With a 1-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers today, the Washington Capitals moved on to the second round – against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are the first team to know who they will be matching up against in the second round. This afternoon the Washington Capitals eliminated the Philadelphia Flyers, moving on to meet the Pens.
All things considered, I’m much happier about squaring off against the Capitals than the Flyers. If the Penguins keep their noses to the grindstone and continue playing the way they have been recently, getting through the series should prove more than doable.
Will it be easy? Oh, not a chance. The Capitals were this year’s President’s Cup winners, meaning they had the most points in the league. However, since clinching that honor, they haven’t played as well as they did ahead of time. Not only did they take their foot off the gas almost entirely – they couldn’t manage to get moving again afterwards.
In fact, the Caps’ play dropped off so much that other teams began to close in on their title. No one could catch them in the end, of course, but the point difference became a lot smaller.
As the top team in the East, they played the worst team that got into the playoffs – the Philadelphia Flyers. The Flyers were not only the last seed in the East but also barely even squeaked into the postseason at all. It should have been a sweep.
Instead, the Caps struggled to get into the first game and found themselves pretty evenly matched. They went from a 3-0 series lead to being forced to six games, this last one of which they only managed to win 1-0.
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Top players like Evgeny Kuznetsov didn’t step up to the level they were at during the regular season, and the physical Flyers seriously concussed Brooks Orpik, who may or may not be back during the second round. Though the Caps are also significantly harder-hitting than the New York Rangers were, I’m still more comfortable playing them than Philly.
The game in which Orpik was injured also saw Dmitry Orlov get viciously boarded, and though he stayed in the game it was a clearly dangerous move by Pierre-Édouard Bellemare. In addition, Matt Murray was injured in the Pens’ last game of the season against the Flyers and missed the first two playoff games.
Though the rivalry between the Pens and Caps (may I suggest we call it the “Office Supply Rivalry?”) is cutthroat, it still isn’t at the level of ferocity that the Battle of Pennsylvania is. The Capitals are also a little more on their heels now than expected, after dealing with the Flyers’ attempted comeback and their weak end to the season.
The Penguins won their season series this year 3-2, and won seven of their eight playoff meetings. Those are some pretty fun stats.
The last time these two teams met in the playoff was in 2009. The Penguins, of course, knocked out the Capitals in seven games and would eventually go on to win the Stanley Cup. It could easily be a repeat of that this year, too.
Next: Pittsburgh Penguins Playing Like It's 2009
Because the Caps are the top team, they secured home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs. But not to worry – the Pens have been astounding on the road. If Marc-Andre Fleury returns during this series and our depth players continue to impress, we’ll be even better.