A rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference semifinal will take place between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals.
The Penguins enter as the defending Cup champs, and will be a rested team, having dispatched Columbus in five games in their first-round matchup. The Capitals knocked off the underdog Maple Leafs in six games, and are hoping that this is the year Washington finally wins its first Stanley Cup.
This is going to be fun.
Here’s how these two teams match up in their second-round series.
BROADCAST SCHEDULE
Game 1 — Pittsburgh at Washington: Thursday, April 27 at 7:30 p.m. on Sportsnet
Game 2 — Pittsburgh at Washington: Saturday, April 29 at 8 p.m. on CBC
Game 3 — Washington at Pittsburgh: Monday, May 1 at 7:30 p.m. on CBC
Game 4 — Washington at Pittsburgh: Wednesday, May 3 at 7:30 p.m. on CBC
Game 5* — Pittsburgh at Washington: Saturday, May 6, TBD
Game 6* — Washington at Pittsburgh: Monday, May 8, TBD
Game 7* — Pittsburgh at Washington: Wednesday, May 10, TBD
ADVANCED STATS (regular season):
Washington: 51.69 5on5 CF% (4th), .937 5on5 Sv% (1st), 9.34 5on5 Sh% (1st), 103.0 PDO (1st)
Pittsburgh: 50.11 5on5 CF% (16th), .927 5on5 Sv% (9th), 8.6 5on5 Sh% (5th), 101.28 PDO (5th)
TEAM STATS (regular season):
Washington: 23.1 PP% (3rd), 83.8 PK% (7th), 261 GF (3rd), 177 GA (1st)
Pittsburgh: 23.1 PP% (3rd), 79.8 PK% (20th), 278 GF (1st), 229 GA (17th)
HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD
Washington: 2-0-2
Pittsburgh: 2-2-0
Round 1 Strengths for Washington: The Capitals possessed one of the better power plays in the NHL during the regular season and carried that into the playoffs. Washington had a 29.4 per cent (5-for-17) success rate against Toronto, led by T.J. Oshie and Kevin Shattenkirk, who posted three points each with the man advantage. Considering the Pens are without their horse Kris Letang on the blue line, this could be an area where the Caps can really take advantage.
Round 1 Strengths for Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh’s 23.1 per cent power-play success rate was tied for the third best in the NHL in the regular season. The unit upped that number to 33.3 in the first round against the Columbus Blue Jackets, scoring five times in 15 chances. Phil Kessel led the way in that regard, scoring two goals and four points with the man advantage.
Round 1 Weaknesses for Washington: Five of the Capitals’ six games against the Maple Leafs were decided in overtime. Though they won three of those contests, really, a few bad bounces could have resulted in a much different first-round outlook. The Caps would be well served by trying to build on leads later in games, maintaining a third-period killer instinct.
Round 1 Weaknesses for Pittsburgh: The Penguins allowed an average of 38.8 shots per game, including a whopping 51 in their 5-2 win over Columbus in the Game 5 clincher. Luckily, Marc-Andre Fleury, who started all five games in place of injured Matt Murray, bailed Pittsburgh out with mostly spectacular play. The club might not be so lucky in the next round.
Capitals X-Factor: With all the offensive firepower that exists between these teams, you have to think the goaltenders will end up making the difference. Braden Holtby was shaky in the Washington net over the first four games against the Maple Leafs, but was excellent in Games 5 and 6, allowing just two combined goals on 63 shots. He’s the reigning Vezina Trophy winner and a finalist for this year’s award, so if he’s rounded into form, look out.
Penguins X-Factor: You could make the argument for Sidney Crosby linemate Jake Guentzel, who came out of relative obscurity to lead the team with five goals, but we’ll go with Evgeni Malkin here. His 11 points outpaced teammates and is impressive given that he missed the final 13 games of the regular season with an upper-body injury. When he’s on, he’s the type of all-world player that can carry a team all by himself. Just like Mr. Crosby.
PLAYOFF TEAM LEADERS (G-A-PTS)
Washington: T.J. Oshie (3-4-7), Justin Williams (3-3-6), Nick Backstrom (2-4-6)
Pittsburgh: Evgeni Malkin (2-9-11), Phil Kessel (2-6-8), Sidney Crosby (2-5-7)
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