Capitals vs. Penguins: The Biggest Takeaways from Pittsburgh's Series Win

The Washington Capitals entered the playoffs this spring with the look of a champion. NHL Presidents' Trophy winners for the second time—emblematic of the best regular-season record—the roster was deep and strong, and the goaltending proved itself over a long and productive season.

Washington added some good pieces at the deadline, including Daniel Winnik and Mike Weber, and had its sights set on a deep playoff run. The stars appeared to align this spring for the Capitals.

The Pittsburgh Penguins were on fire at the end of the regular season, finishing with eight wins in their final 10 games, and had the look of a team that could give other teams fits in the playoffs. Midseason acquisition Trevor Daley and deadline addition Carl Hagelin were both substantial additions who helped shape the depth chart.

The first round of the playoffs gave an indication of what we would see later on. Washington drew the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round, a gritty but flawed team that would push the Capitals to six games before bowing out. Braden Holtby was brilliant in the series, and Alexander Ovechkin averaged almost six shots per game. John Carlson, Matt Niskanen and Karl Alzner played heavy minutes, and Washington eventually prevailed.

Pittsburgh had an easier time with the New York Rangers, who appeared to look old and slow compared to the fast and aggressive Penguins. New York scored just 10 goals in the five games while giving up 21 and offering very little support for goalie Henrik Lundqvist.

The offensive stars of the series against the Rangers—Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel, Patric Hornqvist, Nick Bonino and Kris Letang all averaged a point per game—gave an indication of just how deep this year's Penguins club could be offensively. Despite all of those names, the key to the series may have been goalie Matt Murray, who stopped almost everything (four goals allowed on 89 shots) once he returned from injury in Game 3.

The series just ended between Washington and Pittsburgh can be viewed as an upset if seen through the lens of the 2015-16 regular season. The truth is the Penguins were formidable by the end of the regular season and have the look of a special team bound for glory.

Pittsburgh Penguins: They Come in Waves

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

The Pittsburgh Penguins have a luxury this spring no other team in the Eastern Conference can boast—three effective possession lines. Using the metrics available via Corsica.hockey, we can see three distinctive lines that are having success.

Sidney Crosby centers Patric Hornqvist and Conor Sheary. They have been on the ice together for almost 100 even-strength minutes during this year's playoffs. Evgeni Malkin centers Eric Fehr and Chris Kunitz, who have been almost as effective—although that line has played just over 50 minutes so far this spring.

Perhaps the key line is the one centered by Nick Bonino, with wingers Phil Kessel and Carl Hagelin. That trio scored seven of the Penguins' 16 goals against the Washington Capitals and may be the beneficiaries of all the forward depth enjoyed by Pittsburgh.

Put another way, because there are three effective lines on this team, opposition coaches are unable to send out effective lines and pairings against all three units. No team in the NHL has that kind of depth, and the Penguins are taking full advantage of the situation.

This is not to discount the collective abilities of Kessel, Bonino and Hagelin, but if they destroy the soft underbelly of the other side, then all benefit from the deployment. It appears both the New York Rangers and the Capitals were unable to ice suitable lines against Pittsburgh's top nine this spring.

Washington Capitals: Alex Ovechkin Wasn't the Problem

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

When a team with high expectations falls short, there is a tendency to blame the impact players. Did these men do enough? The Washington Capitals' best players during the regular season were Evgeny Kuznetsov, Alexander Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Braden Holtby.

Among that group, Ovechkin is the most famous and the most likely target for fans and observers of the series. Does Ovechkin deserve the rap? The numbers say he is not close to being the goat for the Capitals.

He scored a point per game during the postseason. Braden Holtby posted a save percentage above his regular-season numbers, and Backstrom was also productive. Only Kuznetsov, who has just completed his second full NHL season, was off his regular-season numbers.

The Capitals lost the series because of the Penguins' three scoring lines and the sudden emergence of goalie Matt Murray. It is unwise to blame a young talent like Kuznetsov, and it doesn't make sense to blame Ovechkin.

Washington has endured its share of playoff disappointment over the years and has overreacted to playoff losses with major moves the following offseason. The Capitals are close to a championship roster, and that includes their best players from the regular season in 2015-16.

Pittsburgh Penguins: The Turning Point

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

Game 6 was the final contest in the series and provided the major turning point. With Pittsburgh up one goal, defenseman Brooks Orpik took a double minor for high sticking. By the time those four minutes had elapsed, the Penguins added two more to make it 3-0 and give Washington a major uphill battle. To the credit of the Capitals, they did push it to overtime, but the depth of Pittsburgh's forward group put it all to rest on the Nick Bonino goal.

Another key in the series for the Pittsburgh Penguins came in the team's ability to outscore the Washington Capitals at even strength. In Game 1, Washington scored three times at even strength and won the opener. From that point forward, the Capitals scored seven goals at even strength in the final five contests. Pittsburgh scored 13 goals at even strength and won two of the three overtime games.

In many ways, that opening game was an anomaly, going against the rest of the series. T.J. Oshie scored three goals for the Capitals and posted five in the series, but it was not enough to win the day. Pittsburgh always seemed to have an answer, and much of it came from its added depth up front in the form of Carl Hagelin and Bonino. 

Washington Capitals: Don't Be Rash

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

The Washington Capitals have suffered bitter disappoint in previous playoff series, most notably a crushing series in 2010. Montreal Canadiens goalie Jaroslav Halak stoned Washington throughout the series, putting an exclamation point on the postseason matchup in Game 7. That memory stayed with Capitals fans for a long time, and the organization actually acquired Halak for an unsuccessful playoff run in 2014—a period where Halak played very well.

The areas Washington needs to address—depth on defense, allowing its young players (Evgeny Kuznetsov) to continue their maturation—require patience and smaller, precise moves. A major overhaul is both unnecessary and potentially damaging to the team and must be avoided at all costs.

Capitals fans would do well to hope for an uneventful summer, with a couple of inexpensive but effective defensemen brought in to help the team reach the Stanley Cup Final. It may not be sexy, but it is the right thing to do at this time.

Pittsburgh Penguins: The Next Big Star?

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

The Pittsburgh Penguins have a bona fide starting goalie in Marc-Andre Fleury. He is a former No. 1 overall selection, a big part of the organization and one of the most famous goalies in today's NHL.

The playoffs began with Jeff Zatkoff in net due to injures to both Matt Murray and Fleury. However, Jenn Menendez of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recently noted that Flower is available for coach Mike Sullivan in the upcoming series against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Once Murray returned to the crease, he was a key player for Pittsburgh. His save percentage in the playoffs (.935) towers over Zatkoff's (.908), and it is telling that Fleury has been available to play for more than a week—mentioned in the Menendez article—without getting the net.

This is a great problem to have and will eventually get solved, possibly over the summer. The Penguins would be foolish to disregard the accomplishments of Murray at this point, and it would be folly to replace him for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final.