May 6 vs. Carolina Hurricanes at Capital One Arena
Time: 7:00 p.m.
TV: ESPN, Sportsnet
Radio: 106.7 THE FAN, Caps Radio 24/7
Washington Capitals (51-22-9)
Carolina Hurricanes (47-30-5)
Six nights after finishing their first-round series with the Montreal Canadiens with a 4-1 victory in Game 5, the Caps are back at Capital One Arena to host the Carolina Hurricanes in the series opener of the best-of-seven second-round Stanley Cup playoff series between the two Metro Division rivals.
In dispatching the Canadiens in five games, the Caps earned themselves some extra rest. They’ve had a few practices and a couple well-earned days off, but they’re more than ready to jump back in the saddle on Tuesday against a formidable Carolina club. The Canes finished their first-round series against New Jersey last Tuesday; Carolina was the first team to punch its ticket to the second round.
Washington and Carolina took identical paths to their respective first-round series wins; both won the first two games on home ice and fell in Game 3 on the road before winning the next two games to close out their opponent.
But within those five games, the Caps and Canes went about business differently. Washington scuffled on special teams in round one while Carolina feasted on both special teams in its triumph over the Devils. The Caps forged their first-round victory on the strength of their 5-on-5 play, outscoring the Habs 11-7 and yielding the fewest goals against at 5-on-5 in round one.
Although the Caps were a bit wobbly in the third periods of their first two home games against Montreal, they surrendered just four goals against in their three home games with the Habs.
“I really appreciate the way we came out in that series,” says Caps coach Spencer Carbery. “Because I, just along with everybody else, when you have the finish to the season that we had, you’re a little bit guarded on what it’s going to look like, especially early in the series. And right away in Game 1, from our first two periods, you could tell right away we were in playoff mode and the guys had turned it on and were extremely prepared and ready for playoff hockey.
“I thought our start was excellent in that series, the first two games. Now, the finishing of those games wasn’t ideal, but we find a way to win both of those games at home. I think as the series went along, we’re in a good spot with our game, what it looks like and our roles inside of our lineup; guys are playing at a pretty high level.”
Carbery essentially stuck with the same line combinations throughout the Montreal series. Even when Aliaksei Protas returned to action from a lower body injury in Game 5, he went into the slot vacated by Taylor Raddysh, who was a healthy extra that night. In his return to action, Protas logged 9:13 at 5-on-5 with linemates Brandon Duhaime and Nic Dowd, more than half of the 16:12 he skated with those two over the 76 regular season games in which the three forwards were in the lineup together.
Protas’ deployment is likely to change as the Carolina series wears on but given the way each of the four lines performed in the first round, the reticence to change things much makes sense.
“I think there's a lot to take,” says Caps defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk of the series win. “Obviously, that top [Montreal] line there of [Nick] Suzuki and [Juraj] Slafkovsky and [Cole] Caufield were one of the hottest lines in the league, so to be able to neutralize them at 5-on-5 was no easy task, and when we were able to get the matchups, those guys that match up against them did great.
“But on the road – especially when you're not able to get those matchups – guys stepped up and played well and did what they needed to do. I just thought we were dialed in with our game plan of knowing who you're out against and what the priority should be when you're out against certain lines.”
Washington will need to carry the same priority into their series with the Canes, but it will also need to be detail focused and prepared to play at a breakneck pace, and possibly for more than 60 minutes.
“I think there are some similarities to their game,” says Caps right wing Tom Wilson. “I think Carolina is a better version of what we saw in Montreal, with the way that they can play, with their skating and their execution, and their aggressiveness to take away space. I think Carolina is a little bit bigger, they’re a little bit stronger, a little bit faster. And they buy into what their coach is [preaching]; they really execute their game plan flawlessly. It’s going to be on us to get them a little bit flustered and get them away from what makes them so good.”
Therein lies the rub. The Canes are perhaps the most predictable of the 32 NHL teams, and they’ve been consistent with their style and their success for seven straight seasons now. Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour has made the playoffs and won a series in each of his first seven seasons behind the Carolina bench, becoming the first bench boss in League history to hold that distinction.
Carolina plays a high paced game, it treats the offensive zone like a shooting gallery, and it forechecks relentlessly. Holding onto momentum in a playoff game and series against Carolina seems like it would be like trying to hold water in one’s hands, but the Caps are see it three or four times every season up close, and they faced Carolina twice last month, once in Raleigh and once in the District.
“You know how aggressive they are in their game, all over the ice,” says Caps defenseman Rasmus Sandin. “So we’ve just got to be smart with our pucks, and advance pucks and make them turn and go back for pucks. And for us, when we advance the puck, we need to be right on top of them and skate into the area where we put the puck. So it's about being smart and advancing when we need to and making a play when we need to.
“I think most teams know exactly how Carolina plays and wants to play, but they're damn good at it. That's why they are where they are. They’ve got a good team, they’ve got skill on that team, they’ve got a lot of speed. We’ve just got to match that, and hopefully do it a little bit better than they are, and again, to be smart with our decisions.”
As well as the Caps played in round one, Carbery believes they have another level to which they can ascend. And against one of the League’s elite teams, he believes they’ll need to seek and find that level.
“I do think we have another level, I do think we’re going to need to get to that level against Carolina,” Carbery states. “So that gives me hope and you feel confident that, okay, Carolina is an extremely difficult opponent, we know them as well as any team that we play against of the 31 other teams, and we do feel like we’ve got another gear to get to, and we can get to that level, and we’re going to need it against a team we’re really familiar with.”
