Bobby Mushkin, Reporter
@bmushkincourant
Boston Bruins Vs. Washington Capitals
Saturday, May 15th marks the beginning of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs, a tournament filled with passion, anger, hope, and desire. At 7:15PM, the Boston Bruins travel to the nation’s capital to kick off their series with the Washington Capitals. The anticipation for this series amongst the hockey community is at an all time high, and at the end of the day, one terrific team will be sent home early. Every playoff series is filled with hard-hitting, great ferocity, and high intensity; however this series carries a little extra.
The Fateful Hit
On March 5th, 2021 Capitals “goon” Tom Wilson delivered an ugly and illegal hit to the head on one of the Bruins top defenseman, Brandon Carlo. This hit sent Carlo to the hospital and the long term injured reserve. It gave Wilson a seven game suspension, something Wilson has dealt with frequently so far in his career. But the ramifications of Wilson’s hit went beyond injury and punishment. It sparked an aspect of the game of hockey that makes the sport so beloved. That hit was the beginning of a rivalry between these two teams which brings another level to the game. The game is faster, the hitting is harder, the undying need to best their opponent is magnified. When a rivalry is created, it’s not just about winning, it’s about beating your rival by as much as you can, on the scoreboard and off.
The Season Series in a Blip
Due to the unprecedented attributes of the COVID shortened season and the division realignment, the Bruins and Capitals saw each other eight times. Each game was drastically different from the next. We saw each team blow each other out of the water, we saw comeback victories, and we saw hard fought, tight battles. The one thing that was guaranteed going into a Bruins Capitals game, was nobody could predict how the night would go. Thus, the season series was practically even. This leads many people to believe we could see this series go the distance, with a game seven determining the fate of each team. The closeness that is expected from this series will further add to the excitement and nail-biting action.
The State of Each Team
Washington Capitals
Despite an early season outbreak of the corona-virus and some hiccups at the beginning it’s been a relatively consistent season for the Capitals. They’ve been at or near the top of the East Division for the majority of the campaign. The Capitals are a team full of seasoned veterans and playoff style players. They aren’t the fastest team, but they are built on their strength, hard hitting, and high shooting percentages. Interestingly enough, the Capitals are at the bottom of the league in high danger chances, yet near the top in goals for. That tells us they capitalize on the chances they create, even if it’s not many. Some may say this type of success is unsustainable, which may ring some truth, but it also makes the Capitals incredibly dangerous.
The Capitals are led by arguably the greatest goal scorer ever, Alex Ovechkin. He spear heads the lethal shooters of Washington. What makes their lack of scoring chances yet high shooting percentage so dangerous, is it never leaves them out of a game. For example, in one of the Bruins Capitals games this season, the Bruins were completely dominant from the opening faceoff. They were outshooting the Capitals by 20+ shots, and dominating time of possession. They led 3-0 in the second period and seemed like the game was in hand. But the Bruins took some penalties giving the Capitals life, and within 2 minutes, the game was 3-2 and the momentum had completely shifted. A team like Washington feeds off of their streaky scoring and hard hitting, creating large momentum shifts in games they shouldn’t be contending in. A team that peppers their opposition with 40 shots on goal, controls the majority of possession, but only manages to score 2-3 goals is a lot less dangerous than a team who gets dominated throughout but stays close on the scoreboard.
The big talking point, something that will be a theme of the Bruins discussion, is the trade deadline acquisitions made by the teams. Washington made the biggest trade of the deadline, sending a young star in Jakub Vrana, a veteran Richard Panik, a first round pick, and a second round pick to the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for forward Anthony Mantha. The Capitals gave up a little too much, but the player they got in return is a stud. Mantha can score goals with the best of them, and has shown flashes of an elite offensive player. He’s relatively young, locked up long term, and fits the mold of this Capitals roster perfectly. He is a big body, standing at 6 foot 4 inches and weighing 200 pounds. He can hit well and get engaged physically on the forecheck. He gives the Capitals another scoring threat, while also adding to the scary size of the lineup. Mantha came in and had an instant impact, scoring a goal in his first four games as a Capital. He slowed down from there, but still makes the Capitals even more threatening. A minor move made by the Capitals was adding forward Michael Raffl from Philadelphia. He slides into the bottom six, filling the role of the traded away player Richard Panik.
Overall, the Capitals are a team that is built on over powering the opposition physically, and filling up the net in a hurry. If there were any question marks surrounding the Capitals team, it would have to be their defense and goaltending. They have a few talented defenseman, however they have shown to be a team that is vulnerable on the backend at times. The biggest question mark has to be goaltending. The Capitals two goalies are both under 25 years old, and have no playoff experience. Their starter, Ilya Samsanov has shown to be a fantastic goalie, however he has trouble staying in the lineup and has a few glaring weaknesses. Their other goaltender, Vitek Vanecek has been a pleasant surprise thus far for the Capitals, however he is a rookie goaltender who has been inconsistent at times. Goaltending can make or break a playoff run, so it will be interesting to see how the play of the Washington netminders turn out.
Boston Bruins
Oh what a hectic season it has been for the original six franchise. The Bruins have been a perennial cup contender for the last 4 years, but have come up short time and time again. Each year, it feels like the Bruins are just one player or one good break away from lifting their first cup since 2011. Many people regarded this season as the possible downfall of the Bruins. They lost their captain, Zdeno Chara, they lost their powerplay specialist and star defenseman, Torey Krug, and their best players continued to age.
The season didn’t begin as the Bruins hoped, and the flaw in the Bruins lineup that had been evident, yet not exploited in the past, was seriously ailing the Bruins. Through their first 3 games, the Bruins didn’t score a 5 on 5 goal. Things looked like they were heading south in Beantown, but the Bruins proved they weren’t done yet. They ripped off a stretch of 10-0-1, taking first place in the East by a few games. The Bruins had some scoring flaws, but their excellent goaltending and defense negated those issues.
The Bruins season looked to be on the path to another year of dominance, but then they were hit with injuries throughout the lineup, completely desomating the Bruins young defense and goaltending. The lack of forward depth was already there, and now the defense and goaltending was lacking. They also were struggling on the powerplay, something that made up for their lack of 5 on 5 scoring in the past. From there, the Bruins struggled mightily to win consistently. They plummeted in the standings from first to fourth, hanging onto the last playoff spot with New York and Philadelphia right on their tail.
The Bruins were only getting scoring from their top line, and had young goaltender Jeremey Swayman not been playing out of his mind, the Bruins losses would have been more lopsided. On Sunday, April 11th, the Bruins were down their top 5 defenseman and were handed an 8-1 loss on home ice against their rival Washington Capitals. The trade deadline was in less than 24 hours, and anyone with a heartbeat knew general manager Don Sweeney needed to do something big to propel his team back into contention. And oh boy did Sweeney come through, addressing all three of the Bruins needs. He brought in a reliable young defenseman in Mike Reilly, a great fourth liner in Curtis Lazar, and the biggest fish on the market, former MVP Taylor Hall.
After the deadline, the Bruins looked like a completely different team, scoring in bunches and throughout the lineup, consistent defensively, and a brick wall in goal. The Bruins went 12-2-1, the best record in that span, and moved up the standing rapidly. Taylor Hall’s impact on the second line is unparalleled to anything we’ve seen in recent history. The chemistry is off the charts and all three members of the second line have been point-per-game players since being united. For the first time since the 2011 cup winning year, the Bruins had four lines that could score, and a top six defensive core that molded to perfection. Tuukka Rask returned from injury and didn’t miss a beat, collecting two shutouts and a goals against average of below 2. The Bruins have all the momentum heading into the playoffs, and are a dangerous matchup for anyone.
The Bruins success is built on three things, goaltending, restricting chances, and playing a downhill game. The first two are self explanatory, but the downhill strategy is what fuels their defensive excellence. The phrase, “the best defense is a good offense” is often used to state the importance of one aspect of the game over the other, but it actually is a strategically genius phrase. The Bruins have four lines that specialize in getting the puck through the neutral zone, entering the offensive zone, and keeping it in there as long as possible. The Bruins thrive in board battles, and go for the “body shot” strategy, rather than the uppercut. They wear you down and wait for a mistake or a lapse in coverage, and then attack. They throw countless pucks at the net and look for “dirty” goals. But what makes this game plan so effective, is it directly brings the defensive game up. When the Bruins spend time in the opposing teams zone, it fatigues the opposition, so even if the Bruins don’t convert, by the time the opposition gets control of the puck, they don’t have enough gas in the tank to create offense. The Bruins often outshoot teams by a wide margin, and their strategy is why.
Who to watch out for
Bruins
There are many Bruins players who deserve mention, but I am going to keep it precise. The first player to watch is captain Patrice Bergeron, a Bruins legend. “Bergy,” as he’s called, is a four time Selke trophy winner as the best defensive forward. He has been a staple of the Bruins for almost 20 years, and is the leader of the squad. Second is Charlie McAvoy, a young defenseman from Long Island who was the apprentice of Zdeno Chara for years. McAvoy has elevated himself into a top defenseman in the league, and he is the leader of the Bruins backend. He will be a key player in the series. The third player is David Pastrnak, the first line sniper. “Pasta” was a co-winner of the Maurice Richard trophy last season as the leagues top goal scorer. He has struggled to find the elite level of play he possessed last season, coming off hip surgery in the offseason. David Pastrnak is the player who can make the Bruins go from great, to incredible. When he is at the top of his game, he is virtually unstoppable and adds another dimension to the Bruins offense. Next is just the second line in entirety, David Krejci, Craig Smith, and Taylor Hall. Long story short, if they can continue to play the way they have, the Bruins are very difficult to beat. And last, but certainly not least, the engine that drives the team, the third leading scorer in the entire NHL, the shorthanded goal leader, and the guy everyone loves to hate, Brad Marchand. Marchand has become a top player in the league over the last 5 years, and this season might be his best ever. He is scoring at a career pace, defending like a madman, and his discipline has been off the charts. Marchand is the Bruins best player, it all starts with him.
Capitals
The Capitals have many players who are of extreme importance to the fabric of the team, but there are a few who stick out more than the rest. Number one, and for reasons beyond X’s and O’s, Zdeno Chara. He wore the C in Boston for 14 years, building a hall of fame career and becoming beloved by the city of Boston. In his first year in a new uniform, he faces his former team, that is a storyline to follow. Next is Tom Wilson. And yes, a lot of the reason is because of his past misconduct, but Wilson is more than just a player who plays on the edge, he is skilled and contributes significantly offensively. And obviously the physicality from and towards Wilson should be a compelling thing to see. The third player is T.J Oshie, a 35 year old veteran who might be the most valuable player to the Capitals team. He is excellent defensively, a powerplay specialist, and sets an example for his teammates on how to play the game the right way. His leadership and strong game speak for themselves. Watch out for Oshie. Fourth is Niklas Backstrom, one of two Capitals players who have been with the team for over 15 years. Backstrom is the team’s leading point getter, and is one of the league’s best passers over the last 20 years. He is the robin to his all-time great teammate, who is my final player to watch. Alexander Ovechkin. A one man wrecking crew, Ovechkin uses his size to dominate the opposition. He hits like a defensive specialist, and scores goals like he was born to do it. He’s the captain of the Capitals, and is on his own run at history, chasing Wayne Gretzky’s all time goals record. Ovechkin has been dealing with an injury for the last couple of weeks, but despite that he should be good to go. He will be Washington’s most lethal weapon, and focal point of the Bruins defensive plans.
This is why sports provoke so much happiness in people. Games like these, matchups like these, stakes, high like these. Two teams, who both want the same thing so bad, they are willing to go to war to get it. The blood, sweat, and tears that each and every player has sacrificed their whole career, is all for moments like these. Where legends are made, curses are born, and history is carved. And for the fans, this is the time to sit back and enjoy watching a game and a team that makes you cry, scream, and smile within three hours. Some fans draw their hope and their strength from the team they are so passionate about. Some fans get up in the morning, and don’t have a lot to get them out of bed, but then they remember their favorite team is playing tonight and it gives them the strength to push on. This is what all sports fans, players, coaches, managers, and scouts live for. It’s the 2021 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, buckle up.
