With the Capitals getting a first round bye in the 24 team tournament outlined by commissioner Gary Bettman, the question has to be asked: what does this mean for the team? It most certainly is an interesting question and the beauty of hockey (and also the worst part of it) is how much unknown will happen in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Does this mean that it benefits the Capitals? That's a yes and no answer, but whether it leans more towards yes or no, is the unknown.
First and foremost, the team will have to play a round robin tournament to determine seeding against the other top four clubs in the Eastern Conference (Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Philadelphia Flyers) as the Capitals had clinched the Metropolitan Division and had the third best record in the conference (using regular season overtime rules), while the other squads are playing a best of five series against certain opponents like how a usual playoff system works (including overtime playoff rules). It's not certain as to whether it will be single or double round robin, but regardless, that will determine the seeding come when the other teams finish their matchups. That round may or may not be crucial, but if the Capitals want to earn the top seed, those are three hard squads to face off against. While season records might factor into how people see them faring against the other teams, in a round robin setting, it won't matter for many reasons, especially the fact that all the teams have not played in two months. The Capitals could theoretically win all those games or lose them all, hockey is just that random and luck based.
The other factor is rest. While the round robin situation won't be as pressure packed, rest will certainly help them. It seemed like the team was running on fumes towards the end of the season, but they are an aging side, so that is no shock. 13 players on the roster are age 29 or older, so rest is always a good thing. Now with two months rest, they should be rejuvenated and look to play at a high level. The round robin setting should be a good tune up for when they have to face their opponent in the next round. Even if the Capitals had not gotten a bye, they still would've had the rest. The only concern will be in the next round as their opponent will be battle tested and have an edge on the Capitals. The team had gone 5-7-3 in their prior 15 games before the stoppage and 15-14-3 in 32 games. But that could all mean nothing once the tournament begins. On paper, the Capitals are a very strong team, but who they face in the next round is not known and surely there are some squads they do not want to face regardless if rest helped them. The only question will be who head coach Todd Reirden decides will suit up for games in certain matchups.
Another question will be the goaltending. Many Capitals fans were wondering what was happening to longtime goalie Braden Holtby as he was not playing well and had a terrible .897 save percentage. Rookie Ilya Samsonov had been awesome and some fans were clamoring for Samsonov to start. However, Samsonov started to look mortal and struggled towards the end of play, as expected with every rookie, going 1-4-0. As for Holtby, he went 4-1-2. It was more likely for Holtby to start because of his experience, but even more so now with the rest.
So, while it might seem more positive for the Capitals, there are some definite negatives, especially not knowing what their seed will be or who their matchups will be. No one knows whether it really benefits the team or not, but if they are well rested and are able to play up to their potential, then this tournament should benefit them greatly. This year or next is likely the last hurrah for another championship and this is a perfect time for them to do so. However, with the randomness and luck that happens in the Stanley Cup playoffs, no one could ever be sure.
Comments