After easily dispatching of the Pittsburgh Penguins in five games, the New York Rangers open up the second round of the playoffs at home against a familiar opponent in the Washington Capitals. But these aren’t the same old Caps teams of the past, focused on offense only with no defense. This is a physically brutal team that will try to punish the Rangers, playing a sound defensive game and using their lethal powerplay to their advantage.
Kevin did a nice run down of how the Caps play today, Justin broke down how to beat Braden Holtby, and Chris did a full preview of the series. If you haven’t checked those out, you should. They are good reads while waiting for the game to begin.
Caps Systems
Under Barry Trotz the Caps run a 1-1-3 lock or a 1-2-2 forecheck, which they use aggressively or conservatively depending on the game situation (e.g., puck location, the score, etc.). In the defensive zone, Trotz runs your standard zone defense. On special teams, the Caps employ a 1-3-1 power play, and a diamond/box hybrid penalty kill depending on puck location and opposition setup.
Caps Lines
Alex Ovechkin-Alex Kuznetsov-Joel Ward
Marcus Johansson-Nicklas Backstrom-Troy Brouwer
Curtis Glencross-Brooks Laich-Jason Chimera
Andre Burakovsky-Michael Latta-Stanislav Galiev
Brooks Orpik-John Carlson
Karl Alzner-Matt Niskanen
Tim Gleason-Mike Green
PP1: Ovechkin-Backstrom-Brouwer-Johansson-Carlson
PP2: Ovechkin-Kuznetsov-Ward-Glencross-Carlson
PK: Laich, Brouwer, Fehr, Ward, Backstrom, Orpik, Carlson, Niskanen, Alzner
Braden Holtby gets the start.
Rangers Lines
Rick Nash-Derick Brassard-Martin St. Louis
Chris Kreider-Derek Stepan-J.T. Miller
Carl Hagelin–Kevin Hayes–Jesper Fast
Tanner Glass–Dominic Moore–James Sheppard
Ryan McDonagh-Dan Girardi
Marc Staal–Dan Boyle
Keith Yandle–Kevin Klein
PP1: Kreider-Stepan-St. Louis-Brassard-Boyle
PP2: Nash-Hayes-Miller-McDonagh-Yandle
PK: Stepan, Nash, Girardi, Staal, Moore, Fast, Hunwick, Boyle, Hagelin, Yandle, McDonagh
Henrik Lundqvist is in net.
Scratches/Injuries: Mats Zuccarello (upper body)
Crazy Prediction: Sheppard scores in his Rangers playoff debut
Be sure to check out our ticket link if you’re looking for tickets to the game. Game time is 7:30pm on NBCSN.
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