Capitals Eastern Conference Semi-Final Matchup Preview: Carolina Hurricanes

The Capitals have advanced to the second round and will take on Metropolitan division rival Carolina Hurricanes. The two teams split the season series 2-2. Essentially, this is going to be a very tough series that seems evenly matched. It would not be surprising to see this go to a seventh game. While the Capitals have a lot of fire power, Carolina is riding their goalkeeping strength to victory and not squandering scoring opportunities.

Logan Thompson Has To Outplay Frederik Andersen

Andersen has always been a streaky goalie, but his .936 save percentage in the first round is no joke. Maybe it's because of the attack he faced in the first round, but either way, the Caps need to take his hot streak into consideration. Yes, his save percentage during the regular season was .899, so it probably would make a lot of sense for the Capitals to attack him a lot, but Thompson needs to match the output. Thompson has been consistent as his save percentage of .910 in the regular season and despite the injury, he had a .923 mark in the first round. Andersen has a knack for turning up in the postseason and shutting down opposing attacks, but the Caps should attack more.

Defense Needs To Tighten Up

As mentioned above, the Hurricanes don't squander scoring opportunities. Second chances are their bread and butter and are damn good at doing so. Lot's of teams rely on luck and Carolina embodies that, but give good teams extra chances and it will kill them. Any sort of mistake the Caps make, the Hurricanes will pounce on. That being said, the defense for the Capitals need to recognize that problem and make sure to make things as difficult as possible for Carolina trying to take advantage of the situation. The Hurricanes rely on possession, so that isn't something easy to defend.

Get Physical

This actually might be the easiest section to explain, but the Caps need to get incredibly physical to apply pressure on a team that already relies on possession. Rushing the opposing attack with the checkings in certain parts of the rink while they hold possession should help make things difficult for the Carolina attack. It will disrupt a lot and the Capitals have some big bodies who can do that. If they cannot get physical then this series will get frustrating.

Get Creative On The Attack

The Hurricanes are one of the best in defending the powerplay. They are one of the best in the whole league defensively. So essentially the Capitals needs to get creative in their attack. As mentioned earlier that the Caps need to attack more as that might actually frustrate Carolina. Apply pressure as much as possible and be relentless. The question is if the forwards press harder and then have the blue line in there in support to make things interesting is a viable option.