2012 NHL Playoffs: What the Capitals Need to Do to Dethrone the Bruins

Six months ago, the Washington Capitals played their first game of the season against the Carolina Hurricanes. They went on to win that game, as well as the next six contests.

After that streak, the Caps began to slide. They eventually fired head coach Bruce Boudreau and replaced him with Dale Hunter. After Hunter took over, the Caps seemed to struggle with consistency, among other things.

In the closing weeks of the season, the Caps seemed to have finally heated up again. They were showing the passion they had shown in those first seven games of the season. Most notably, captain Alexander Ovechkin played with the fire that has led the Capitals to the Presidents Trophy.

As the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference, the Capitals will play the Boston Bruins in round one. Hunter’s club shouldn’t be counted out because they have shown the potential to dethrone the defending Stanley Cup Champions.

The Capitals have some decent momentum heading into the playoffs. They are coming off a 4-1 win over the Eastern Conference leading New York Rangers. The Bruins have similar momentum going for them. Both teams will enter Game 1 of the playoffs with a two game win streak going.

As I said earlier, the Caps have what it takes to defeat the Bruins. Forechecking and forcing turnovers will be important in keeping Boston’s scorers off the boards. Even more importantly, it would turn our defense into offense and help set up valuable scoring chances.

Speaking of scoring, forwards from all lines will need to make an incredible offensive effort. Bruins captain and star defenseman Zdeno Chara has gone on record and stated that he looks forward to locking down Ovechkin. Guys like Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Semin are surely on Chara’s radar, too.

Surely in an effort to prevent Boston’s top defensemen from locking down his offensive all-stars, Hunter and his coaching crew have contemplated splitting Ovechkin, Semin, and Backstrom between the first two lines.

Guys like Brooks Laich, Troy Brouwer, Mathieu Perrault, and Marcus Johansson add depth to the Caps offense. To defeat the Bruins, these guys will all need to step up and continue with the remarkable offensive contributions we’ve seen from them this season.

In addition, out-hustling the Bruins is key to taking this series. The speed of players like Jason Chimera and Cody Eakin could prove to be invaluable when it comes to beating Bruins players to the puck and setting up quick offensive breaks.

The real wild card for the Capitals is their goalie situation. Just as the Caps finally managed to reunite Ovechkin, Backstrom, Semin, and Green, they have found themselves with both Tomas Vokoun and Michal Neuvirth injured. Thus, the Caps have been forced to turn to Braden Holtby, who will make his playoff debut Thursday against the Bruins.

In seven games with six starts, Holtby is 4-2-1 with a .922 save percentage. While he’s only played in seven games this season, he’s shown he can be very reliable in this kind of situation. Personally, I believe he will play his part in helping the Caps secure this series.

What makes me most optimistic about the goalie situation is the crew out in front of the goalie. Mike Green has returned from his multiple injuries. Dennis Wideman was named an All-Star defenseman this year. John Carlson and Karl Alzner have proven to be quite an amazing young defensive tandem. Dmitry Orlov has stepped up as a phenomenal rookie defenseman. Even Brooks Laich has shown the ability to be a game changing two-way forward.

Washington vs. Boston will most definitely be an interesting first-round series. As the defending Stanley Cup Champions and second seeded team in the East, it’s obvious why the Bruins are the favorites. However, one should know to never count out the Capitals. Hunter’s boys will certainly put up a fight against the Bruins.

In the end, my prediction is that this series goes to the Capitals in seven games.