Washington Capitals Playoffs: 3 reasons they will beat Panthers after Game 1

#2 Gameplan execution

The second reason the Caps will knock off the top seeded Panthers is because it’ll come down to gameplan execution. The Caps passed the test in Game 1. They didn’t let the Panthers speed intimidate them and didn’t fold in the third period when trailing. Everybody chipped in and it was a total team effort.

Lars Eller told the media:

"“I think we kinda worked our way into the game as the game went on. We just believed in our game plan and stuck and with it, even though they came out with a lot of speed through the first two [periods], but we battled back and everybody chipped in. A really, really gutsy win.”"

The Capitals executed their game plan with stifling defense, making the Panther offense uncomfortable. They also matched their physicality and had the slight edge and didn’t let Tom Wilson getting knocked out of the game stop them. The Caps also won the loose puck battle, generated shots to the net and won the little battles that are needed for playoff wins.

The Caps averaged 6.62 takeaways per 60 minutes during the regular season but last night they forced 13 Panthers turnovers. They allowed just six on their end.