Daisy Jane
everything is gonna be okay!
- Jul 2, 2009
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Playoff Preview: Washington Capitals (#1st Metro) vs Toronto Maple Leafs (#2nd Wild Card)
Theme of the Series:
Theme of the Series:
Fortune favours the Bold- and boy do we have to be bold to get some fortune to get past the Washington Capitals - holders of the President's Trophy and seen as the favourite to win the cup.
History Lesson:
The Leafs and the Washington Capitals haven't played vs each other during the hay-day of the Leafs. or the Hay day of the Capitals. I'm sure they played each other sometime previously before but it's nothing so important that we have any real connection/emotion to that series. - Edited to add: apparently the Leafs and Capitals have NEVER faced each other in the playoffs. Playoff Matchup Virgins!
So no demons to slay or anything just. Hey Washington, please don't kill us too hard. (or Washington, watch us shock you out of the playoffs the first round - pick your poison eh?)
Washington Capitals:
How they got here:
Record: 55-18-8 (President's Trophy Winner)
Goals For: 261 (with a GF/GP of 3.22 average)
Goals Against: 175 (wtih a GA/GP of 2.16 average)
PowerPlay: 23.3% (3rd overall)
Penalty Kill: 84.1% (6th overall)
Faceoffs: 51.1% (10th overall)
Shots For: 30.3 (16th overall)
Shots Against: 27.9 (27th overall)
Lethal. They don't take that many shots - but they can kill you with the ones they do take, and they don't allow a lot of shots - so you better make the ones you make count. Trotz has this team as a regular season well-tuned machine, and it showed for the second year of the row.
Toronto Maple Leafs:
How they got here:
Record: 40 - 27 - 15
Goals For: 248 (with a GF/GP of 3.06 average)
Goals Against: 231 (wtih a GA/GP of 2.85 average)
PowerPlay: 24.2% (2nd overall)
Penalty Kill: 82.3% (9th overall)
Faceoffs: 49.8% (16th overall)
Shots For: 31.9 (4th overall)
Shots Against: 32.6 (4th overall)
From the First day of the Season it was obvious that the Leafs were going to be able to generate a lot of firepower, but I don't think anyone was prepared specifically how much firepower that would be. The Trinity (Marner, Nylander and Matthews) are only the second set of 3 rookies to have over 60 points in an NHL season. almost half the goals scored have been assisted (or scored) by a rookie - which is easy to imagine when you consider the Leafs had eight playing every night. but the offense is balance. Their main issue at times is that defensively, things can tend to be interesting - especially when the team gets overwhelmed and tired. A key factor is that the Leafs (early on) had the penchant to blowing leads though this has lessened as late.
Head to Head
I had this really cool numerical thing - but it basically all says the same thing. Washington is better than Toronto in every facet. Goal scoring and defense. While we had Holtby's number the two times we faced him, thinking that will happen during the playoffs is fool-hardy. The Leafs will significantly have to buckle down defensively to get a game or two (let alone four) out of Washington.
Washington's Key Factor
This is the last chance for Ovy, I'd imagine. It's not about the first round for him - it's the second. So he would be focused to make sure this series ended as quickly as possible - less stress, less wear and tear and focus and get ready for Pittsburgh. Everyone agrees that should Washington fail to get out of the 2nd round. (AGAIN) - this team will be blown up and it's very unlikely Ovy will have another chance.
And it's Ovechkin. even without that stress on his head, hello. He's super physical, (sometimes dirty) he can kill you on the powerplay (both scoring - and just being Ovy on the point). Andersen will have to be extra special good to cope with Driven Ovy
Toronto's Key Factor
It will surprise everyone that it is JVR and not one of the Trinity (which is a given and i'll get to them) or Andersen who is my Key Factor. But JVR's playoff stats are insane, and outside of Boyle and Polak, is one of the only few on this team that has known hockey this time of year - past the first round. He's also a ppg or very close to it in the playoffs. He will be looked to the most, I would be to make a significant impact for this team. I'd also say that this right here would determine if JVR will be a Leaf past next year.
Jake Gardiner also had an amazing playoff series the last (and only) time the Leafs were there. He might be able to channel that.
But it will also be Matthews-Nylander-Marner headed monster of offense (Nylander + marner for powerplay dominance), Matthews for ES, and Andersen in net that will see if we make the 2nd round for the first time in 15 years.
It will take a miracle to advance - if we go by stats and numbers alone. but the kids have shown they've been capable of some magic. So. let's enjoy where we go from here.
(sigh. my Ottawa Senators one was so much nicer).
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