On Frozen Blog

Jesse Marshall of Faceoff Factor approached us for an analysis of the Capitals as they enter their first-round series against Philadelphia. We collaborated on our analysis over beverages Monday night; here are the responses I wrote up for Jesse’s questions:

Obviously, Alex Ovechkin had a huge hand in leading the Capitals to the post-season, but who are some of the more “Dark Horse” components of the Capitals that also contributed to this run?
OFB: Brooks Laich’s 21 goals (including 4 GWG) and his consistently tough play have been a big part of the Caps’ surge. Tom Poti has stepped up as the team’s defensive leader, holding together an injury-plagued defense and leading the team in TOI for half their games. Sergei Fedorov has shown he has plenty left in the tank by dominating faceoffs, dishing amazing passes, and assuming the role of elder statesman on a young team–shades of Adam Oates for the Caps’ run to the finals 10 years ago.
Name three reasons the Capitals will beat the Flyers.
OFB:
3. Philly’s top 4 scorers are a combined -11. Washington’s top 4 are +75. The Flyers are the most-penalized team in the East; the Caps are the second-least penalized. A Flyers team that is dangerous on the PP but shaky 5-on-5 is playing a team that doesn’t take many penalties–a recipe for a Capitals victory.
2. The Caps are young, but much of the team have played in the AHL under Coach Bruce Boudreau and are veterans of two Calder Cup runs (and one championship). The NHL playoffs are a new challenge, but the team is more battle-tested than many think. And the past month–when they went 11-1-0–has been a must-win playoff atmosphere that forged the Caps into a powerful team-first unit.
1. Five words: Hart Trophy winner Alexander Ovechkin.

Read our full analysis here, as well as the response from a Philadelphia writer.