NHL Playoff Schedule 2016: TV Info, Predictions for Saturday Slate

The numbers tell a huge story as to why the Washington Capitals were the dominant team in the NHL during the regular season this year with 120 points.

They can put the puck in the net with consistency. That's nothing new for a team that has had Alex Ovechkin in uniform since the 2005-06 season. The Capitals averaged 3.0244 goals per game in the regular season, which ranked second in the league to the Dallas Stars. 

The Capitals have added to their game each of the last two seasons with Barry Trotz behind the bench. In the past, defense was either given lip service or a nonfactor for the Capitals. But under Trotz, defense is just as important as the offense.

Washington plays a tough, hard-hitting game, and the defensemen keep excellent gaps and block shots with regularity. The Caps gave up 2.3293 goals per game, which also ranked second in the league.

There has been no secret to Washington's success this year. They have succeeded at both aspects of the game, and they dominated from the start of the season. When their offense struggled in their first-round series with the Philadelphia Flyers, there was no panic. Goalie Braden Holtby and the defense took over, and the Flyers scored just six goals in six games.

It is doubtful the Capitals will be able to hold the Pittsburgh Penguins to that level in the second round. While Washington has proved it can win any style of game, the Penguins have too much speed and talent. The Capitals will have to be close to their best in order to win this series.

The Capitals got the jump in Game 1, when T.J. Oshie scored a hat trick and the Capitals picked up a 4-3 overtime win. Oshie's last goal came in the extra session, and it survived a video review by the officials, the puck barely making it behind Pittsburgh goalie Matt Murray and the goal line.

Game	Series Standings	Time (ET)	TV	Predicted winner
N.Y. Islanders at Tampa Bay	N.Y Islanders, 1-0	3 p.m.	NBC, TVAS, SN	Tampa Bay
Pittsburgh at Washington	Washington, 1-0	8 p.m.	NBC, CBC, TVAS	Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh was effective at pushing the pace in Game 1, and the Penguins were able to dominate for stretches. The Capitals can play an up-and-down kind of game, but they prefer to impose their defensive skills against an offensive-minded team like the Penguins.

"I don't want to take anything away," Trotz told NHL.com staff writer Tom Gulitti. "Pittsburgh did a good job last night. They did a real good job in a lot of areas, but we didn't do a good enough job in our own game, so we've got to tighten up our own game."

Oshie's hat trick moved him into the lead in the Caps' playoff scoring this year with four goals and seven points. Center Nicklas Backstrom and defenseman John Carlson also have seven points.

Normally, Ovechkin is at the top of the Capitals' goal-scoring list. He has three postseason goals, and he is capable of going off in any game. Seeing another player with more goals could result in an explosive game from the Washington captain.

Keith Srakocic/Associated Press

The Penguins would love to turn the game into something of a track meet. In Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin (eight points each), the Penguins have the firepower to fill the nets. But more than those two, the Pens have gotten consistent production from a supporting cast that includes Phil Kessel, Nick Bonino, Kris Letang, Patric Hornqvist and Conor Sheary.

Head coach Mike Sullivan has gotten the most out of Pittsburgh to this point, but the Pens will have to turn it up a notch if they are going to compete with the Capitals.

The Capitals are -117 favorites to win Game 2 of the series, while the Penguins are plus-120 underdogs, according to Odds Shark.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are in a near-desperate position Saturday after losing Game 1 at home to the New York Islanders. Any time a team with home-ice advantage loses the first game of a series, it serves notice that there is much work to be done and that it has to upgrade its level of play.

The oddsmakers believe in the Lightning, though, and they are minus-158 favorites to get the best of the New York Islanders in Game 2 of the series. 

Mike Carlson/Getty Images

Tampa Bay does not have to panic despite the loss. Goalie Ben Bishop simply did not have a good game, giving up four goals before head coach Jon Cooper pulled him in the second period. It wasn't all Bishop's fault, as the Lightning defense did not do its part, either.

Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman admitted the defense was not good enough in Game 1.

"I think we turned the puck over a lot," Hedman told NHL.com correspondent Corey Long. "I think we gave them opportunities to get the puck deep and create plays. We were a little too careless in the neutral zone, and they took advantage."

The Lightning certainly have the offensive prowess in Tyler Johnson, Nikita Kucherov and Alex Killorn to get the better of Islanders goalie Thomas Greiss, but unless the defense slows down John Tavares, it will be difficult for the Lightning to seize control of the series.

Predictions:

Look for both trailing teams to get even in their respective series. 

The Lightning made it to the Stanley Cup Final a year ago, and they know how to rebound and win big games. Bishop is an excellent goalie who simply had an off game in the series opener. Tampa Bay will play a strong third period and come away with the home win.

The Penguins were the hottest team in the league down the final stretch of the regular season with 14 wins in their final 16 regular-season games. The Pens followed that with an overpowering 4-1 series win over the New York Rangers in the first round.

They have more than enough talent to push the Capitals hard in this series. Look for the Penguins to find a way to beat the Caps on their home ice in Game 2.