 The Washington Capitals enter the NHL postseason as the favorite to reach the Stanley Cup out of the Eastern Conference. The Caps finished with 107 points and secured the top seed in the conference just one point better than the Philadelphia Flyers. Led by superstars Alex Ovechkin and Alexander Semin the Caps will look to rebound from back-to-back playoff disappointments in the previous two years when they open their quest for Lord Stanley's Cup against the New York Rangers in the Verizon Center. With one of the best players in the world taking the ice, fans in the nation's capitol will want to get their Washington Capitols tickets and head over to the Verizon Center for exciting playoff action. Questions for the Washington Capitals Entering the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs Who gets the start in net for the Caps? The logical choice would be Michal Neuvirth who led the Caps with a 27-12-4 record this season. Playoff hockey is a different animal; an animal in which Neuvirth has never experienced. In the playoffs, the momentum of a series can shift with just one bad game; and no matter how poorly the defense may play, goalies are usually the first casualty of the "I'm going with the hot hand" theory that coaches seem to implore in the playoffs. If Neuvirth were to struggle, look for coach Bruce Boudreau to quickly put the more seasoned Semyon Varlamov between the pipes. Who will help Ovechkin on the Washington Capitals offensive attack? The logical choice would be Semin but the talented Captials' winger hasn't been Mr. Reliable in the playoffs. In fact, he hasn't scored a goal in his past 14 playoff games. If Semin isn't able to regain his postseason magic, the Caps will have to turn to right-winger Mike Knuble and the wily veteran Jason Arnott, whom the Caps acquired from the New Jersey Devils. Teams have realized that the key to beating the Caps is keeping Ovechkin off of the scoreboard. With a myriad of offensive moves, stopping Ovechkin is easier said than done. However, Ovechkin can't do it alone and if the Caps want to see round two, Semin, Knuble, and Arnott will have to be lighting the lamp. Closing Thoughts Going in to the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs, the biggest monkey on the Caps' back is their failure in the previous two postseasons. With a superstar like and Ovechkin and guaranteed home ice advantage up until the Stanley Cup, anything other than playing for the Cup would be a disappointment. Having home-ice means nothing without great fan support, so fans go out and buy your Washington Capitals tickets today!
|
