Now, I want you to remember that no bastard ever won a
hockey game by taking a hit for his team. He won it by making the other poor
dumb bastard take a hit for his team. Men... all this stuff you’ve heard about
the Caps not wanting to fight, wanting to stay out of the contest, is a lot of
horse dung. Caps traditionally love to fight. All real Caps love the sting of
battle. When you were kids, you all admired the champion marble shooter, the
fastest runner, the big league ball player, the toughest boxer. Caps fans love
a winner and will not tolerate a loser. Caps play to win all the time. I
wouldn’t give a hoot in hell for a man who lost... and laughed. That’s why this
spring Caps have never lost and will never lose a playoff series. Because the very thought of losing is hateful
to Capitals.
Now... a hockey club is a team. It lives, eats, sleeps,
checks as a team. This individuality stuff is a bunch of crap. The bilious
bastards who wrote that stuff about individuality for NHL Network don’t know
anything more about real hockey games than they do about fornicating.
Now we have the finest food and equipment, the best spirit and
the best men in the world. You know, by God I actually pity those poor bastards
we’re going up against. By God, I do. We’re not just going to check the
bastards, we’re going to cut out their living guts and use them to tape the
blades of our sticks. We’re going to hit those lousy Bruin bastards by the
bushel.
Now, some of you boys, I know, are wondering whether or not
you'll chicken out under fire. Don't worry about it. I can assure you that you
will all do your duty. The Bruins are the enemy. Wade into them. Spill
their blood. Check them into the boards. When you put your hand into a bunch of
goo that a moment before was your best friend's face... you'll know what to do.
Now there’s another thing I want you to remember. I don’t
want to get any messages saying that we are holding our position. We’re not
holding anything. Let Boston do that. We are advancing constantly, and we’re
not interested in holding onto anything except the enemy. We're going to hold
onto him by the nose, and we're going to kick him in the ass. We're going to
kick the hell out of him all the time, and we're gonna go through him like crap
through a goose!
Now... There’s one thing that you men will be able to say when you
get back home. And you may thank God for it. Thirty years from now when you’re
sitting around your fireside with your grandson on your knee and he asks you,
"what did you do in the great National Hockey League playoffs," you won’t have
to say, "Well, I shoveled shit in DC."
Alright now, you sons-of-bitches, you know how I feel.
Oh... I will be proud to lead you wonderful guys into battle – anytime,
anywhere.
Looking at the
chart above, “then” looks a lot like “now” for the Caps, even just looking at
year-over-year, 56 game results.That
the Caps’ performance in 2020-2021 so closely resembles that of the 2019-2020
team should not be all that surprising.Thirteen skaters dressed in both seasons in their entirety, and three
others – Richard Panik, Jakub Vrana, and Jonas Siegenthaler – were with the club
for most of the season before being traded (although Siegenthaler dressed for
only seven games with the Caps this season).
If there is one
category where there is some separation between last year and this, it is in the
power play, where the Caps are more than four percentage points ahead of last
year’s pace through a similar number of games and up 11 ranking spots.That improvement in overall power play
efficiency allowed the Caps to improve their special teams index more than four
percentage points and three ranking spots.
Then and Now II
In 30 seasons
in which the Caps reached the postseason in their history, they faced the
Bruins only three times (not counting last season’s pre-playoff round robin
play-in):
If there was a
common thread in the three series, it was defense.Boston’s to be specific.They held the Caps to six goals in the four-game
sweep in 1990 (1.50 per game) and allowed only 23.5 shots per game.The Bruin penalty killers limited the Caps to
two power play goals on 14 opportunities (14.3 percent), although that was a regular
season in which the Caps’ power play was far from powerful (17.0 percent/19th
of 21 teams).Boston went on to the
Stanley Cup final that year, where they lost to the Edmonton Oilers in five
games.
The tables were
turned the next time the two teams met, in the Eastern Conference semi-final in
1998.The goal differential for the
series with narrow, plus-2 over six games for the Caps, but they held Boston to
an average of just 2.17 goals per game.Nevertheless, each team recorded a shutout in the series, Washington
winning Game 4 by a 3-0 margin, and the Bruins taking Game 5, 4-0.Three of the seven games went to overtime,
the teams splitting the first two instances, both of which went to a second
overtime.Boston won Game 2, 4-3, in two
overtimes, while the Caps took Game 3, 3-2, in double overtime.The third overtime game went to the Caps,
3-2, in the series-clinching Game 6.They would go on to their first Stanley Cup final, where they were swept
in four games by the Detroit Red Wings.
The most recent
meetings of the two teams I the postseason came in 2012, the Bruins entering
the opening round series as the defending Stanley Cup champions.It was an unimaginably hard fought series in
which all seven games were decided by a single goal, and in keeping with the
defense theme that runs through the playoff history between these teams, four
of the game were settled with a combined three or fewer goal scored by the two
teams. And, overtime was once more a noteworthy feature of the series.Four of the seven games went to extra time,
the teams splitting the four overtime results.But it was Washington, evening up the overtime record at two wins
apiece, who got the last word, ending the series in overtime of Game 7 on one
of the most famous goals in team history.
How Caps of you
to notice…
The Caps scored
only five third period goals against Boston in eight games this season.Washington did not score fewer third period
goals against any other opponent (they also scored only five against the New
York Islanders).
How Caps of you
to notice II…
In 17 games in
the all-time playoff history of these clubs, the Caps scored power play goals
in eight of them, going 4-4. When they didn’t score one, they went 4-5.Didn’t seem to matter much, did it?
Never
Ever…Again
Yeah, yeah…we’re
back here again with an oldie, but a goody… We’re still waiting on the first
four-game sweep by the Caps in a seven-game series.The Caps do have a three-game sweep of the
Islanders in their history, though, but that was way back in 1986, one of two
three-game sweeps in a best-of-five series in team history (the other against
Philadelphia in 1984).
The Magic
Number
9.The Caps scored nine power play goals in eight
games against the Bruins this season.The Caps did not score more power play goals against any other opponent,
and the Bruins did not allow more power play goals against any other opponent.Oddly enough, or “how very Caps of you to notice,”
the Caps were just 2-3-0 in the five games in which they scored at least one
power play goal (1-2 when they scored more than one) and 2-1-0 when they were
shut out on the man advantage.
The Cast of
Skaters
Balance,
balance, balance.No, Alex Ovechkin did
not extend his string of 30-goal seasons to start his career (the streak ends
at 15 seasons, tied with Mike Gartner for most all-time).But the Caps did have nine players out of 29
who skated for the team this year with double-digits in goals scored.Twenty four had points, including 24 of 25
who appeared in at least five games (Jonas Siegenthaler, traded at the trading
deadline, was the lone skater in that group without a point).
Six players averaged
at least 0.70 points per game (a 57-point pace per 82 games) – Nicklas Backstrom
(0.96), Alex Ovechkin (0.93), John Carlson (0.85), T.J. Oshie (0.81), Evgeny
Kuznetsov (0.71), and Tom Wilson (0.70). Thirteen players shared in the 33
game-winning goals for the Caps.Balance, balance, balance.
The balance
extended to the season series against Boston.In the eight game season series, 26 skaters dressed for the Caps against
the B’s.Of that group, 16 recorded
goals (including the since departed Jakub Vrana and Richard Panik), and 22
recorded at least one point (including Vrana and Panik).When you consider that the four skaters who
did not record a point in the eight-game series dressed for a combined five
games against Boston (Michael Sgarbossa was the only one appearing in two
games).
The fact about
the Bruins that jumps off the page is numbers – the sheer volume.Boston employed 33 skaters against the Caps
this season; they dressed 36 against all opponents for the season.Only John Moore, Ondrej Kase, and Par
Lindholm (a combined nine games played for Boston) did not dress against the
Caps.The volume of skaters employed masks
what balance Boston had in scoring against the Caps.While their goal scoring balance did not
rival Washington’s (12 had goals; Brad Marchand’s seven being more than a quarter
of the total of 26 goals), they did have 21 skaters recording at least one
point.One point of some concern is the
contributions of the defense.Boston
used 12 defensemen against the Caps this season, only Connor Clifton dressing
for all eight games.Seven blueliners had
points. But the Bruins got goals from only three – Charlei McAvoy, Brandon
Carlo, and Jeremy Lauzon with one apiece.
Working with a
net
Perhaps as much
as any team in the postseason, the Capitals’ situation in goal is unsettled. The impolite term would be “a mess.”If goaltender is the most important position
on the ice, an idea magnified in the playoffs, it is the biggest concern the
Caps have.Vitek Vanecek had a fine
rookie season.He was among the top
performers of his rookie class, highly ranked in many statistical categories:
tied for first in games played (37), first in wins (21), sixth in goals against
average (2.69, out of 12 rookies playing in at 10 games), tied for third in
shutouts (two).But there is the save
percentage.Vanecek finished eighth of
12 goalies playing in at least ten games, posting a .908 mark, and he was
seventh save percentage at even strength in that group (.915).
Vanecek was
slightly below his overall performance in seven games against Boston this
season, going 4-3-0, .286, .905, and his game-by-game performance was wildly uneven.Overall, Vanecek’s home road splits were
troubling.He was, as one might expect, effective
at home – 2-1-0, 2.68, .920.But the difference
in his road record – 2-2-0, 3.00, .889 – was significant and worrisome. Not that many goalies were successful against
the Bruins in Boston – only seven of 16 goalies to dress against the Bruins on
the road posted save percentages over .900, but it will bear watching if Vanecek
gets the nod in goal for the Caps.
And then there
is Vanecek’s game-to-game performance against Boston.In seven appearances against the Bruins this
season, he allowed a single goal three times.On the other hand, he allowed four or more goals three times as well.
As for Ilya Samsonov,
he has not seen game action since May 1st, has not won a game since
April 24th, and has not posted a save percentage over .900 in a game
since shutting out the New York Islanders on 26 shots in a 1-0 Gimmick (that’s
a “shootout” for you new readers) win.Since
then, he (with Evgeny Kuznetsov) were suspended for disciplinary reasons for
one game, and then he and Kuznetsov were placed on the COVID protocol list.Head coach Peter Laviolette said at the time
of the suspension that “Right now, we’re working through things inside the room…We’ve got to work together inside here. There’s gotta be rules. There’s
gotta be boundaries. We got expectations set and you need to be accountable to
that.”
At the risk of jumping to conclusions, since we are not privy to all that goes
on behind the locker room door, it is not a good situation in which a goalie, who started the season third on the depth chart, ends up the default choice because the other goaltender who was supposed to be the number one goalie this season has made a hash of his
season when things started to matter more.
On the other
side, things are settled.It will be
Tuukka Rask for Boston, unless he reverts to his early career numbers against the
Caps (2-11-5, 3.10, .889, two shutouts in his first 19 career
appearances against the Caps through 2018-2019).Rask finished 15-5-2, 2.28, .913, with two
shutouts this season, but after missing all but 20 minutes of play over more
than a month to what was thought to be a back injury, Rask is 7-1-0, 2.07,
.923, with two shutouts.Over that span,
since April 25th, he is tied for second among all goalies in wins
(seven), eighth of 41 goalies logging at least 250 minutes in goals against
average (2.07), 12th in save percentage among goalies in that group
(.923), and tied for second in shutouts (two).He is playoff-ready.
Who’s Hot ‘n’
Not?
For the
Capitals over the last ten games of the regular season…
HOT -- Daniel
Sprong: 6-0-6 (tied for team lead in goals), plus-1, 28.6 shooting percentage,
three game-winning goals
HOT -- T.J. Oshie:
6-0-6 (tied for team lead in goals), even, 31.6 shooting percentage, three
power play goals (only power play goals for Caps over that span)
HOT -- Dmitry
Orlov: 1-6-7 (team leader among defensemen in points over that span), plus-7
(best among all skaters), 22:02 per game in ice time
HOT -- Brenden
Dillon: 36 credited hits (leads team over that span), 11 blocked shots (tied
for team lead), plus-5 even strength on ice goal differential (second on team)
NOT – Alex
Ovechkin: 0-0-0, even, three games played (seven missed to injury), 12:19 in
average ice time
NOT – Zdeno Chara:
0-1-1, minus-3, 17 penalty minutes, minus-3 even strength goal on ice goal differential
(tied for worst on team)
NOT – John Carlson:
0-2-2, plus-2, four games missed to injury, no power play points
NOT – Anthony Mantha
0-3-3, plus-1, no goals since he scored one in each of his first four games as
a Capital
For the Bruins
over the last ten games of the regular season…
HOT – Taylor
Hall: 5-3-8, plus-9; tied for team in goals over that span, second in
plus-minus
HOT -- David
Krejci: 2-12-14 (leads team in points over that span), plus-10 (leads team),
four power play points (leads team)
HOT – Brad Marchand:
4-8-12, plus-3, 32 shots on goal (leads team over that span)
HOT – Charlie McAvoy:
1-4-5, plus-7, 22:47 in ice time per game (leads team over that span), 12
blocked shots (tied for second on team), plus-1 takeaway-to-giveaway
differential
NOT -- Jeremy
Lauzon: 0-1-1, minus-2
NOT – Connor Clifton:
0-0-0, plus-4 (in six games), minus-3 in net penalties (drawn less taken, worst
on team over that span), minus-1.72 penalties per 60 minutes (only Bruin worse
than minus-1.00)
NOT – Curtis Lazar:
1-1-2, minus-2, 43.2 faceoff percentage (worst of four Bruins over that span taking 50 or more draws)
NOT -- Kevan
Miller: 0-1-1, even
Looks at Rooks
The Caps,
consistent with being a veteran team, had a small footprint of rookie
contributions this season among the skaters.Brian Pinho, Garrett Pilon, and Connor McMichael combined to appear in
four games (Pilon dressed for two contests).None of the recorded a point, and they had a combined four shots on goal
(Pinho had three). Only McMichael was hit with a penalty (one minor infraction).They combined for just under 36 minutes
played for the season.As for goalies,
the performance of Vitek Vanecek is described above.
Boston’s contributions
from rookies are more significant and, frankly, more surprising for a club
perennially thought of as a more veteran group.Eight rookie skaters dressed for the Bruins, five forwards (Zach
Senyshyn, Trent Frederic, Jack Studnicka (now how is that for a hockey name?),
Oskar Steen, and Cameron Hughes) and three defensemen (Jakub Zboril, Urho
Vaakanainen, and Jack Ahcan).Frederic
and Zboril led the rookies in games played (42), while Studnicka added another
20 among those playing in more than 10 games.Frederic led the rookies in goals (four), while Zboril led them in
points (0-9-9).None of the rookies had
a plus rating this season, Zboril the only one able to climb to even.Frederic was far and away the leader in penalty
minutes (65, which also led the team as a whole) and was worst in plus-minus rating
among the rookies (minus-8).He also
happened to be the only Boston rookie to contribute any game-winning goals
(three, tied for third among all skaters) and was the only Bruin rookie to post
a goal against the Caps this season.
The B’s dressed
two rookie goalies this season – Jeremy Swayman and Dan Vladar.Neither is likely to get any action in this
series, but their regular season performance is worth noting for their being at
opposite ends of the performance spectrum.Swayman was 7-3-0, 1.50 (best among all rookies playing in more than one
game), .945 also best among rookies playing in at least one game), with two
shutouts (tied for third among 27 rookie goaltenders this season).At the other end, Vladar was 2-2-1, 3.40,
.886 in five games.
Special
Considerations
The Caps finished
third overall in power play efficiency in the regular season (24.8 percent),
but that is a deceptive number.First,
their “net” power play percentage, accounting for power play goals scored and
shorthanded goals allowed – was just 19.6 percent, ninth in the league.And, their power play goal differential (goals
scored less shorthanded goals allowed) of plus-30 ranked just 13th.That is a product of their league most eight
shorthanded goals allowed.
Then there is the
home-road split.Washington led the
league in home ice power play efficiency (30.6 percent), but their road power
play efficiency of 19.8 percent ranked just 15th.The Caps were not particular about where they
allowed shorthanded goals, allowing four at Capital One Arena (tied for most in
the league) and four on the road (tied for most in the league).
The Caps’ power
play was also up and down generally over the course of the season:
January (nine
games): 44.4 percent/1st in the league
February (12
games): 21.6 percent/13th
March (14
games): 15.2 percent/23rd
April (15 games):
31.3 percent/3rd
May (six games):
11.8 percent/18th
Something to
keep in mind with the Caps’ power play is that they had 153 power play
opportunities overall, tied for ninth-fewest in the league (2.73 per game). Only 72 man advantage chances this season came
on home ice where their 2.57 opportunities per game ranked tied for sixth-worst
in the league.They were very efficient
at home, but ineffective to a degree, given their limited chances to unleash
that fury.
At the player
level, it is odd to see Alex Ovechkin not leading the team in power play
goals.That honor went to T.J. Oshie
(13, to Ovechkin’s nine). A bit stranger
is Ovechkin ranking third in power play goals per 60 minutes.He finished third (2.85), behind Oshie (4.78)
and Tom Wilson (3.07) among Caps with more than one power play goal.
Unsurprisingly,
Nicklas Backstrom led the team in power play points (22) and power play assists
(17).It was his power play goal total
that was more surprising.He had five in
55 games (0.09 per game), a considerable improvement over last season (two in
61 games/.03 per game), and more than his career average (0.08 per game).
The
disappointment in this area was Evgeny Kuznetsov, who went just 1-7-8 in 41 games.One power play goal was his lowest output since
he failed to record one in 17 games in his first NHL season in 2013-2014.The seven assists with a man advantage continues
a disturbing trend of under-production.He
has only 13 power play assists in 104 games over the last two seasons after
posting 15 in 76 games in 2018-2019 and 23 (career high) in 2017-2018.
Among the
defensemen, John Carlson deserves mention.He did have three power play goals in 52 games, a total for a season
that he exceeded only once in the previous six seasons (four in
2017-2018).It was his assist total that
was down, to 12, which was his lowest total since he also had 12 in 82 games in
2014-2015.
The first power
play gets the lion share of the ice time, so it is unsurprising that it was on
ice for such a share of shorthanded goals against, but this season was rather grisly
in this regard.Remember, the Caps
allowed eight shorthanded goals against, most in the league.Alex Ovechkin was on ice for seven of them,
more than 28 other teams.Oshie,
Backstrom, and Carlson were on ice for six (more than 24 other teams), and
Kuznetsov was on ice for five (more than 20 other teams).
The penalty kill
might not get enough credit for its performance this season.Their 84.0 percent penalty kill overall
ranked fifth in the league, an improvement over last season (82.6 percent/sixth).This year’s penalty kill was not overburdened
in terms of shorthanded situations faced (2.89 per game/17th-most in
the league).What it was not was much of
a threat to score shorthanded.Only
three teams had fewer shorthanded goals than the two the Caps recorded
(Colorado and Philadelphia with one apiece, and Detroit, who did not record
one).
The Caps could
stand to be a bit stingier on the penalty kill on home ice, where their 83.1
percent overall mark ranked eighth, and their 84.3 percent net penalty kill
ranked 11th.Those numbers
looked better on the road where the Caps ranked seventh in penalty kill overall
(84.8 percent) and eighth in net penalty kill (86.1 percent).
Remember that
the Caps allowed 26 power play goals against this season.Four Caps were on ice for more than ten apiece
– Zdeno Chara (18), Carl Hagelin (15), Nick Jensen (13), and Nic Dowd (11).Given that these are the only four Capitals
currently with the club who averaged more than 2:00 in power play ice time per
game, these are not surprising results, but improving them would go a long way
to securing a series win for the Caps.
As for the
Bruins, their power play was good overall (21.8 percent/10th in the
league), but not great.It was better at
home (25.0 percent/fifth) than on the road (18.4 percent/17th), as
might be expected.But this is a team
that surprisingly, given a reputation for being a veteran team that takes care
of business, allowed six shorthanded goals overall, fourth-most in the
league.And like the Caps, they were not
choosy about where to be generous – three allowed at home and three on the
road.
The Bruins had
good scoring balance on their power play, 11 skaters posting at least one goal
over the course of the season.Patrice
Bergeron led the group with seven, although David Pastrnak was right there with
six in eight fewer games (48 to 54 for Bergeron).Brad Marchand was the set-up man in charge
with 14 power play assists, ten of them primary assists, which also led the
team.David Krejci was second in both
categories (13 power play assists overall, seven of them primary assists).
The penalty
kill, or more specifically the Bruins’ propensity to fall into shorthanded
situations is something the Cap might be able to exploit.Boston averaged 3.18 shorthanded situations
faced per game this season, fourth-most in the league.Although the Bruins’ penalty kill was highly
efficient (86.0 percent overall (86.0 percent), that is a lot of burden to be
placed upon it.
Behind the
Bench
Peter
Laviolette is tied for fourth among active coaches in playoff games coached (143,
with the Islanders’ Barry Trotz).His 75
wins in the postseason rank fourth among the active coaches, and his .524 winning
percentage ranks sixth among active coaches with at least 100 games coaching in
the postseason.Among the four teams for
whom he coached prior to his arrival in Washington, he was under .500 in
win-loss record in the playoffs with only one team, and that was with only 12
games for the Islanders (4-8/.333).He
is a three-time conference champion head coach in 12 seasons going to the
playoffs, including and season in which he piloted the Carolina Hurricanes to a
Stanley Cup (2005-2006).Looking at the
recent history of Caps coaches, you might say that Laviolette is something
between the uber-discipline of a Barry Trotz-coached team and whatever it was that
the Caps were doing under Todd Reirden.The defense does not appear as structured as a Trotz team, at least not
in an obvious sense, but it is not generally a leaky team as much as it suffers
some growing pains from the young goaltenders that the Caps employ.The offense has not suffered under Laviolette,
who has allowed the talent to flourish, reflected in the Caps’ overall fine
scoring offense and power play numbers.He is not going to be beaten in this series by a lack of playoff-tested
experience.
On the other
bench, many fans’ memories of Bruce Cassidy are of his stay with the Caps, who
went 47-47-9 in the regular season and 2-4-0 in the playoffs in his first NHL
head coaching assignment, and might have been best known for his benching Calle
Johansson in the playoffs in Johansson’s last game with the Capitals, imaginative
use of napkins, and a lack of professionalism. The intervening years appear to have matured Cassidy and made him a better
coach.He now ranks seventh all-time in
regular season games coached in Bruins history (315) and tied with Don Cherry
for third-most games in the playoffs (55).His 27 postseason wins ranks fourth (he can tie Cherry for third with a win
in this series over the Caps).Those 27
postseason wins also have the Bruins fourth in postseason wins since he arrived
in 2016-2017, two behind the top-ranked Tampa Bay Lightning (29, including
round-robin play-in games last season).He has overseen a club that is effective in the offensive end in the
postseason (2.95 goals per game/sixth-best in the league since he came into the
league) and stingy in their own end (2.58 goals allowed per game/sixth).His has been the best power play in the
playoffs (29.2 percent) and good on the penalty kill (82.6 percent/11th).He turned around a struggling team (26-23-6
under Claude Julien when he arrived in 2016-2017, and then going 18-8-1), and he
has maintained a constantly effective level of play.He does not have the depth of experience
Laviolette has, but his resume with Boston is that of an effective coach
nonetheless.
The Caps will
in if…
One, they can get
and stay healthy and whole.Late season
injuries and absences by Alex Ovechkin, John Carlson, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Ilya
Samsonov, T.J. Oshie, not to mention the season-long absences of Michal Kempny
and Henrik Lundqvist, plus others nicked up her and there, bit into the late
game win-loss performance of the Caps.Washington showed an ability to grind out games, but this is a different
kettle of fish.And Boston knows how to
catch and cook fish.
Two, they get
superior performances from Evgeny Kuznetsov and Anthony Mantha.Their late season production has been
disappointing for different reasons.Kuznetsov has been efficient when he has been in the lineup, but he
missed 15 of 56 games this season for a variety of reasons.And he just hasn’t taken that next step
toward elite status since his career year in 2017-2018.He ha the talent to be a 27-56-83 player on a
consistent basis, but he has not even reclaimed that level of performance.And, he has only four goals and 11 points in
15 playoff games (with a minus-5 rating) since going 12-20-32, plus-12 in 24
games in the 2018 Stanley Cup-winning postseason for the Caps.As for Mantha, is his 0-3-3, plus-1, scoring
line merely a “slump” since his scoring goals in each of his first four games
with the Caps, or is it an indicator of what frustrated the Detroit Red Wings
to making him available in a trade at this season’s deadline?
Three, Vitek
Vanecek finds his inner Cam Ward.Vanecek
won a lot of games for a rookie, his 21 wins ranking third all-time in Caps
history among rookie goalies.But his underlying
numbers (2.69 GAA, .908 save percentage) suggest he was more often a passenger
than a goalie who could steal a game.And, he goes into the postseason with a 4-3-1, 3.17, .886, with one
shutout in his last eight regular season appearances.But contemplate the experience of Cam Ward as
a rookie in 2005-2006.He had a nice
regular season win-loss record (14-8-2), but his underlying numbers (3.68/.882)
were, well…not so nice.And then came
the playoffs.Taking over for an ineffective
Martin Gerber (1-1, 3.52, .886), he finished the playoffs 15-8/2.14/.920, with
two shutouts.His GAA was second among
all goalies playing in more than one game, his save percentage was sixth in
that group, and he skated off with the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the
postseason.Vanecek doesn’t have to be Smythe-level
good for the Caps to win this series (although it would be nice), but he has to
be more consistent and more effective than he was coming into this postseason.And no, we do not anticipate Ilya Samsonov or
Craig Anderson getting minutes unless Vanecek forgets entirely how to play the
position, or he is otherwise unable to play.This is not how the goaltending part in the script read when the season
started, but it is what it is.
The Bruins will
win if…
One, they just
keep doing what they have been doing since April 1st.In 24 games since then, Boston was 15-7-2,
third-most wins and ninth-best points percentage (.667).They have been good in the ends over that
period, ranking eighth in scoring offense (3.29 goals per game) and seventh in
scoring defense (2.46 goals allowed per game).Their shots/shot allowed differential has been superb (plus-7.4 per game),
and their shot attempts-for at 5-on-5 has been excellent (55.0/fourth).
Two, Tuukka Rask
is the goalie who showed up in the last six weeks, not the goalie who couldn’t
beat the Caps in his earlier career. As
noted above, Rask had his early problems with the Caps (2-11-5, 3.10, .889, two
shutouts in his first 19 career appearances against the Caps through 2018-2019),
but he is 2-0-2, 2.70, .913 since then.And,
he is 7-1-0, 2.07, .923, with two shutouts since returning from injury last
month.If it is that Rask who shows up,
the Caps have their work cut out for them.
The “Perfection
Line,” a tribute to hubris by Bruins Nation, is a “more perfect union” (like how
we folded some American history into this?Hey, read the Preamble to the Constitution).Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and David
Pastrnak, finished one-two-three, respectively, in goals scored, combining for
72 of the 164 goals scored by the Bruins this season (43.9 percent), and that
is with Pastrnak sitting out eight games to injury (hip injury, COVID
protocol).
In the end…
All the
important indicators for this series are colored black and gold, not red, white
and blue.Boston should win this series,
and frankly, they should do it in less than seven games.What the Caps have shown this year, especially
late in the season, is a certain resilience that has allowed them to grind out
games.It is that, contingent upon them being
generally healthy, which will propel them into what could be series against another
team that wears black and gold.
We are at the end of it, and we are perhaps at the beginning
of it.The regular season ends for the
Washington Capitals on Tuesday night when they host the Boston Bruins at
Capital One Arena.This contest also might
be viewed as “Game 0” of the first round of the playoffs, inasmuch as the
current standings would have the Caps hosting the Bruins in the East Division
semi-final round of the postseason.
Boston plays the first of a back-to-back to close their season
when they host the New York Islanders in the last game of their home season on Monday
night (if Boston wins, they clinch third place in the division and a first
round matchup with the Caps).Going into
that game, it is hard to say whether the Bruins are hot, cold, or hot and cold.They are 11-3-1 over their last 15 games, but
how they built that record might be of some concern.A six-game winning streak was followed by
consecutive losses, and then they rattled off a four-game winning streak before
alternating losses and a win in their last three contests.
Over span covering those 15 games, only the Minnesota Wild
have more standings points (11-1-2/24) than the Bruins (11-3-1/23), and Boston
is fifth in points percentage (.767), best in the East Division.It probably will not surprise anyone that
Brad Marchand leads the team in goals (nine) and points (15) over those 15
games.After all, as of Monday morning,
Marchand leads the Bruins for the season in goals (28) and points (67), and he
ranks tied for sixth in the league in goals and is third in points.
Marchand, the player who might be the only one hated around
the league more than the Caps’ Tom Wilson, has the temerity to be a really good
offensive player.Only COVID, this year
and last that resulted in abbreviated schedules, are likely to prevent him from
posting six straight 30-goal seasons (he had 28 in 70 games last season).COVID will prevent him from posting a fifth
straight 80-point season (he had four straight coming into this season,
including 87 in 70 games last season).He is one of two players to post at least 200 goals over the last six
seasons (202; Alex Ovechkin has 255), he ranks fourth in total points over
those six seasons (485), and he is sixth in points per game over that span
(1.14).As if to rub salt in the wounds
of opponents who bristle at his antics outside the rules, he has 41
game-winning goals over the last six seasons, second only the Connor McDavid
(43), and no player has more overtime goals (12, tied with Jonathan Toews).If he manages a goal against the Caps, he
will become only the second player over the last six seasons to score 100 goals
on the road (Ovechkin: 132).Marchand is
7-6-13, plus-12, in seven games against the Caps this season and 15-18-33,
plus-2, in 39 career games against Washington.
One expects Marchand, David Pastrnak, and Patrice Bergeron
to be among the top goal scorers and point getters for the Bruins, but Nick
Ritchie?The six-year pro spent four-plus
seasons with the Anaheim Ducks after being taken with the tenth overall pick of
the 2014 Entry Draft by the Ducks, before he was traded to Boston for Danton
Heinen in February 2020.His high in
goal scoring in those four-plus seasons with the Ducks was 14 in his sophomore
season of 2016-2017.Ritchie has already
passed that career high in his first full season with Boston, recording 15
goals in 54 games.The odd part of that,
though, is that despite ranking fourth on the team in goal scoring (behind the trio
mentioned above) and seventh in points (26), he has the fourth-worst plus-minus
rating (minus-7) on the team.Another odd
fact about Ritchie’s season is that he has a career-high five power play goals,
shattering his previous high (two, in 2018-2019 and 2019-2020).In fact, he had a total of six career power
play goals in 294 career games before posting five in 54 games this season, good
for third on the team behind Bergeron (seven) and Pastrnak (six).Ritchie has been hot of late, scoring five
goals on 22 shots (22.7 percent shooting) in his last ten games.He is 2-1-3, even, against the Caps this
season and 4-1-5, minus-1, in 16 career games against Washington.
Boston has had a hard time icing a consistent squad of defensemen
this season.None have appeared in every
game for the Bruins, and only one – Charlie McAvoy – has appeared in as many as
50.No other Bruin defenseman has
appeared in more than 43 games (Connor Clifton).But injuries have not slowed Matt Grzelcyk
from being a producer from the blue line.Despite missing 18 games to four different injuries, the slightly-built
Grzelcyk (5’9”/174) is tied for the team lead in goals among defensemen (five,
with McAvoy) and is the only defenseman other than McAvoy to record
double-digits in points (20, to McAvoy’s 30).He, McAvoy, and Steven Kampfer are the only defensemen to post power
play goals for the Bruins this season.For Grzelcyk, it is quite a bump up in productivity.Over his previous three seasons in Boston he was
consistent, averaging between 0.05 and 0.06 goals per game per season and averaging
between 0.27 and 0.31 points per game per season.This year, his production jumped significantly,
more than doubling last year’s goals per game (from 0.06 to 0.14) and almost
doubling his points per game (from 0.31 to 0.56).Grzelcyk is finishing strong, going 1-4-5,
plus-7, in his last five games.He is
0-1-, plus-4, in three games against Washington this season and 0-2-2, plus-6,
in 11 career games against the Caps.
1.Boston is 4-3-1 in
their last eight road games, outscoring opponents, 22-16. In five of those
eight games they allowed one or no goals (two shutouts).
2.The Bruins lead
the league overall in number of games allowing one or no goals (20), but they
have just a 16-4-0 in those games, the four losses in regulation also leading
the league.
3.No team has
allowed fewer 5-on-5 goals on the road than Boston (40, tied with Carolina).
4.Boston has allowed
26 third period goals and three overtime goals in road games this season.They have allowed a total of only 34 in the
first 40 minutes of road games this season.
5.While the Bruins
have enjoyed success in road games decided by two goals (5-2/.714 winning percentage)
and in games decided by three or more goals (4-3/.571), they have struggled in
road games decided by one goal (6-3-4/.462).
1. The Caps have only
16 wins on home ice this season, tied for 12th in the league (with
Edmonton).
2.Winning one-goal
games on home ice has not been a problem.Their 10-0-3 record is third-best in the league by winning percentage
(.769).
3.Only four teams
have a worse net penalties per 60 minutes on home ice than the Caps (minus-0.37).None of them – Philadelphia (minus-0.40),
Anaheim (minus-0.42), Detroit (minus-0.42), or Vancouver (minus-0.46) – are in
the postseason.
4.For their growing
reputation (true or not) for nastiness, the Caps have only four major penalties
on home ice this season.Only four teams
in the league have fewer (the New York Islanders, WinnipegJets, Buffalo Sabres, and Carolina Hurricanes).
5.The Caps are still
waiting for a power play goal from any defenseman other than John Carlson this
season (three).None of the other seven
defensemen to dress for the Caps this season have one.
The Peerless’ Players to Ponder
Boston: David Krejci
Sometimes it seems as if David Krejci has been a Bruin since
the days of Milt Schmidt and Dit Clapper.But the fact is that he has been in the league only since 2006-2007, entering
the league one season after Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby.In his 15 years as a Bruin, Krejci has built
an impressive resume.He ranks seventh
in games played for the club (961 as of Monday morning), 16th in
goals (215), seventh in assists (512), eighth in points (727), 18th
in plus-minus rating (plus-141), tied for 20th in power play goals
(50), ninth in power play points (190), tenth in game-winning goals (41), and tied
for fifth in overtime goals (five).
At the age of 35, Krejci is fighting to maintain some
consistency in offensive production.His
0.16 goals per game this season (eight in 50 games) is his lowest since he
posted 0.15 goals per game in 2014-2015.He is averaging 0.66 assists per game, which is keeping his points per game
(0.82) at a respectable level, slightly over his career average (0.76 points per
game).Krejci has been on fire down the
stretch, going 6-12-18, plus-14, over his last 15 games through Sunday, his 18
points second on the team over that span, and his plus-14 rating tied for best
on the team with Patrice Bergeron and Taylor Hall.Krejci is 2-3-5, plus-1, in seven games
against Washington this season and 12-19-31, minus-9, in 46 career games
against the Caps.
Washington: Daniel Sprong
When the Caps obtained Daniel Sprong in a trade with the
Anaheim Ducks for defenseman Christian Djoos in February 2020, one might have
been forgiven for the front office, let alone fans, not quite knowing what they
got in the 22-year old winger.In four
seasons with Pittsburgh and Anaheim he showed a brief glimpse of what was
possible, posing 14 goals in 63 games split between the Penguins and Ducks in
2018-2019.But otherwise he seemed a bit
of a disappointment, posting a 5-2-7, minus-3 scoring line in his other three
seasons preceding his trade to Washington.He played only five games with the Hershey Bears in the AHL, going
1-5-6, minus-1, not much evidence to project his future with the Caps.
Even early on in this season, it was difficult to see if
Sprong could fill some or all of his potential as an offensive
contributor.In his first 13 games he was
3-1-4, even.He averaged just 9:21 in
ice time, stapled to the fourth line for the most part, topping ten minutes of
ice time only six times in those 13 games.Not bad, but not much to predict in terms of his future.But then, his season took a turn.He put together a four-game points streak in
early March (3-1-4, plus-5), and his ice time got a jolt, up to 13:25 per game
over that short stretch.Since then, he
has been something of a good luck charm, going 7-5-12, plus-3, with three
game-winning goals in 24 games while averaging 12:38 in ice time per game.Odd Sprong fact… if he goes 1-1-2, plus-2,
and the goal is a game winner at even strength, not an altogether rare occurrence
in the NHL, he would finish the season 7-4-11, plus-5, with seven even strength
goals and two game winners both at home and on the road.He is 1-1-2, plus-2, in four games against
the Bruins this season (something to keep in mind) and 1-1-2, minus-2, in nine
career games against Boston.
In the end…
The last game of the season for the Caps is something to be endured
with the hope that no one else succumbs to injury and those who are sitting out
can use the time off to get better sooner before the postseason starts.The game isn’t “meaningless,” a term that
might mean more to fans than to players or coaches.After all, this could be a preview of the
Caps opening playoff round.If anything,
this game brings to mind the old Vince Lombardi quote about winning and
commitment…
“Winning is not a sometime thing, it is an all the time
thing. You don’t do things right once in a while…you do them right all the
time.”
In this case, “winning is an all the time thing” might not
apply to this game, but for the players who do dress, doing things right all
the time is what matters.And if they do
that, winning just might take care of itself.
