For the first time since May 15th, the Capitals will play meaningful hockey. We’re finally back.
It’s been a long summer, so maybe it’s just me, but it feels good to have hockey back. Like an old friend coming home.
Tale of the Tape:
Washington Capitals vs. Boston Bruins
Capital One Arena, 7:30pm.
Last year, the Capitals finished the regular season with a 51-22-9 record, which, as we all know, was good for first place in the Eastern Conference and second-best in the league. Meanwhile, the Bruins finished with a 33-39-10 record, finishing in a tie with the Philadelphia Flyers for last place in the conference.
The B’s:
This Bruins team will be entering a new season looking markedly different from previous years, and it’s clear there are different expectations in Boston this year. Last season’s biggest departure was Brad Marchand via trade to Florida. The Bruins will likely struggle to find scoring depth outside of David Pastrnak or Morgan Geekie.
This is still a team to be taken seriously, however. Pastrnak is ever the scoring threat, and there is still some solid talent on this team. Per Russell Macias at The Hockey News - Boston, the Bruins will have Geekie and Pastrnak centered by Elias Lindholm, in his first full year with Boston. Other newcomers include Viktor Arvidsson and Casey Mittelstadt (a mid-season acquisition last year as well), who can still produce for the team.
Defensively, Charlie McAvoy still anchors the defensive corps, and Jeremy Swayman will be entering his second year as Boston’s No. 1 man in net. Obviously, last season didn’t go as planned for this team, so I’d expect a certain degree of pushback from a group looking to show the league they’re better than last year’s stats would suggest.
The Caps:
Unlike the Bruins, who have seen a large degree of roster turnover, the Capitals bring a roster very similar to last season. The top two lines (Protas-Strome-Ovechkin and McMichael-Dubois-Wilson) remain unchanged from most of last season. The bottom two lines add Hendrix Lapierre (who spent most of last year with Hershey) and Justin Sourdif (new acquisition).
Defensively, the situation from last year remains very similar as all familiar faces are returning, including Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren in net (Thompson should get the start).
The Capitals have a fair degree of “need to prove themselves” as well. While the team dominated the standings for most of last season, there are plenty of naysayers who point out numerous players having career years, poor powerplay performance, or numerous games where the team struggled to put together a 60-minute effort. Not to mention Lapierre and Sourdif, who will certainly be playing to solidify their roster spots in the future. Sammi has the lineup and expected starters posted here.
How the Caps Win.
Simply put, the Capitals need to play to their strengths and keep control of the puck. The Capitals tended to fare well last year, with possession stats generally favoring them. Last year, the Bruins beat the Capitals in two of three contests, but we’re looking at a new year, obviously.
The Capitals will have to lean on their depth and stronger possession game to win this one. Swayman is a solid goalie capable of stealing a game, and since it’s game one, we haven’t run into injuries or fatigue yet. Defense is probably Boston’s biggest strength. And if Washington can nullify Boston’s top line, they’ll be in an even better position to win, as scoring depth isn’t something Boston has a lot of. Last season, Boston ranked 27th in goals scored vs Washington at no. 2. Boston’s scoring depth is still something of a concern for them.
On paper, Washington is a superior team. And I expect they will come out strong playing in front of the home crowd. Boston’s defense (and Swayman) will make them work a bit harder for it, but Washington’s ability to generate turnovers in their own zone and quick transitions should limit Boston’s ability to generate offense.
I don’t make predictions here (especially as it relates to sports betting), but I think Washington starts the season off strong.