Caps Look For More Hustle in Game 4
After the dismal 3-2 overtime loss on Wednesday night, the Capitals look to regain momentum in the series. Varlamov has been brilliant since entering the net for the playoffs. He kept the Capitals in Game two when the game could have become completely out of hand. The Caps lead the series two games to one, but have only really won a couple of periods through the first two games. It's been the superb play of Varlamov to allow the Caps stars to shine. Game three could have been a double digit blow out had it not been for Varlamov.
The main ingredients missing in this series has been hustle and intensity. It appears for a fleeting moment only to retreat back into the depths of the aggressive Penguins offensive attack.
The puck naturally finds the talented players on the roster, If the Caps focus on their assignments. In this series, too many battles for loose pucks, battles in the corners, and defensemen being knocked off the puck have been lost. Without maintaining possession of the puck with precise passing through the neutral zone, it becomes increasingly more difficult for Ovechkin, Semin, and Green to score.
The defense has steadily eroded in this series to the point of swiss cheese leaving only Varlamov to come between a deficit and a winnable game. The Penguins have been able to attack the Caps defensemen in way the Rangers weren't able to do. Morrison has been victimized the most in this series. With Morrison losing more of his one-on-one battles Green becomes forced to maintain his defensive assignments instead of establishing his offensive dominance from the regular season.
The Nylander experiment appears to be over and if Fehr and Erskine aren't able to suit up fans hopefully can look forward to Aucoin and Alzner in the lineup. Aucoin proved himself useful and adept in various situations. He looked as comfortable scoring on the Ovechkin line as he did grinding on the checking line. His pesky play and tenacious personality on ice is something the Caps could desperately use in this series.
The Capitals sorely missed the big presence of Erskine on defense. His ability to clear the crease and win the battles for puck possession were highlighted the past two games by his absence. 28 year old rookie Sloan filled in admirably, but his size wasn't dominating enough nor was the precision of his outlet passing. In the end Alzner's unflappable play, size, and passing skills provide great upside to the team in this series.
Alzner could be tapped to suit up if Erskine is unable to dress for the game or if a Pothier is scratched. Pothier has also had an unspectacular series.
Game three proved to be the worst possible situation for the Caps. They were dominated in about every way, but goaltending. They allowed the Penguins confidence to blossom and allowed the re-emergence of Malkin.
The Caps must continue to shut down Malkin similar to the first two games. Crosby and Ovechkin are both elite and talented stars that will get their scoring opportunities, but Crosby's opportunities have come too easily. Boudreau should have someone escort Crosby down the ice in order to challenge Crosby to work harder for his assists and goals.
Game four is a critical game for the Caps especially with games four and five being back to back. The Caps weathered the storms in the first two games and charged back with a flurry of goals and sensational stops in net. They've proven that even when not playing at their best they're good enough to dispatch the Penguins home with two losses. In game four, the Caps will need to rise to the occasion and not let the momentum completely turn with the potential of the Penguins heading back to DC with the series tied going into the second of back to back games.
