The NHL Playoffs!

The Capitals Be Scorin'!!!

(1) Washington Capitals versus (8) Montreal Canadiens– After capturing the President’s Trophy for the best regular season record in the NHL, the Capitals set their sights on their first Stanley Cup when they face off against Montreal—a franchise that has won a record 24 championships over the years.


Offense – This one isn’t even close, as the Capitals scored 61 goals more than any other team in the Eastern Conference (and 101 more than the Canadiens). Alex Ovechkin (50), Alexander Semin (40), Nicklas Backstrom (33), and Mike Knuble (29) all tallied more goals than Montreal’s top marksman, Brian Gionta (28). Tomas Plekanec led the Habs in points (70) and is a quality playmaker who will be counted on to get the puck to speedy wingers like Gionta and Mike Cammalleri (26 goals in 65 games). Edge: Caps


Defense – Washington’s defense is underrated given the run and gun style they play, but they’ve clearly improved over last year, when they pushed the eventual Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins to seven games. The top tandem of Mike Green and Jeff Schultz have another year of experience under their belts and were a combined +89 during the regular season, including an NHL best +50 for the twenty-four year old Schultz. Veterans Tom Poti and Joe Corvo can also move the puck and should log upwards of twenty minutes per night on the backend for the Caps. Meanwhile, Montreal’s blueline features two defensemen who have presented a challenge for Ovechkin over the years: his Russian countryman, slick skating Andrei Markov (34 pts in 45 games), and towering 6’7” Hal Gill (who was frequently matched against Ovie’s line while playing for the Penguins in last year’s playoffs). Jaroslav Spacek and Roman Hamrlik are both accomplished defensemen, but at 36 and 37 years old, respectively, it remains to be seen how they will fare in a series against a young, fast team like Washington. Edge: Caps.


Special Teams – This is where things could get interesting. While the Caps boast the NHL’s top ranked power play (25.2%), Montreal came in second (21.8%). The Habs’ power play scorched Washington and their suspect penalty killing unit during four regular season contests, clicking at a gaudy 36% rate (5 for 14). It will be imperative for the Capitals to stay out of the penalty box, as special teams could be the great equalizer in this series. The Canadien’s PK finished a very respectable 12th overall in the league, 13 spots ahead of Washington’s penalty killers. Edge: Even


Goaltending – It’s not beyond the realm of possibility that all four goalies could see action in this series. Though Montreal’s Jaroslav Halak (26-13-5, 2.40 GAA) and Washington’s Jose Theodore (30-7-7, 2.81 GAA) posted solid regular seasons, neither are proven playoff winners, which could open the door for their young understudies, Carey Price and Semyon Varlamov. Though Halak stole the Hab’s starting job from the more heralded Price, he has only 3 playoff appearances on his resume. On the flip side, Theodore has played in 38 playoff games, but was yanked in favor of Varlamov after a poor performance in game one of last year’s first round series against the New York Rangers. Edge: Even


Intangibles – The fans in Montreal have not forgotten Theodore, who captured the Hart Trophy as league MVP back in 2002. Unfortunately, things went awry for Theodore in the years that followed. His play began to slip, his contract became an albatross, and the Habs eventually shipped him to Colorado near the end of the 2005-06 season. Theodore has a lot to prove, so it will be interesting to see how he responds to the challenge; particularly in the games north of the border, where the Canadien’s faithful will no doubt taunt him relentlessly. The most compelling intangible for the Habs would have to be their New Jersey Devils imports, rightwing Gionta and center Scott Gomez. Both have hoisted Lord Stanley’s Cup and know how to get the job done in crunch time. Edge: Even


Unsung heroes:
John Carlson – The Caps’ twenty year old defenseman only has 22 NHL games to his credit, but he played his way into the starting lineup after the Olympic break and could be a key contributor in the playoffs. In the past twelve months, he’s won the Calder Cup championship with Washington’s AHL farm team in Hershey, and scored the winning goal in overtime as Team USA defeated Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championships back in January. Though Carlson has flown under the radar thus far, it’s not inconceivable that a couple years from now we could be debating whether Carlson or Green is the Caps’ best blueliner.



Those wild and crazy Kostitsyn brothers – Montreal’s sibling wingers have been somewhat enigmatic thus far in their brief NHL careers, but for whatever reason they seem to step it up whenever they face the Capitals.


Outlook – This series marks the beginning of the third playoff run for the Capitals under coach Bruce Boudreau and expectations are at a pinnacle for Ovechkin and company. The acquisitions of Mike Knuble, Scott Walker, and Jason Chimera (along with holdovers Brooks Laich and Matt Bradley) should provide the gritty secondary scoring that they lacked while succumbing to the Penguins last spring. The Canadiens have a dangerous power play, and a sharp young goalie in Halak, but they finished dead last in the NHL in even strength scoring during the regular season. The Caps absolutely murder other teams in 5 on 5 play, so as long as they don’t take an excessive number of penalties, the outcome of this series should be a foregone conclusion. Prediction: Capitals in 5.



Scott Morath is My 2 Cents' hockey expert, and is our special playoff correspondent for the 2010 season. Walsh and Bushman thank him for his hard and detailed work.