The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!!
Well, here we are. It almost
seems as though the season just started, and we are at the end of it. And here, at the end of the 2013 regular
season, the Washington Capitals and Boston Bruins find themselves in places
they might not have thought when the season started that they would occupy as
they face off against one another in Game 48.
For the Bruins, leading the Northeast Division and standing in second
place in the Eastern Conference is not necessarily a surprise, but having faced
a season-long challenge by the Montreal Canadiens for supremacy in the
Northeast Division has to be regarded at least as a mild surprise, and heading
into Game 47 on their schedule (it would have been Game 48 but for their Patriots
Day game against Ottawa being postponed) with a 2-4-1 record in their last
seven games has to be considered unexpected.
For the Caps, not many people thought of them as being on a short list
of Stanley Cup contenders when the season began, and when they stumbled,
bumbled, and fumbled their way to a 2-8-1 start, they were given up for dead as
far as being a playoff contender at all was concerned. However, a 24-10-2 rush in their next 36
games propelled them to the top of the Southeast and in more than a few
conversations as being a team to watch as the playoffs begin next week.
The Bruins come into this game a team in an uncertain state. On the one hand, in their 2-4-1 run of late
their goaltending and defense has not been a problem. They have limited their last four opponents
to 30 or fewer shots and have allowed only 16 goals against in the seven games
over all (2.29). Tuukka Rask has
shutouts in his last two appearances.
However, on the other hand the Bruins cannot seem to remember where the
back of the net is. In those same seven
games Boston has only 14 goals scored and has scored more than two goals just
once (a 3-0 shutout of Florida last Sunday).
Tyler Seguin has had a pretty good stretch of late. He has a hand in five of the 14 goals Boston
scored over their recent 2-4-1 run (3-2-5).
It represents a turnaround of sorts for Seguin, who was 2-0-2 in his
previous seven games. Dan Paille and
Brad Marchand each have a pair of goals in these last seven games, but after
that, scoring gets thin quickly. Only
seven other players have one goal apiece, and the only other player with as
many as three points over those games – Jaromir Jagr(1-3-4) – will be out for
this game with a case of the flu.
As for getting any scoring help from the blueline, no defenseman has a
goal for Boston in these last seven games, and the four defensemen with assists
are merely tied in scoring with their goaltender, Tuukka Rask, who had an
assist in a 3-2 loss to Pittsburgh last Saturday.
Speaking of Rask, he has been superb.
He is just 2-3-0 in this seven-game stretch in six appearances (he came
on in relief of Anton Khudobin in a 5-2 loss to Philadelphia last Tuesday), but
his goals against average of 1.89 and save percentage of .941 with two shutouts
has been top-notch. The question here is
whether Rask will get a tune-up against the Caps on Saturday and sit for
Sunday’s finale against Ottawa, or if head coach Claude Julien will hold him
out of this game to face the Senators on Sunday.
Here is how the teams come into this final game of the year,
numbers-wise…
The Peerless’ Players to Ponder
Boston: Carl Soderberg
For a fellow who has four games of NHL experience, Carl Soderberg has
certainly had an interesting road getting there. It started back in 2004 when the Malmö
Redhawk center in the Swedish Elite League was drafted in the second round (49th
overall) by the St. Louis Blues. But a
Redhawk he was then, and a Redhawk he remained, right through the 2010-2011
season. During that time, his rights
were traded to the Boston Bruins – on July 23, 2007 – for goalie Hannu Toivonen. And then, even after that last season with
Malmö, Soderberg did not hop the pond.
He played for Linköpings HC in the SEL the last two seasons. But then things, as they say, took a
turn. Set to come to Boston, the Swedish
Ice Hockey Federation blocked his release to the NHL so that he would play for
the Swedish national team in the World Championships. Soderberg then declined to play for the
national team. He finally signed his
first NHL contract two weeks ago today.
A long and winding road, indeed.
Oh, and he is 0-2-2 in his four games so far. As for Toivonen, he ended up playing for Malmö
in the 2011-2012 season. Small world.
Washington: Braden Holtby
Braden Holtby got a night off on Thursday, and now it’s time to put his
war face on, so to speak. He will not be
getting a rest, all other things being equal, until the Caps season is
over. Overall, he has been excellent
down the stretch. Since
the Caps last faced Boston (Holtby did not figure in that decision), Holtby is
13-3-1, 2.26, .929, with one shutout. But
while he is capable of the superior performance (six times in 17 games he
allowed fewer than two goals), he can have the occasional stinker. He has a couple of five-goals allowed
performances in there, too. Caps fans
will hope that “occasional” becomes “rare” from here on out. He is 2-0-0, 2.54, .919 in two career regular
season appearances against Boston.
Keys:
1. Dress rehearsal. In a sense, the Caps have been in a playoff
mode for quite some time, given the challenge they faced coming from so far
back in the standings. But now, it is time to work out whatever kinks they have
left to work out. This is a game where
the phrase, :”play the right way” really does apply.
2. Time + Space = Quick
Decisions. Boston is a team that takes
away time and space, trying to intimidate teams physically. The Caps need to make quick – and smart –
decisions with the puck.
3. Fine Grind. One problem the Caps have had in the
post-season in recent years is getting contributions from the bottom half of
the forward lines. Starting now with
those kinds of contributions is part of the “dress rehearsal.”
In the end…
This is a good test for the Caps going into the post-season. Boston still has something to play for, still
looking to clinch the Northeast Division title and a two-seed in the playoffs. The Caps also will be getting the “hot”
goaltender in Tuukka Rask (two shutouts in his last two complete games). And, there is not a lot to play for on an
individual basis. Steven Stamkos might
get a hat trick against Florida to tie Alex Ovechkin for the Richard Trophy,
but it would not be the way to bet (he does not have a hat trick this
season). Besides, this team really does
have the look of “team first” about it.
They are ready for their final rehearsal before the post season.
Capitals 3 – Bruins 2
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