1. The Caps finished the regular season with the second-best Special Teams Index on the circuit, and we noted that as an area in which they held a decided advantage in this series… but no one expected performances like they’ve gotten through two games – League-bests 3-for-8 on the power play (two-for-two on two shots in Game 2) and 8-for-8 on the kill (including 1:07 of 3-on-5 time and another 41 seconds at 3-on-4).
And if it felt like it’d been a while since the Caps potted a pair of power-play goals in a playoff game… that’s because it has:
Tonight marks the first time the #Caps have scored two power-play goals in a playoff game since April 26, 2009 at NY Rangers.
— CapitalsPR (@CapitalsPR) April 17, 2016
From 09 thru this season, Caps reg seas PP was 22.7% (1st)…playoffs 14.8% (19th). https://t.co/8QDZr3ERZm
— ThePeerless (@ThePeerless) April 17, 2016
The Caps now have as many power-play goals in two games as they did in two series last year.
— Isabelle Khurshudyan (@ikhurshudyan) April 17, 2016
2. Steve Mason had a great season and a very strong start to this year’s playoffs… but last night’s game-winner is going to stick with him for a while:
Chimera scores on a fluky goal from mid-ice #CapsFlyers 2-0 pic.twitter.com/0KxhY0WMsh
— CAPITALS HILL (@CapitalsHill) April 17, 2016
Chimera goal on Mason accurately described as a 101-foot tip in on https://t.co/q5TsqBSSRw game sheet pic.twitter.com/XbChYx0rn1
— Jeff Paterson (@patersonjeff) April 17, 2016
More like Steve Missin’, amirite?
— Japers’ Rink (@JapersRink) April 17, 2016
And here’s an amazing stat from that tally:
Jason Chimera scored his 6th career playoff GWG, tying Peter Bondra for first place on the #Caps postseason game-winning goals list.
— CapitalsPR (@CapitalsPR) April 17, 2016
3. But the biggest story so far has been Braden Holtby, who stopped 41 shots in Game 2 and is 60-for-61 overall so far. He’s been… well, what say you, Twitter?
Via @TH2N: B. Holtby leads active goalies- and all-time goalies since stat became tracked in 1982/83- in playoff sv% pic.twitter.com/u4rV9oQIED
— StatsCentre (@StatsCentre) April 17, 2016
In the last 30 years, how many goalies have appeared in 20+ playoff games, GAA under 2.00, SV over .930?
…one, Braden Holtby.
— ThePeerless (@ThePeerless) April 17, 2016
Live look-in at Holtby during #CapsFlyers pic.twitter.com/YKYMY4hxGY
— Neil Greenberg (@ngreenberg) April 16, 2016
That’ll do.