(Caps Outsider)
At the beginning of the season, most people picked the Caps to make the playoffs but no too many thought they would coast through the regular season and win the Presidents’ Trophy by 11 points. However, none of that matters now.
In the regular season, the Caps went 2-0-2 against the Flyers, their first round opponent. The first meeting was on November 12 in Philadelphia, where the Caps went down down 2-1 but cruised to a 5-2 win. The Caps went 2/3 on the power play and Jason Chimera had a pair of goals and an assist. This was before the the Flyers hit their groove. In late January at Verizon Center, the Caps lost 4-3 in overtime, though the Caps came back after being down 2-0 in the first period. This was the Caps’ first game in more than a week due to the snowstorm. Less than two weeks later, the Caps got their revenge, winning 3-2 while killing off all five Flyer power plays in that game. On March 30, the two teams played a close game that needed the shootout to decide things. The Flyers won 2-1 while having a playoff spot to play for. In the regular season, the teams played in close games. I expect the playoff series to be just as close, but we all know the playoffs are very different.
An “X-factor” for the Caps this series will be their depth in scoring, specifically the line of Andre Burakovsky-Evgeny Kuznetsov-Justin Williams. The Caps had 12 20+ point players while Philadelphia had only eight. With the Flyers not having a star goalie that we are accustomed to facing in the playoffs, I expect the Caps depth to be on full display.
The Caps and Flyers will be a very good and close series. With Dave Hakstol being a rookie coach for the NHL playoffs, I expect Barry Trotz to fully use the home ice advantage to gain the matchups he wants. I am predicting the Caps to win in 6, however this series could easily go 7.
