the Caps is not to get frustrated. Towards the end of game 6, Ovechkin, Backstrom, Semin, and Green, were missing the net altogether, even from very close. What this means is that they were thinking too hard about shooting the perfect shot. When a goalie gets hot, players begin to think too much about how and where to shoot. The Caps can beat Halak if they screen him, deflect shots, and get to rebounds. They were not doing this at all in game 5 and abandoned this early in game 6 after Halak frustrated their efforts. Get back to the basics and they will get the puck past him.

It is certainly not time to panic for the Washington Capitals, but the problem with a game 7 is that it is winner take all. If Halak has another spectacular game, the bounces don't go the Caps' way, Varlamov has a bad game, or the referees call a bad game, the Caps are out. If the Caps had played a full game 5, they would not be looking at a hot goalie while facing elimination. One thing to watch for tonight is how the referees call the game. Montreal has a weak offense and a strong powerplay and have tried to agitate and draw penalties all series long. Apparently they tried a little too hard on Monday and were called for an unprecedented 3 unsportsmanlike penalties for diving. Maybe this was something discussed with the referees before hand, maybe it was just a bad game for Montreal. Either way it will be interesting to see if the referees call the Caps a little tighter tonight or if they put away the whistles for such a crucial game. You can expect Montreal coach Jacques Martin will be in both referees' ears tonight even before the game starts. The Caps will have to be careful to stay out of the box.

Tonight should be a good one, especially if the Caps win and move on to the semifinals. I know I'd rather be watching Caps and Flyers this weekend instead of the Nationals and the Marlins.

What a Difference Two Games Make...

Two games into Washington's playoff matchup and you can already throw out all of the analysis and predictions regarding what would happen in this series. Montreal came into the playoffs with the 23rd ranked offense but has managed 8 goals in two games against the Capitals and only two have come from their 2nd ranked power play. Many Washington sports analysts expected the Capitals to advance in five games while many Motnreal sports analysts expected the Capitals in advance in four. Yet Montreal stunned the best team in the NHL in game one in overtime and looked in control for most of game two. Things have gotten off to a weird start.

Montreal goaltender Jaroslav Halak looked fantastic in his first playoff start stopping 45 of 47 shots and leading the Canadiens to an improbable game one win. In game two, however, he seemed to struggle allowing 5 goals on just 37 shots. Alexander Ovechkin even stated he saw Halak's arm shaking late in the game. With Washington's potent offense, Halak has to be better. If we see another 6 goal game for the Capitals, I wouldn't be surprised to see Carey Price in for game four.

The biggest surprise for Montreal has to be their offense. They averaged 2.65 goals per game during the regular season but have managed 8 so far in just two games. Heading into the playoffs, I thought the Canadiens' strategy would be to try the weather the storm, agitate and try to force penalties, and win through powerplays and counter attacks. Now, however, Montreal is proving that their offense can win on its own. That could spell trouble for the Capitals who are having some troubles in goal and on defense.

Game one had to be absolutely baffling for the Washington Capitals. Looking at this series it was believed their two biggest weaknesses were their goaltending and 25th ranked penalty kill matching against the second best power play. If you had told me that the Capitals would get great goaltending and allow 1 power play goal in 4 opportunities in game one, I would have thought "mission accomplished." Not so. Despite Theodore's heroics, the Capitals dropped game one in overtime. Then, the Capitals found themselves down 0-2 twelve minutes into game two after allowing only 2 shots. To allow only 2 shots in 8 minutes of play is impressive, but it is meaningless if the other team scores on those 2 shots. Now Boudreau has a choice to make for game 3. Theodore may have had a bad game, but he has played great since January going 20-0-3. Would starting Semyon Varlamov, who had an average game after replacing Theodore, really be the right move? Short answer, yes. You have to go with the goalie that wins and Varlamov won the game. It may not have been pretty, but he got the job done. Putting Theodore back in for game three in a city he has not played well in would be a disaster. What would happen if Theodore started and played terribly? Boudreau would be lambasted over the decision and the team would find itself in a 2-1 playoff deficit with their confidence shaken. Varlamov's first NHL start was at Montreal and he allowed only 1 goal. Starting Theodore would have long term playoff implications as well. Whether Boudreau will confess to it or not, I believe he came into these playoffs expecting to use both goalies. Analysts may not like it, but he has done it for years in the AHL with success. If Theodore starts tonight and does not play well, that ship has sailed. He can't play Theodore again in Montreal period, even if Varlamov doesn't play well either. If Varlamov plays, Boudreau at least has the option of playing Theodore again. I expect Boudreau will play Varlamov until he has a bad game and then go back to Theodore as he did for most of the regular season. It's a risk, but with this system the Capitals managed the best record in the league and the most dominant regular season in recent memory.

Defense for the Capitals is also a major issue. Remember when I said maybe Jon Carlson should sit? Scratch that. He's been one of, if not the best, defenseman for the Capitals so far in the playoffs. The worst? Mike Green. It's not because he has 0 points so far, it's because defensively Green has downright stunk. You can blame Green for at least 2 of Montreal's 5 goals in game two. If Green isn't producing offensively it really doesn't hurt the team that much. They can score without him. When a defenseman plays poorly defensively, however, it always hurts the team. What we've seen from Green so far has been unacceptable. Boudreau already took him off the powerplay as a message, but Boudreau has to make sure Green is thinking defense first, offense second.

Tonight another major factor will be introduced into the series. Montreal's stadium, the Bell Centre, provides probably the biggest home ice advantage in the NHL. Hockey is king and Montreal has won more Stanley Cups than any other team in the NHL and as a result the Canadiens have developed quite a following. It will be interesting to see how both teams react to the crowd tonight especially in such a critical game.

The Capitals were the better team in game one for the first 40 minutes and in game two for the last 20 minutes and 30 seconds. This team knows they can be the better team for 60 minutes so let's hope we start to see that tonight.

Capitals Set to Play Montreal in First Round of the Playoffs

The Washington Capitals found out yesterday that they would face eighth seeded Montreal in the first round of the playoffs. The series will start in DC on Thursday at 7. With a final sigh of relief, the Capitals can now put the regular season behind them, a season in which they achieved every goal possible weeks ago, and look forward to the ultimate goal, the Stanley Cup.

The Bad News:

Montreal has played the Caps tough this season with a split season series. The teams met for the first time on Nov. 20 at the Verizon Center and the Caps lost in regulation 2-3. They met again in Montreal on Nov. 28 this time with a 4-3 shootout win for the Caps. The Caps won the third match in DC on January 5, 4-2 and Montreal took the final game in Montreal on February 10 in a 5-6 overtime game. The Canadiens have the second ranked power play in the league scoring 5 power play goals in those 4 games. Montreal found themselves in the number eight seed last season as well and forced seven games against Boston. Such a long series is not what the Caps will be hoping for this year. For the last two seasons, the Caps have opened the playoffs with a seven game series, losing one and winning the other. Both years the Caps had very slow starts and had to come from a 3 game to 1 deficit in order to force that game seven. After such a dominant season, a seven game series may hurt the confidence of a Capitals team that is ready for a long post season run. It may also fatigue the team as we saw last season against Pittsburgh. After opening the series with two wins, the Caps lost 3 of the next 4 games, 3 of which went to overtime. The team then collapsed in game 7 with a 2-6 loss. The Capitals will certainly be hoping for a very dominant and quick series against the Canadiens to start.

Montreal is one of the original six hockey teams. In the city, hockey is king. The Caps can expect a fiery fan base when they visit Montreal in games 3, 4, and possibly 6 if the series goes that long. This is goaltender Jose Theodore's former team and is one that he traditionally does not play well against. His record against them is 2-1-0, but his GAA is 4.05 and save percentage is .877. Head coach Bruce Boudreau seems to be aware of this as Theodore did not start any of the 4 games against Montreal this season. There is also some question as to who the number 6 defensive player will be. Milan Jurcina was picked up at the trade deadline for this role, but he has been out with a sport's hernia and will most likely be out for a few weeks. The Caps brought up prospect Jon Carlson who has played well, but lately his game has looked off especially yesterday against Boston. Tyler Sloan sat out with a minor injury and Jon Erskine is not as good as either player and takes far too many unnecessary penalties, something the Capitals cannot afford against such a potent power play.

The Good News:

The Capitals have just completed one of the most dominant seasons in recent memory. With the experience of the last two seasons and the the added motivation of having to watch Pittsburgh hoist the Cup last season, their big rivals and a team the Caps feel they should have beaten, the Caps feel driven more than ever to go all the way. While the Caps have gotten off to slow starts in the playoffs, they have been looking ahead to the playoffs for quite some time, feeling relieved after yesterday's game ended just so they could start. Two years ago the Caps had to go on an incredible winning streak just to make the playoffs. It took a lot out of the team and they came into the series flat. Last season the Caps coasted into the post season finishing the regular season with a string of games against teams that had nothing to play for. This season with games against Boston, Pittsburgh, and Atlanta, and with the division, conference, and President's trophy locked up, the Caps could cruise the last few weeks while still playing important games against tough teams. It was a great combination that should help the Caps. Montreal meanwhile is limping into the playoffs losing 8 of their last 11. They looked to have the 6th spot locked up weeks ago but instead fell all the way to 8th.

Montreal may have the second best power play in the league, but the Capitals have the top powerplay and set a franchise record this season for fewest penalty minutes, and that includes those big penalties Alex Ovechkin took. While all eyes, including those of the referees, will be on the great 8 during the playoffs, especially in Montreal, it is unlikely Montreal will find themselves in a position in which their powerplay can keep up with Washington's high powered offense.

Jose Theodore has had one of the best seasons of his career. He hasn't lost in regulation since January going 20-0-3. After the death of his infant son this summer, Theodore rebounded with a great season. Since he is such a mental goaltender, two opening games at home should build up his confidence enough to face his old team. If not, Boudreau's playoff history both in the AHL and NHL last season show that he's not afraid to switch goaltenders. Semyon Varlamov's first start in the NHL was at Montreal and he came away with a 2-1 victory. While he has struggled at times this season, he has proven he is not easy to intimidate. This will be the first playoff start for Montreal's probable goaltender Jaroslav Halak. Defending against the Capitals may be a tall order and the Caps may see a lot of Carey Price if Halak falters.

The Capitals' defense also has a major size advantage over Montreal's offense. Not one of Montreal's forwards are over 6 ft. tall while none of the Capitals' defense men are less than six ft. tall. Montreal will have to rely on speed more than strength to score meaning that Montreal will struggle to get goals from their third and fourth lines, lines supposed to be for more physical players. This also means the Caps defensemen should be able to keep screeners away from in front of Theodore giving him a much easier job protecting the net.

Ultimately, most analysts do not give Montreal much of a chance saying that fans should be happy that they were able to make the playoffs in the first place. If the Capitals are firing on all cylinders then they will be tough to beat. I believe the key to the series and the entire playoffs for Washington will be games 1 and 2. The Capitals have the best team in the league, the best offense in the league, the best goal differential in the league, and the best player in the world. If they cannot win both of their opening home games against probably the weakest team in the playoffs in either conference, I don't think this team is ready for the Cup just yet. If, however, they win both, then it shows how focused they are and how much they have matured from last season. Their confidence will grow and they will be tough to beat. If they win their first two games, it is going to be a long and deep playoff run for the Caps which might just end with them hoisting the Cup.