Comments on: The New York Times: Caps Look for Redemption in Playoffs http://www.russianmachineneverbreaks.com/2011/04/12/the-new-york-times-caps-look-for-redemption-in-playoffs/ A cheerfully demented Washington Capitals site with a healthy fixation on Alex Ovechkin and his Russian bros. CRASH THE NET! Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:02:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 By: BobbyG http://www.russianmachineneverbreaks.com/2011/04/12/the-new-york-times-caps-look-for-redemption-in-playoffs/#comment-17182 BobbyG Wed, 13 Apr 2011 01:04:53 +0000 http://www.russianmachineneverbreaks.com/?p=17099#comment-17182 @Chris Gordon: Thanks for your excellent preview of the Caps vs. Rangers first round matchup.

I don’t think this will be easy either, the Rangers could be trouble. Lots of it. For me the keys are goaltending, defense, timely/secondary scoring, and special teams play as it usually is in the playoffs. Will Lundqvist best whoever the Caps have in net, or will the youthful Caps netminders dethrone the King? Will the Caps new style of play with emphasis on defense carry them past the Rangers, or will the Rangers D prevail? Will the Caps get scoring across all four lines and on the blueline to take the pressure off Ovie? Which team will have the more effective PP and PK?

The added intangible is the calming veteran presence and experience of Arnott to help the Caps get over the hump from the ghost of past playoff disappointments. This could be huge and make the most difference in the outcome for the Caps this season.

It’s the eve of game 1, and I have a feeling of nervous anxiety and anticipation about the playoffs finally getting started. Will the Caps achieve redemption or will it be deja vu all over again? As Ovie said in the 2010-2011 season preview “Questions will become answers.”

Stay tuned.

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