The Washington Capitals and New York Rangers square off again tonight, Game 4 of the opening round playoff series, with the Rangers leading 2 games to 1. Caps are in a must won, to get this series back to square one and knot it up heading back to Washington, DC.
Capital Needs:
The Caps desperately need Alexander Ovechkin and Mike Green to get back to doing what they do so well, scoring goals. Green has been somewhat absent so far in the playoffs and the Caps need him to step up on the power play. Mike Green was one of the most prolific power play threats during the regular season, and the need for Green’s revival is critical.
The Capitals need to continue increasing net presence. They did a bit better in game 3 from games 1 and 2, but the net presence, outside Brooks Laich, still is not all that impressive. It is a criticism that has been hammered on this team all season. That is precisely one of the reasons I think Gabby should play Chris Clark. Screens are critical to score on Henrik Lunqvist.
The Caps need to continue working the shots in for closer shot on goal. It worked in game 3. Firing from the blue line without much net presence is useless, an AHL goalie can stop those shots. Lunqvist can be rattled and taken off balance when coming in close, just ask Alexander Semin, who scored twice in on Lundqvist.
Caps need to score first. They win more and gain momentum when they put the first tally on the board.
John Erskine and others need to continue to get under the skin of Sean Avery. The biggest pest in hockey can easily be taken off his game by, well, agitating him. It worked last game as Avery went to the penalty box 4 times. What does that do if you don’t score power play goals? Tires out the penalty killers for their next line changes.
Finally, stay out of the penalty box
Ranger Concerns:
Rangers have their own problems, which may put Washington in the driver seat. The have a huge mental block coming into the game tonight. They have scored a measley 5 goals in 3 games, only 1 coming against rookie sensation Simeon Varlamov. In other words, the Rangers have not proven they can score on Varly. The Caps need another huge night from Varly in net.
Few series stats:
Power Play Opportunities: The Caps are 4 for 17 (23%) slightly unjder their season avgerage of over 25%. That can be expected though, given the Rangers were the best penalty kill in the NHL in the regular season. The Rangers power play has been dismal, 2 for 16, under 13%.
Faceoffs: The Caps have won 109 faceoffs to the Rangers 77.
Shots on Goal: The Caps have out shot the Rangers 110-78.
The Caps problem is not dominating stats, it puttting the puck in the net. Get in tight, get close shots, set up screens, and get Ovechkin and Green scoring on the power play.
LET’S GO CAPS!!!
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