[Ed. note: As part of the build-up to the second round playoff series between the Capitals and the Lightning, Japers’ Rink will be looking at some of the important but lesser-known players on the Lightning and how they might impact the series.]
| Assets | Has the makings of an all-around winger. Skates very well and loves to shoot the puck from anywhere. Is versatile and defensively sound. |
| Flaws | Must make better decisions on the ice, with or without the puck. Lacks consistency on offense, in particular. Can lose his focus on the ice. |
| Career Potential | Inconsistent two-way winger. (Assets, Flaws and Career Potential via SB Nation player page) |
Why you should know who he is – “The Hustler,” as bench boss Guy Boucher calls him, started 79.5% of his shifts in the defensive end, and finished 50% of them at the other end of the rink. He convincingly provided a shut-down effort against the admittedly injury-depleted Penguins, on a third line with Dominic Moore and Steve Downie, earning the best Relative Corsi rating among TBL forwards in Round 1, and was credited with six takeaways, tied for the team-best with Martin St. Louis. To go along with that, he only scored three goals in the first round series against the Pens, second-best on the club to St. Louis, and each of his goals, including Wednesday’s in the Bolts’ 1-0 Game 7 win, tied the score or put the Lightning ahead.
How the Caps can stop him – As with most matchups in this series, the Caps top line wingers simply need to use their size and speed advantage along the offensive boards to wear down the relatively smaller Bergenheim. And at the other end, the Caps D must keep a close eye on him buzzing around the net and not get distracted by Downie. Two of Bergenheim’s goals in the first-round series found him all alone on the doorstep.
