Opponent, start date for next round unclear
A hockey team can never have too much rest at this time of year.
With their first-round series against the New York Rangers behind them, the Capitals can begin preparing for their next opponent in the Stanley Cup playoffs. At least they could if they actually had one yet. Instead, Washington will wait to find out which Eastern Conference teams advance and try to use the time off this week to its advantage. A second-round series will not start until Friday at the earliest at Verizon Center.
“It is [a long wait], but it’s also nice to get that rest and let the bumps and bruises heal up,” forward Matt Hendricks said. “Get outside, see the sun a little bit, get some vitamin D. It feels good. But definitely it’s still a group in here that’s really focused in and just waiting to see who we’re going to play.”
| Caps notes |
| » Washington’s players received a day off on Easter Sunday, and the team held an optional practice Monday at Kettler Iceplex. |
| » Seventeen players participated in the optional practice, briefly including injured forward Mike Knuble (undisclosed) and defensemen Dennis Wideman (right leg hematoma). Both players had already skated on their own before practice. |
| » Caps coach Bruce Boudreau had no timetable on the return of Wideman or Knuble. He said defenseman Mike Green — who took a shot off the helmet in Saturday’s game against New York — is “fine.” |
The Caps won’t know until late Tuesday night who that will be — and the suspense could last until Wednesday. Buffalo — the No. 7 seed — plays at No. 2 Philadelphia in a Game 7 on Tuesday and is guaranteed to be the opponent if it wins. If the Sabres falter in that game, then Washington still could see No. 6 Montreal or the winner of the series between No. 4 Pittsburgh and No. 5 Tampa Bay. So for now, Bruce Boudreau will have his team work on its own systems with a heavy emphasis on special teams. The Caps will conduct a full practice Tuesday at Kettler Iceplex.
“We’ve got to stay focused,” forward Matt Bradley said. “We haven’t achieved anything yet. We won the first round. Big deal. We’re happy we did that, but that was never our goal. Now we’re going to have to be prepared because whoever we play is going to have had a [recent] game … and we won’t. So if we’re not ready, we’ll definitely get caught.”
The injuries built up even though the series against the Rangers lasted just five games. New York led the NHL in hits during the regular season and threw its weight around frequently against Washington in the first round. Forward Mike Knuble suffered what is believed to be a right hand injury in Game?3. Veteran center Jason Arnott left Game 5 on Saturday, though he said afterward he was “doing all right” and sat out the final minutes only because the team had a secure lead. Defenseman Mike Green — who missed 26 of the final 28 regular-season games thanks to a pair of head injuries — took another puck off his head Saturday blocking a shot in the first period and did not play again.
“We want to keep building. We want to keep getting better,” forward Jason Chimera said. “It’s a good step. That’s the way we have to play the whole time. We played one of the hardest-working teams in the league, and we matched it, which is great for our team. When we work hard good things happen. Game 5 [against New York] was good for our psyche, that’s for sure.”
