The Capitals biggest playoff opponent are themselves
By: Turner Sports Desk
Jim Turner
Turnersportsdesk.com
April 14, 2010
The Washington Capitals go into the playoffs with a lot more
experience, toughness and depth. They
know they are capable of beating every team in this tournament if they can
tweak small parts of their game. If the Caps can fix their own small issues and
play their game then they should be hoisting that cup two months from now.
Don’t beat yourself –
The Caps offensive prowess is both a blessing and a curse. If the Caps want to
make the task of winning the Cup easier then the high octane forwards need to
be smarter with the puck. When they see no way to stick handle to the offensive
zone just dump it rather than trying something crazy which creates a bad
turnover and puts your defense/goalie in a bad spot. The defense for the Caps
starts with the offense.
No Cute Hockey –
This is another area that a little discipline can help. The Caps have a
tendency to try and beat a goaltender with a clean shot because of all that
talent. They attempt that extra pass when a shot that could produce a tap in
rebound would have been better. The Caps
have guys like Knuble, Laich and Fehr who go to the net and pay the price so
use them.
Team Defense – Contrary
to popular belief the Caps defense is pretty good. It only looks bad when you
compare it to the Caps high octane offense. All the Caps need to do on defense
is to play with discipline and not to get so puck focused at the cost of positioning.
Make the smart plays in your own zone and get it out of there as fast as
possible to keep the pressure on the opponent.
Timely Goaltending
– Jose Theodore does not have to be perfect. All he needs to do is make the
timely saves. Marc Andre Fleury was not perfect last season but he was good
enough when he needed to be. Theodore is playing great hockey and all he has to
do is be timely. My gut says Theodore is going to take the Caps to the Cup
because he is motivated beyond hockey.
Never be outworked
– Sometimes overwhelming talent can make a team lazy because they know they can
put in a less than 100% effort and still win. Last year the Penguins outworked
the Caps and hopefully the Caps learned that in order to be a Champion you have
to put in the work.
The road to the Stanley Cup will be very tough but the Caps can come out on top if they face their biggest foe....themselves.