So as you all know, Game 1 of the series was last night, which ended in Washington taking the come-from-behind victory at the Verizon Center... And what a game it was! Anyone who watched that game knows what I'm talking about. When we fell behind 4-2, I was positive it was over. When entering the third period trailing, our record was 1-25-1, so it was pretty understandable why I wasn't too optimistic about us coming back. But true to Capitals form, we came back and won it on Ovechkin's incredible goal and some great defense...
Now a lot of the doubters will just say that last night was a fluke, that Ovechkin won't be able to save us every time. Well, the way the Capitals have been playing recently, there will be no need for Ovechkin to "save" us. The first game of a series is always the toughest. Both teams are trying to feel each other out and get a sense of what they need to do to make the series go in their favor. Last night was a great game, but I feel that compared to the rest of the series, last night is going to look like a peewee game...
Hard as this might be to believe, the Capitals are the team that no one really wants to face in the first round - no joke. The Flyers get the dubious pleasure of facing Washington thanks to their last-day victory that kept Pittsburgh from winning the East, but it can't be a pleasant experience seeing as the Caps blazed their way into the playoffs with seven consecutive wins and eleven victories in their last twelve games. The Capitals are on a serious roll these days, providing good auxiliary support for Alex Ovechkin who is on a mission to prove that he, not Sidney Crosby, is the king of the NHL. They're also getting the kind of goaltending right now from Cristobal Huet that wins a lot of games in the playoffs. But the danger facing a young team is in getting ahead of itself now that the primary goal of getting to the playoffs has been accomplished. And Philadelphia has been nearly as good lately. The Flyers were dead in February after losing 10 in a row, but they got back on track and won seven of their last nine to jump up to sixth. More important key players Mike Richards, Daniel Briere and goalie Martin Biron finished strong.The Flyers aren't the Broad Street Bullies any more, but they play the game rough and tough and that could go either way for the them. It could take a toll on Philadelphia, or it could take a toll on the Capitals... I see Washington's finesse, speed, and heart being too much for Philly to handle. Roughness and hard hits can only take a team so far. You all saw what happened last night. You saw how Washington was down 4-2 last night and looked completely out of it. But they didn't skip a beat and came back in dramatic fashion. Briere played great last night and those two goals in 45 seconds was just insane... But let's face it, Huet isn't going to let that happen again. So last night was a great game played by both teams, but my Caps came out on top, and rightfully so. Philly showed more heart and strength than I expected them to show, but I doubt they can replicate that throughout the rest of the series, especially if it goes to seven games...
My prediction: Capitals in 5.
C-A-P-S, CAPS, CAPS, CAPS!!!