Washington Capitals: Top 3 reasons they can surprise in postseason
The Washington Capitals can surprise in 2020.
After a long rest between game action, nearing five months, the Washington Capitals have been hard at work on the ice gearing up for an unprecedented postseason like no other. These unusual Stanley Cup playoffs will begin on August 1 while the Caps first game is two days later.
There are a lot of questions facing the team as they enter this uncharted territory. With everyone healthy it’ll be interesting to see how they’ll fare in the round robin and which opponent they’ll draw in the tournament.
The Caps have been training at MedStar Capitals Iceplex and will begin Phase 3 of the Return to Play on Monday. The NHL hopes to award the Stanley Cup by early October and then we’ll have a draft and then go into the offseason which will fly by. Thankfully time has flown by in this pause.
There are three reasons the Caps can surprise in the playoffs which we’ll get to in a second. I think the Round Robin will be a good measuring stick for them to get them primed for the tournament ahead. It beats having a two week bye period like the NFL. Anyway, let’s begin.
#3 The long rest can only help a defense that needs to improve
The Caps defense has struggled throughout the season and needs to be fixed fast if they want to make a deep playoff run. The Brenden Dillon acquisition helped them and the defense did get slightly better before the pause.
We all know the awesomeness of John Carlson and how he’s likely to bring home a Norris Trophy. Nothing to worry about up top. It’s just a matter if Michal Kempny can improve and return tot he form he was brought on when the team traded for him a couple seasons ago.
Head coach Todd Reirden had been tinkering with the parings before the season was paused with the goal of making it as strong a unit as possible. Radko Gudas was a healthy scratch in four of the last five games. Before the canceled game against the Detroit Red Wings the parings were Kempny and Carlson, Dillon and Dmitry Orlov, and Jonas Siegenthaler and Nick Jensen.
The defense will be something to keep an eye on in the postseason. Will Kempny return to his play prior to his injury last year? Will we see Martin Fehervary in a game?
#2 Experience
The past experience will only help members of the current Caps prepare for what lies ahead. They know what it takes to win after hoisting the Stanley Cup in 2018. Despite losing in 2019 the Caps played hard enough in a Game 7 that could’ve gone either way.
Last season Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin led the charge and it’ll be the same guys that need to have an impact this time around. But you won’t believe who led in goals and assists that spring. Backstrom led the Caps with five goals while Ovechkin had four. Ovechkin led the Caps with five assists while Backstrom had three.
One player that needs to step up is Evgeny Kuznetsov. He only scored one goal and had five assists last spring after a 12 goal, 20 assists and 32 point playoff performance in Washington’s run to the Stanley Cup. He’ll be counted on to be an impact player and his experience of success and slumps should help him.
Almost every player on this team has playoff experience under their belt but some will be tasting postseason hockey in a Caps sweater for the first time. Whether it’s your first time or your 10th time, welcome to the big dance.
#1 The motivation of win-now mode
We all know Alex Ovechkin is not getting any younger and the sad truth is all these guys are starting to grow up. Ovechkin is the second oldest player on the team behind Ilya Kovalchuk. The team boasts eight players that are 30 or up.
Having that veteran presence will only help a team that has been here before and tasted victory just two short years ago. You’ve got Ovechkin and Backstrom. You’ve got T.J. Oshie who’s shined on both the NHL and Olympic stage. You got Carl Hagelin who’s won two Stanley Cups with your biggest rival now on your side. You’ve got John Carlson, who seems to get better every year and has a strong chance to win the Norris Trophy.
Other impact players you can watch that are veterans include Lars Eller, who scored the most important goal in Caps playoff history and Braden Holtby who made the greatest save of all-time. The youngest players on the team are Ilya Samsonov and Jonas Siegenthaler at 22 years old. You’ll likely see Samsonov in one of the Round Robin games while Siegenthaler will likely play on the third pairing.
More. Washington Capitals: Breaking down Phase 3 Return to Play Plan. light
A long rest for the defense, experience, and the motivation of winning now are the recipies for a successful playoff run.