The playoffs begin this weekend on Saturday and the first game which has been scheduled is the Boston Bruins vs the Washington Capitals. This is an amazing game and will have a lot of layers to it. This is only the 1st game but still is as important as the other games in the series. The Caps and Boston, from Capital One Arena in Washington D.C at 7:15 PM EST on Saturday.
Boston has been a complete team since the trade deadline. Before they picked up Taylor Hall, who had 2 exquisite goals vs the Islanders on Monday, only the top line could score. This new player especially helped David Krejci who has picked up his scoring and assists. This 2nd unit for Bruce Cassidy; the head coach of the Bruins, gives him the option to use them in power plays and big moments. Some of the individual players make an everlasting impact for this hockey team now. Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron certainly deserve some recognition. Marchand has the 3rd most goals in the NHL, has a load of assists, and is super effective not only offensively but is great on the penalty kill. He is the leader of this group and is a very talented hockey player. All his skills are top notch and so polished. As they go into the playoffs, this group will definitely be relying upon his skills. Bergeron has also been great this year. Like Marchand, he is a heck of a player on the penalty kill and can get the puck into the back of the net in the blue paint area. He is the captain of this team and will have to lift the team up in bad scenarios. From what I’ve seen so far, Boston is a team which you would not want to face in the playoffs.
The Caps are having some problems and that is not good around this time of the year. Kuznetsov, Oshie, and Carlson are all not playing which is not good at all for them. Fortunately, Alex Ovechkin is back and we all know the quality he brings to the game. I believe that they also solved their goalie problems and will start with Vitek Vanecek for the playoffs. This rookie has had some bad games but in some games he has been spectacular. Sprong, Oveckin, and Wilson will have to produce offense because they are missing players from the top line. I also expect Sheary and Shultz to play well because they are 2 time Stanley Cup Champions with the Pittsburgh Penguins and they know what this feels like. Carl Hagelin has also won a set of Stanley Cups with the Pens and had been in the NHL for a very long while. Some of these players know what it feels like to play in the playoffs and will definitely encourage the team. Zdeno Chara has also been great this season. He is a superb defenseman and has played against Boston, I’m sure he is going to get some warm reactions from the fans. He has been playing for so long now and still has good defense. Playoff games usually have aggressiveness and he can undoubtedly bring that. This team won the Stanley Cup in 2018 and it will be interesting to see what Peter Laviolette has planned up his sleeve.
I believe the Bruins will win game 1 of the 1st Round by the score of 5-3. I also think they will win the series. This whole team is coming together at the right time. David Pastrnak is picking up his game, with the addition of Hall, Krejci has also picked up his game, Marchand is playing better than ever, Tukka Rask is up and running again, and young rookie goaltender Jeremy Swayman is playing fabulous. Also, the Caps have some key injuries and are missing many important players. To me, the Bruins are the 2nd best team in the East Division after the Penguins. I love this team’s chances going into the playoffs and I think they will have a deep playoff run.
One of the best playoff games in the 1st Round is coming close to a Saturday evening. Can Brad Marchand and the Boston Bruins jump out to a win in Washington or will the shorthanded Washington Capitals show that they are as good without those star players? We will find out on Saturday from the nation’s capital, Washington D.C.
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