One of the most highly-anticipated matchups of the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs will see the Presidents' Trophy-winning Capitals clash with the hottest team in the NHL in the Penguins, starting with Game 1 on Thursday.
The Capitals were the top team in the NHL this season and jumped out to a 3-0 series lead over the Flyers before finally winning it in six games in Round 1. Washington's two straight losses in that series brought up the murmurs of another early exit, but it was able to overcome it. The Penguins, meanwhile, were relentless against the Rangers and bounced them in five games.
This will be an unbelievable series with no shortage of star power between two teams that know how to score goals. Here are our predictions for this Metropolitan Division Final and Eastern Conference semifinal matchup. To view our slideshow, CLICK START at the top right of this page. Our Islanders-Lightning prediction can be found here.
[No. 1] Washington Capitals (56-18-8, 120 points) vs. [No. 2] Pittsburgh Penguins (48-26-8, 104 points)
Round 1 Reflection: Last round, we picked the Capitals to defeat the Flyers in five (they did in six) and the Penguins to oust the Rangers in seven (they did in five).
Season Series: 3-2 Penguins.
Special Teams (Playoffs): Capitals: 29.6 percent power play (3rd), 95.8 percent penalty kill (2nd); Penguins: 38.1 percent power play (1st), 89.5 percent penalty kill (4th).
Projected Goalie Matchup: Braden Holtby (4-2, 1.49 GAA, .968 save percentage), Capitals; Matt Murray (3-0-0, 1.33 GAA, .933 save percentage).
Series Overview: The stars will be on display this series, most notably the two captains, the Capitals' Alex Ovechkin and the Penguins' Sidney Crosby. Ovechkin, 30, was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 NHL Draft, while Crosby was taken first overall a year later.
Since then, these two have stocked up the accolades, with Crosby being one of the game's steadiest point producers and Ovechkin serving as a prolific and potent goal-scorer. The one thing that separates these two elite players at this point is Crosby won the Stanley Cup in 2009, while Ovechkin is looking to bring the Capitals past Round 2 for the first time in his career.
Crosby may have downplayed his rivalry with Ovechkin heading into this series, but it's sure to be a focal point. Despite their similar paths, these two have only faced-off once in the playoffs in their careers, a 2009 second-round series, which was won by the Penguins in seven games. Crosby and Ovechkin each had a hat trick in Game 2 of that series and combined for 27 points.
Ovechkin had three goals and five points in the first round, while Crosby also had three tallies and ranks tied for third in the league in points (8) and tied for second in assists (5) entering Round 2.
Of course, there are other key players to watch in this series as well.
Nicklas Backstrom led the Capitals with five assists and seven points in Round 1, while John Carlson had three goals and six points and Marcus Johansson also put up six points. Offseason imports T.J. Oshie (1-3--4) and Justin Williams (0-2--2) will also be looking to make an impact in the series. After a breakout postseason last year, Evgeni Kuznetsov will hope to get going for Washington after notching just one point last round.
Crosby also has a fantastic supporting cast, which includes the likes of Evgeni Malkin (2-5--7) and Phil Kessel (3-3--6), while his linemate Patric Hornqvist notched a hat trick against the Rangers in the opening round. Tom Kuhnackl, Conor Sheary and Bryan Rust also stepped up in big moments for Pittsburgh in the opening round.
The goaltending matchup will be another huge key to this series. Holtby, 26, will likely win the Vezina this season, but he has to continue his solid play to stop a blistering Penguins offense that leads the NHL with 4.20 goals per game this postseason. Pittsburgh accomplished that feat against an all-world goaltender in Henrik Lundqvist in Round 1.
While the rookie Murray, 21, won all three games against the Rangers in his first ever taste of the playoffs in place of Marc-Andre Fleury (concussion), -- allowing just four goals in three games -- he faces a whole different offense in the Capitals. Washington averaged 3.02 tallies per game during the regular season.
Last Call: This should be a crazy series as both teams have amazing special teams and stars galore. Though Crosby vs. Ovechkin will be the narrative, the result of this series will go way beyond these superstars. As for a winner, it should be a close call, but given the inexperience of Murray against a team with the offensive firepower of the Capitals, Washington should finally march on to the Eastern Conference Final.
The Pick: Capitals in 7.
