It is officially playoff time in the National Hockey League which means the Washington Capitals are hoping to follow up a successful regular season with a deep run in the playoffs. That has yet to happen for the team as Washington has yet to advance past the second round while Alex Ovechkin has been on the team. The captain has numerous MVP trophies, but no playoff success to show for it. Can the Capitals change their luck as they face the New York Islands in the first round?
Washington did not advance into the postseason last year. This season they enter the postseason as the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference after finishing 82-47 on the season. Ovechkin stresses that he has all of the confidence in the world entering this year's playoffs after leading the NHL in goals with 53 for the third straight season and fifth time in his career. A change from playing the left wing over the right wing has certainly helped and now Ovechkin is tasked with trying to finally get that postseason success that has haunted him during his tenure in the league.
One thing the Capitals have working for them this year is a more balanced team. It is no longer just Ovechkin doing all of the work. Their defense has improved while the group's scoring has been more balanced which could be the x-factor against the Islanders. Meanwhile the team has thrived on power play goals, converting 25.3 percent of their chances. Goalie Braden Holby is also having a big year tying a franchise record with 41 wins and nine shutouts.
The Islanders are certainly strong at the goaltender position as well. Jaroslav Halak notched 38 wins this season. He has some success against the Capitals. Halak was the goalie when Montreal beat Washington in 2010 as he stopped 41 of 42 shots in Game 7. He was also on the Capitals for a short period of time. The Islanders finished with just two more losses than Washington so this matchup should be even between teams. The issue for New York could be the health of Travis Hamonic who missed the regular season final for the team. If he is not ready to play, the Islanders might struggle on defense.
