Questions ahead of the National Hockey League play-offs - Part 3
Washington Capitals, a transformation?
The Capitals have surely shown that they are one of the best teams in the National Hockey League. They were a mid-table team in the middle part of the season but they piled up some superb winning streaks every now and then and climbed their way to the very
top of the ladder to win the Eastern Conference. They have shown that they are capable of unleashing their weaponry at the right time when needed and use it the maximum for their advantage.
The current Captain of the Washington Capitals, Alex Ovechkin has led the Capitals to four play-offs during his time. However, all of these have been somewhat forgettable. The reason for this is the fact all of the series went into seven games with the seventh
game played at the Verizon Centre, home of the Capitals which has seen the team winning only one game.
Last season, the Capitals played some dominating ice hockey that saw them winning the Conference and were in a strong position against the Montreal Canadiens in the first round leading 3-1. However, their form drastically fell and they lost the next three
games to be knocked out of the play-offs which brought about a lot of disappointment.
The Capitals have always had the problem of preventing the other teams from scoring. They are a very strong and productive offensive unit but the backline is the area concern. The Capitals will be facing the New York Rangers in their first round series.
The Rangers are also a very good offensive team and the questions as to whether the Capitals are a changed team or not will be answered. If the defensive problems still prevail then it won’t be much of a shock for the Capitals being knocked out once again.
The question as to whether or not the Capitals are a changed team will be answered once the play-offs begin.
The under pressure goal-keeper that performs the most?
One of the most important positions in the play-offs is the goal-tending position. The importance of the position can be calculated from the fact that in the past there have been performances in the past by a goal-keeper that has almost single-handedly carried
teams into the Finals and also Stanley Cup wins.
Last year it was the Hawks goalie who came up with a decent performance and this time out the Canucks have shown that they are the dominating and supreme force in the NHL during the course of the current season.
Now that they have broken records for most wins by a team during a single season and then became the team to score most points during the course of a single season, they are without any doubts the hot favourites to win the Stanley Cup.
Considering the fact the in the past the goalies have played a very important role in the wins, the Canucks goal-keeper Roberto Luongo will be under loads of pressure. Luongo is one of the highest paid men in the business and to expect great things out of
him, considering the strong position he is in, is nothing odd. The expectations are high after the Canucks won the League, Division and the Conference. He has chance to shine and lead the Canucks to their very first Stanley Cup during their long history and
write his name in the history books.
Continued in Part 4
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