With the Stanley Cup Playoffs nearing its halfway point at the end of the week, the field in the Eastern Conference has been narrowed down to arguably the two hottest teams entering the postseason last month, sending home two of the most playoff challenged teams in the conference in the process. Let’s take a look back at the thrills from round two out east.
Washington Capitals (M1) vs Pittsburgh Penguins (M2) – PIT wins 4-2
The Pittsburgh Penguins are heading back to the Eastern Conference Final for the first time since 2013, eliminating the President’s Trophy-winning Washington Capitals in the process. It is the third time since 2009 that the Caps have finished atop the league standings and failed to advance past the second round. Maybe the President’s Trophy Curse isn’t so much a superstition after all.
Why Pittsburgh won
A. The Kessel/Bonino/Hagelin line rose to the occasion – Who needs Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin when you have a performance as extraordinary as Pittsburgh did from these non-starters? All four goals in game six were scored by players from this line, with Bonino netting the series winning goal in overtime. Kessel scored twice in the game and now has a team-high five goals in the playoffs. If the line can keep it up in the next round alongside strong outings from Crosby and Malkin, that is some serious depth for Pittsburgh.
B. Timely goals – All four of Pittsburgh’s victories were decided by a single goal. Two of the victories came in overtime in games four and six. Game two featured a 2-1 come from behind victory. While the Penguins were never able to necessarily dominate Washington other than their early 3-0 lead in game six which would eventually vanish, they were continually able to find just enough offense to emerge on top.
C. Stealing home ice advantage – Pittsburgh effectively stole home ice from the Capitals by winning game two in the nation’s capital before winning the ensuing two games at home to jump out to a 3-1 choke-hold series lead. Pittsburgh only trailed on home ice for just under eight minutes in the entire series and is now a solid 5-1 on home ice in the playoffs. We will see if they can keep it up next round, as Tampa Bay also boasts a 5-1 record on home ice.
Why Washington is out
A. Didn’t learn from their past – The Capitals have now made eight postseason appearances since the Alexander Ovechkin era began during the 2005-06 campaign, winning the President’s Trophy three times in that span. Not once have they advanced past the second round. This includes five game seven losses (twice after blowing 3-1 leads), two first round exits, a second round sweep at the hands of Tampa Bay in 2011, and a loss to Pittsburgh in 2009 (one of the game seven losses). With Ovechkin already entering his 12th season in the league next fall, Washington will need to figure out a winning formula quickly before the championship window closes.
B. Over-reliance on the power play – The Capitals power play success in the playoffs was unmatched, scoring a third of their goals in the series on the man-advantage. Such a heavy reliance on that strength however catches up to you when your opponent is too disciplined to take penalties, and Pittsburgh proved to be that obstacle for the Caps. It’s not too often that an advantage comes back to bite a team, but Washington was the rare exception in this series.
C. Brooks Orpik’s absence – The defenceman’s dirty hit on Olli Maatta earned him a three game suspension, and it threw off the defensive line across the board. In a sport that relies so much on team chemistry, the last minute shakeup would contribute to Washington dropping the next two contests that put them in a 3-1 hole – too deep to be dug out of. If Orpik had been present for the entirety of the series, we can only guess what the final result would have been.
Tampa Bay Lighting (A2) vs New York Islanders (WC1) – TB wins 4-1
Tampa bay is now 8-2 in the postseason after winning four straight after dropping game one to eliminate the Islanders, and will advance to the Eastern Conference Final for the second consecutive season. For New York, the 23 year Eastern Conference Final drought will continue after an abrupt end to a postseason that showed so much promise for the young squad.
Why Tampa Bay won
A. Ability to keep their composure – After getting shell-shocked on home ice in game one, Tampa rebounded nicely by taking four straight to close out the Islanders. They would take both games in New York, both in overtime, including a game three win that featured a game-tying goal in the closing minute of regulation. In game five it was pure dominance by Tampa, shutting out New York 4-0 to end the series at home.
B. Clutch moments on the road – New York stole home ice from Tampa after splitting the first two games in the Sunshine State, but it did not faze the Lightning one bit. In game three, Tampa was able to regain home ice advantage with a final minute goal by Nikita Kucherov that tied the contest, before Brian Boyle beat Thomas Greiss in overtime to win it. Two days later it would be a similar narrative in game four, with Kucherov tying it once again in the third period, this time Jason Garrison beating Greiss in overtime to secure the road sweep and push New York to the brink heading back south.
C. Nikita Kucherov is still on fire – Let’s step away from the fact that Kucherov scored two critical goals in games three and four. He scored four goals in this series, having already scored five in round one. Though Tampa has only played in ten games, the fewest of any playoff team still alive, Kucherov already has a whopping nine goals, six assists, and 12 points. If Tampa goes all the way this Spring, it is hard not to see Kucherov taking home the Conn Smythe Trophy if he keeps up his play.
Why New York is out
A. Ran out of gas at the end – The Islanders were held scoreless in the final five periods of play in the series, dropping game four 2-1 and game five 4-0. They also dropped four straight after winning in Tampa in game one. If you can’t finish in the postseason, it usually doesn’t work out too well to say the least, and New York learned the hard way.
B. Couldn’t come through at home – The oddly configured Barclays Center that the Islanders call home didn’t serve as friendly as it did in round one . In both games at home, New York blew a third period lead before losing in overtime. New York could have easily taken a 3-1 lead back to Tampa for game five, but instead it was the Bolts who took a 3-1 lead back home before easily disposing of the Islanders in front of a crowd of blue at the Amalie Arena.
C. John Tavares didn’t play like a captain – When Tavares scored in this series, the Islanders won the game. When he didn’t, they lost. In other words, the captain who carried New York to victory in round one recorded his lone goal of this series in game one before being blanked the next four games. To make matters worse, Tavares accumulated an abominable -5 point total over the last three games of the series. I may have spoke too soon to call him “captain clutch” after round one, because he was anything but clutch in this series.
What’s next: The Penguins and Lighting will face off in the Eastern Conference Final, with game one set for Friday night in Pittsburgh. The Penguins and Lightning most recently met in the 2011 Eastern Conference Quaterfinals, which Tampa won in seven games after Pittsburgh blew a commanding 3-1 series lead with home ice. The two squads are the only teams left in the playoffs that have won a Stanley Cup since 2000.