It didn’t take long for the Caps to show how pressure and defense can eat your offense alive. Last night was a poster child for why folks say, “Defense Wins Championships”.
So the good guys are down 1 – nil to the Habs (nickname for the Canadians). As usual at this time of the year, I have explained to my little people (11 and 8 years old who stayed up too late and saw the OT)that one game does not make a series.
Now on to the uglier part. In the first period that Caps had multiple, in close chances and got no goals. That usually comes back to haunt you later. It is much like the Terps basketball games when the Terps miss too many layups and lose by 2 points in the end.
For most of the 2nd and 3rd periods, it looked like the Canadians were on the power play even though it was 5 on 5 hockey. To add to that, when the Caps did get the puck it was one man into the zone and shoot.
What does one have to do to win? A little more of a delayed fastbreak. Get the puck into the zone deep and pass back to your cutting forward or sharp shooting defensemen. One Capital on three Canadians into the offensive zone forced fastbreak opportunities are not working.
On the very positive side, there are two newer Capitals defensemen that looked really good. Carlsson (#74) and Corvo (#77) were impressive. #74 is a rookie and looks to be a keeper. #77 is a veteran acquired by trade late this season. Both appear to be a solid upgrade.
I think the Capitals will get it together and win the series. A little more team hockey and the Caps will be playing the Penguins in a few weeks.
When does the series start? When the Caps get the offense going and the Canadians are wondering what happened to their air tight defense. Then the chess match really begins.