1. The loss of Sean Couturier is big (much more on that here):
Karl Alzner on Sean Couturier: ‘If he’s out that’s a huge loss. He’s probably the best defensive forward on that team.’ #CapitalsTalk
— Chuck Gormley (@ChuckGormleyCSN) April 15, 2016
And while the Flyers are still confident…
The Flyers are without Sean Couturier for the rest of the series, but they remain optimistic. From @mgiannotto: https://t.co/W0Uf4IyU5m
— Isabelle Khurshudyan (@ikhurshudyan) April 16, 2016
… here’s the reality:
Flyers: With or Without Sean Couturier:
•38-18-3 with Couturier
•5-9-4 without Couturier*Out for Series pic.twitter.com/7kK0KHz8zS
— Jeff Skversky (@JeffSkversky) April 15, 2016
2. Regardless of who the Flyers have or don’t have at their disposal, the Caps will look to hold serve on home ice and take a rare (for them) 2-0 lead in the series. Per WhoWins.com, Washington is just 5-15 in Game 2 when holding a 1-0 lead in a best-of-seven series. But if they can grab that 2-0 lead, the Caps would seem to be in great shape:
Of course, the last time the Caps had a 2-0 lead in a playoff series was 2013 against the Rangers, and we all know how that turned out.
3. So the Caps will hope to carry the momentum from Game 1 into… wait, what’s that you say, Justin Williams?
Williams: “The momentum ended with the horn sounding tonight. The next game’s another game and so we go on.” #CapsFlyers
— Katie Brown (@katiebhockey) April 15, 2016
Sure enough, the scoreboard at Verizon Center says 0-0 right now. Get that next goal and go from there.