No more waiting around. Round two will kick off tonight in Washington DC. Both teams have cases for winning the series. Who’s going to play better in this potentially seven game sample. I have some thoughts about this and I will share them here. This is how the two teams match up.
#ALLCAPS vs. #3elieve projected lineups for Game 1️⃣
— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) April 26, 2018
Holtby vs. Murray. pic.twitter.com/xHlpN6nba9
Even without Evgeni Malkin and Carl Hagelin I like the Penguins forwards better. This is more of a compliment to the Penguins depth post Brassard trade than being overly critical of the Washington group. Having Derick Brassard as an insurance policy for a Crosby or Malkin injury is looming large right now. There’s a big different in having Crosby, Brassard, Sheahan as your top three centers versus Crosby, Sheahan, and… Rowney? Evgeni Malkin made the trip and my guess is that he will play in Game 2. I love Washington’s high end forwards, but when you look down the depth chart it reminds me of the tail end of the Bylsma years, top heavy.
Defensively I think the Penguins have the best top pairing. Washington’s second pair of Orlov-Niskanen makes a lot of sense on the surface, but they were sub-50% in CF% and xGF%. The Capitals bottom pairing has Brooks Orpik, enough said.
Goaltending I believe is a wash. Both goaltenders had subpar regular seasons with some sparkling playoff numbers in the past. Your guess is as good as mine on which goalie is going to do what.
Power plays are a wash as well. Pittsburgh’s is amazing and so is Washington’s. The Capitals power play is known for the Alexander Ovechkin bombs, but it is John Carlson who is the unsung hero. His willingness to shoot and not automatically defer to Ovechkin is a huge reason why that passing lane eventually opens up despite every team trying their hardest to prevent it from happening.
I am picking the Penguins to win the series. It has nothing to do with the history of these two teams in the playoffs. I believe the Penguins are a better team than they were last year and the Capitals aren’t as good as they were last year. Pittsburgh needed PDO shot into their veins to win last year. I don’t think that needs to be the case again (of course it never hurts).
I joined Dan Hopper yesterday to break down the series with more detail you can find that podcast here.
Alright, on to Round 2 -- here's @GunnerStaal joining us for the ONLY Pens / Caps preview you'll find anywhere https://t.co/sBap9TM6LR
— Dan Hopper (@DanHoppOPS) April 26, 2018
Enjoy Game 1.
Thanks for reading!