USA TODAY International Edition
Leafs toughen up Caps to face Penguins
The Washington Capitals needed all the resilience and endurance they could muster to avoid being knocked out by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the NHL playoffs first round.
In hindsight, the Leafs might have been the ideal sparring partner to help the Capitals, who won in six games, prepare for the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
“It was a good warm- up because ( the Maple Leafs) play an up- tempo game,” Washington coach Barry Trotz said. “They’ve got some dynamic forwards. They’re quick; they play that pressure game, which the Penguins do. I think it was a good fit for us.”
Whether the Capitals benefit from that will become clearer Thursday when they host the Penguins in Game 1 of their bestof- seven series.
The Penguins and Capitals met in the second round last season, and the Penguins won in six games en route to the Stanley Cup championship.
The Capitals met the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round a year ago. That series didn’t boast the offensive fireworks or drama that the Washington- Toronto series commanded. Washington-Toronto featured five overtimes and a considerable amount of edge- of- your seat action.
“Last year I think Philly was a heavier team,” Trotz said. “That became two bulls locking horns more than a track meet.”
When you prepare for the Penguins, you have to be ready to climb into the starting blocks. The Penguins play open- throttle offense.
“I don’t know if ( the Maple Leafs) prepared us all the way,” Trotz said. “But it helped. I think the environment, being in Toronto and the different pressures, allowed us to grow internally, mentally.”
Washington winger Justin Williams said the escape against the Maple Leafs “might have hardened us a little bit.”
The added spice of the Pittsburgh- Washington series is the Sidney Crosby- Alex Ovechkin rivalry. Crosby and Ovechkin have played 54 games against each other in the regular season and playoffs. In those games, Ovechkin has 35 goals and 29 assists for 64 points and Crosby has 28 goals and 47 points for 75 points. The Penguins hold a 33- 21 record.
They have met twice in the playoffs, and both times the Penguins defeated the Capitals and went on to win the Stanley Cup.
These teams have similar rosters to last season’s, though both teams are missing key players. The Penguins are without No. 1 defenseman Kris Letang ( neck surgery), goalie Matt Murray ( lower body) and forward Carl Hagelin, who skated Wednesday. Defenseman Karl Alzner ( upper body) is injured for the Capitals, but he’s also expected to be ready to play some time in this series.
“I think the teams’ identities are very similar ( to last year),” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said.
But Sullivan doesn’t seem to believe that history means anything in sports.
“I think last year is last year,” Sullivan said. “This is a whole new year, a whole new season, a whole new experience.”