The Capitals have been on a roll since the start of the NHL season. Where will that roll lead once the playoffs start?
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43 Comments
You will not see the capitals nor the jets in the finals this year
This feels like the type of team to lose in the first round or go all the way to the final
THG detecting previously unsuspected mathematical patterns in the universe
I've been following the Caps since 97. This team feels different honestly. A almost perfect mix of youth/ experience and homegrown talent/ picking the right players in FA. They had some duds like Mantha and Samsonov/Vanecek. Depending on how the playoffs end up, their 3 year retool will be studied. Go Caps!🦅
No
2nd round ceiling
My prediction is they’ll win the first round, but fall to Carolina in the second round. For whatever reason, the Canes always seem to be a nightmare matchup
Great analysis.
Redemption THG, redemption 😂❤
2nd round theyre out ! Only getting past the 1st round as quite a weak opponent.
I guess there won't be a Calgary Set To Push for Their Second Stanley Cup video this year . . . : (
> better shot selection by Caps
They aren't that much of an outlier if you plot xGoals for vs. Shots. They just seem to be lucky. And have hot goaltending.
Their xG difference is 12th between WPG and NSH.
> high and medium danger shots
But does a medium danger shot become a high danger shot if that's Ovechkin shooting?
As a Capitals fan, I just want to stress how glad I am that Hershey is our affiliate. The way they've been able to develop players has been fantastic.
Playoff injuries will be key. In 2018, the Caps somehow survived a Wilson suspension, Backstrom's hand injury, Kuzy's hand injury throughout their run but still needed Holtby to shut out Tampa in games 6 and 7 to advance to the finals. In 2019 they were devastated by Oshie's broken collarbone against Carolina and in 2022 they were equally devastated by Wilson's knee injury against the Panthers. Having watched the team more closely in the regular season than anytime in the past since becoming a fan those 50 years ago, I would say this year their most valuable player is Tom Wilson and his 2 way play 5v5, his PK work and his PP work is essential and feels like the central engine of this team. A healthy Wilson and LT or Chuckie the outlaw stealing a few games along the way will send this team deep into the playoffs.
I feel like they are last years canucks, second round outting for them.
Carolina is an annoying matchup.
Winnipeg is the Finals opponent they don't want to see.
Penguins fan here and it pains me to admit the Caps have done so many things right the last few seasons, but it HAS to start with Carbery imo. He should be a heavy favourite for the Adams.
I've been studying the Caps' game all year long (as a Jets fan), trying to figure out how they're doing what they're doing. I didn't do much digging into the specific stats like you do here, Shannon but what I noticed from all their games (especially if they are behind in the game) is they are tenacious, they never give up and the other team (and their goalie) need to be ready for the onslaught of pucks when it's getting close to the end of regulation.
I like the makeup of the Caps team, because it's Ovi who is the superstar (Helle is ours in Winnipeg) and the other boys are hard working and they make the other team work their butts off for every inch of ice… and the fact that our teams are so close in stats is how I believe my Jets have managed to beat the Caps in OT in both games. I do believe we have the edge in goaltending and that was evident last night as Helle was in vintage God mode, as he so often is.
I have to say that it would be a slugfest and I dread to think of injuries that would result to our smaller boys but this would be a battle of seven games between Jets and Caps because of how evenly they are matched in all those areas. I believe Jets would come out as winners at the end but it would be close, depending on (God forbid) any of our guys getting injured along the way. It would be a matchup for the ages for sure! Good luck Caps!!
Best coached team in the league. I've watched the Caps for years and the chemistry on the ice and in the locker room is unprecedented. This team wasn't even expected to make the playoffs. I hope they continue to play like there is no pressure on them – because there really isn't. They have far exceeded expectations.
I sure hope so! Let’s go caps!
Have noodled the first round thing too. Strome, dubois, sandin, chychrun, beauvy, eller all firsters, plus homegrown ovi, wilson, carlson, mcmike. Thats 10 plus a couple second rounds…radish and ferervahry. Dont know how stacks up against other teams. Ctrs and d seem to take a while sometimes. Dubois trade got me thinking as had two 3rd pics overall in strome and dubois…got for essentially zero cost.
I’m all for Washington making a deep playoff run, but as a Jets fan, I hope it’s the Jets lifting the cup, not Washington.
They have a great shot.washington is well balanced and well coached. They're definitely better than Carolina, New Jersey, Toronto, Tampa. Panthers and Caps look very strong in the Eastern Conf. I can't see Washington going out early.
Tom Wilson….career high in points and career low in PIM (so far).
Overperforming frauds
Montreal upsets them, and Caps get bounced in the 1st round.
Th thing with Washington is this isn’t like their other past president trophy teams. They don’t have some star-studded top 6, they don’t have all the pressure in the world to win, they weren’t expected to be where they are and people still don’t believe in them. They’re just a good, hard-working team that believes in their coach and teammates, and they’ve been very consistent all year. They will be a very tough out in a seven game series, good luck to whoever plays them
As a Caps fan I’ve noticed a few things.
1. The team has a strong brotherhood vibe. Even with the great chase no one person is above the other. Ovi and Carbs has this team competing as one.
2. The down power play numbers is due to the great chase. They’re trying to feed Ovi rather than feed themselves. These numbers should go up in the playoffs. Carbs can take O off the ice more.
3. Once the pressure of the great chase if off either by breaking it or the playoffs this team will be able to play with more freedom and energy which is scary.
4. Carbs to me struggles at selecting the right shootout line. He’s had some odd choices. Otherwise he’s coach of the year.
It'd be a travesty to be this good and not win it. At this point I expect them to win
So your telling me they will steamroll the first two rounds but then roll the dice in the conference and/or Stanley cup final
Protas development is crazy good. Worth to mention he leads league in +/-.
Logan Thompson has still lost only 4 games in regulation this year and regular season OT/SO does not relate to playoffs. I’m cautiously optimistic
Possible sure, likely less sure. Seen to many big regular season big pts teams flame out to buy in yet.
The Caps got absurdly lucky. They took a bunch of low-risk, medium-reward free agents and seem to be getting career years out of them. Ovi, McMichael, Carlson, and Wilson are the only 1st round Caps picks currently on the active roster (with Alexeyev a frequent healthy scratch simply because avoiding injuries and great chemistry has left no opportunities for them, and Lapierre and Miroshnichenko also first round guys who've played for them this year). You do also have recent arrival Beauvillier, along with Chychrun, PLD, Eller, Dylan McIlrath (who's played a few games in Washington this year, but has mostly been a Hershey guy during his career), Sonny Milano (though he's barely played this year because of injury), Sandin, and Strome drafted in the first round by other teams. The year Washington drafted Ovi, they had 3 picks in that first round. Since then, they've had 2 picks in the first round 4 times and 3 years without a first round pick (the three traded picks ended up becoming Philip Danault, Morgan Frost, and Wyatt Johnston). One big thing, going back through the Ovi era first round picks, 2 years before Ovi you got Semin, Steve Eminger, and Boyd Gordon, 1 star and 2 decent depth pieces, followed by Eric Fehr, who was a big contributor for a while. The year of Ovi, you also got Mike Green and Jeff Schultz, a couple guys who were top 4 dmen in DC. You also had hits with Backstrom, Varlamov, Alzner, Carlson, Johansson, Kuznetsov, Wilson (and asterisk for Forsberg, who was a hit, but not for us), Burakovsky and Vrana (huge for the cup run), Samsonov, McMichael, Lapierre, Miro, and Leonard, all of whome seem to be some degree of successful first round picks, with only Sash Pokulok, Anton Gustafsson, and Lucas Johansson standing out as true first round misses, and Alexeyev maybe joining them more because of a clogged defensive core.
One thing does make a difference between this years' Caps and 2009-10, 2015-16, an 2016-17. In those seasons, with the playoffs sown up (Caps won the East by 18 in 09-10, 16 in 15-16, and 7 in 16-17), they aren't likely to rest players down the stretch. Ovi almost certainly isn't getting any days off with the Gretzky chase. You may see a forward sit a game here or there to give some call-ups a test to see if they're if needed during the playoffs, but you'll likely see Carbery continue pushing things straight through to keep momentum and help Ovi.
12:30 Avs def target former 1st Rounders as reclamations
No
After the cup run I just want to see them win a series it's been too long and the rest whatever happens, happens.
Im a huge Caps fan and agree with everything but there are a couple of super strong playoffs teams I can see already. The Jets, The Avs, Tampa, The Panthers, Dallas, Carolina. the stats are +- here and there but what I know for sure already, we all are up to absolutely great playoffs that are comming, probably the best in many years, and let the strongest win.
Jakub was good in Ottawa i wouldn’t say he didn’t fit in there but his production there made me thrilled when we got him
Imagine doing a 15 minute video talking about the Caps in the playoffs and not mentioning Ryan Leonard. Yikes Shannon.
Jets and caps first round exit