Washington Capitals: Round One Predictions

Heading into round one, some writers here at Stars and Sticks put together their predictions and concerns moving forward.

The Washington Capitals are set to begin their postseason run tomorrow night against the Philadelphia Flyers. That means we have one more night of stress-free living as we enjoy the playoff action that begins tonight.

In the spirit of the postseason, some of us decided to release our own predictions in roundtable fashion, as we have in the past.

Our discussion spanned a variety of topics, including how confident we were in the Washington Capitals, how we felt about the matchup and of course, our prediction for the series. Without further ado, lets get into the good stuff.

On a scale of 1-10, how do you feel about the team overall as the Caps enter the postseason and why?

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Brad: The results haven’t necessarily been there at times, but the process has been right on lately. The Caps have been one of the better possession teams in the entire season, so there is reason to be confident. Honestly, I’m at about a 7 right now, and the only reason that it isn’t higher is because the playoffs seem so wide open this year. Anybody can beat anybody.

Evan: 8/10, while I’m fairly optimistic about this Washington Capitals team that is the best one that the franchise has ever seen there are two factors that don’t leave me overly confident about a guaranteed success in this year’s postseason. The first being how the team has stalled out in the last month and didn’t look like the great Capitals team we got accustomed to in the beginning of the season. While it may be overlooking the issue the Capitals will need to put the struggles of the past month behind them to be ready and able to beat a very hungry Flyers team with an “Us Against the World” mentality. The second reason deals with me the thought in the back of I’m sure mostly all Caps fans heads is how the franchise has never made it past the second round in the Ovechkin era including the first round exit the last time they won the Presidents’ Trophy.

Ben: I’m at about an 8. The late-season swoon tempered my enthusiasm but I am encouraged by their recent CF% numbers and the game against St. Louis. Mainly, I just worry about the Pens, I don’t think there’s another team out there capable of beating the Caps in a seven game series in the Eastern Conference given the injuries in Tampa and overall regression of the Rangers.

Scott: 10! Over the seven Capitals playoff runs of the Ovechkin era, I have always remained cautiously optimistic, exercising all of my personal superstitions to the fullest. That means never making bold predictions or statements that I’ll later regret. That restraint has only ever gotten my Caps to the second round. So now, with undoubtedly the best Caps team I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching about to take another stab at giving me my first professional championship of my lifetime, I’m changing my mindset. No more holding back. This is the best team in hockey, and despite our “struggles” over the last month or so, I have full confidence that we will play up to our potential. It’s been all about the playoffs since game 1 of the season, and this team is ready to soar over the hump.

How do you think the Caps match up with the Flyers over the course of a seven game series?

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Brad: The Flyers are one of two teams that I think match up the best with Washington, the other being Pittsburgh. Over seven games, though, I don’t think there is any way that the Flyers can keep up with the Caps. There is simply just too much death on the Washington Capitals barring injury. The Flyers will be riding a wave of emotion, though, following the death of Ed Snider.

Evan: I would say the Capitals lineup very well against the Flyers while being better with their scoring depth, defense and goal tending. However, if the Capitals are to be successful against the Flyers I do believe they cannot get into the physical grueling emotional game that the Flyers will try to bring to get the Caps out of their comfort zone. It is a must that they have to keep their heads clear and play their style of hockey.

Ben: The Flyers have enough goaltending and a good enough top six to steal two games but beyond that, I don’t think they can match the Washington Capitals’ depth. The Flyers, to me, haven’t looked especially scary in a couple of weeks and barely squeaked in. Their defense is really thin and with Gostisbehere missing Tuesday’s practice, he is the straw that stirs the drink. After him their blueline starts to get awfully thin and I think that will be their undoing.

Scott: The Caps are better than the Flyers in every facet of the game: offense, defense, goaltending, special teams, depth, etc. But the Flyers are a physical team playing with a nothing-to-lose mentality. So it’ll be a tough series, and it’s certainly not an ideal matchup, but I don’t see the Flyers being able to keep up with the Caps over a seven game series.

What is your biggest concern heading into the series/playoffs?

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Brad: The Flyers have simply been one of the better teams in hockey over the past 25 games, so that is obviously concerning. This is a team that has been through adversity, having to battle back from the bottom of the league to make it into the playoffs. On the contrary, I have to wonder how much they have left in the tank after such a furious surge up the standings.

Evan: My biggest concern heading into the playoffs is just simply the pressure this team has on them after an unbelievable regular season. The pressure from not only the fans of Washington DC but all of the media after the Capitals were miles better than anybody over the course of the season worries me just from the mental strain and that is something that I think their opponents will try to feed off of as well knowing that the pressure is on the Caps.

Ben: The Penguins. Pittsburgh was playing unbelievable hockey down the stretch and will be another huge challenge in the second round. There is no doubt whatesoever that series A) will happen and B) will go seven games.

Scott: I’m always worried about injury, but the Caps are 100% healthy right now. So my biggest concern is running into a hot goalie. Steve Mason doesn’t really scare me, but he’s certainly capable of standing on his head. If the Caps slow-start trend continues into the playoffs, it’ll be tough to comeback against a goalie putting forth a 2010 Halak-like performance.

Lastly, what is your prediction for this series – winner, and in how many games?

Brad: My heart tells me the Caps take this series in 5 games, but my mind knows that this series is going 7. I still think the Caps win due to their outstanding death.

Evan: I think that the Capitals will take this series in 6 games. There is no doubt in my mind that the Flyers riding the wave of getting into the playoffs when no one expected them to make too will ride that momentum and take it to and test the Capitals to make it a close an even series but I just think the depth that is on this roster from top to bottom will eventually be too much for Philadelphia to overcome.

Ben: I think the Caps probably close it out in six.

Scott: My confidence tells me the Caps should wrap this series up in 4 or 5 games, while the Washingtonian in me tells me that it’s definitely going seven. So I’ll split it down the middle and say the Caps win in 6.

Next: Caps: Playoff Lines, EA Predicts Cup Champion

Well, there you have it. Make sure to leave your predictions in the comments, as well as what you expect from round one against the Philadelphia Flyers.