On Monday the Caps took a slow start and turned it into a comeback (where have we seen that movie before), but eventually fell in the shootout to the Lightning. That one point puts them firmly in third place in the round-robin standings, with Tampa leading the way at a perfect 2-0-0 and the Bruins failing to get a point through their first two games.
So today’s game is… well, more important than a regular-season game and slightly less important than a real playoff game. Still, a good showing would be welcome.
Let’s break it down.
Season Series: Caps 1-3-0
Playoff History
Three Philadelphia Players to Watch
Key Injuries
Michael Raffl – Raffl injured his left leg in Philly’s win over Boston on Sunday and is out indefinitely.
Special Teams
Bottom Line
It’s easy to get bogged down in the fact that the Flyers took the last three games against the Caps during the regular season (and pretty well embarrassed them in the last two). But that three-game win streak followed a stretch in which the Caps won six of seven against their division rivals.
What does that mean? Well… probably not much, although it’s likely that Vigneault’s Flyers bear a closer resemblance to the team that smacked the Caps around this year. And if that’s the case, the Caps need to forget about the recent past and focus on how they can beat the Flyers this one time. Both teams will be missing some key depth up front, with Hagg injured for the Flyers and Eller having left the bubble yesterday to attend the birth of his son.
How each one adjusts and balances the intensity of the round-robin with a focus on prepping for the first round will determine who comes out on top.
So… who you got?