The Capitals have known for months that they would be in the Stanley Cup playoffs for the third year in a row. Now that they finally have an opponent — the Montreal Canadiens — and a date — this Thursday at Verizon Center — preparations for what they hope becomes a long postseason run can begin in earnest.
It’s a moment three years in the making. In 2007-08 — the year Bruce Boudreau took over from the fired Glen Hanlon on Thanksgiving Day — the Caps needed to win 11 of their last 12 games to even make the playoffs. They subsequently were bounced in the first round, losing to the Flyers in seven games.
Last season the Caps were consistently good, winning the Southeast Division and earning the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. Washington defeated the New York Rangers before falling to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins — a series that also went the distance and ended with an ugly 6-2 loss at Verizon Center in Game 7.
With the playoffs a virtual certainty this season, Washington (54-15-13, 121 points) has established itself as a Cup favorite, earning the Presidents’ Trophy for the NHL’s best record. But the slate is wiped clean now.
“This is what you play the whole year for,” Boudreau said. “This is what’s important. At the end of the day, no one is going to think who won the Presidents’ [Trophy]. Everybody’s going to be talking about who won the Stanley Cup. That’s what our goal is.”
Players took the day off from practice on Monday. They will return to the ice on Tuesday morning at Kettler Iceplex ready for a gameplan from Boudreau and his staff. With a 3-4-4 record over their last 11 games, the Canadiens fell to the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference. They finished the regular season in fourth place in the Northeast Division with a 39-33-10 record and 88 points, losing the tiebreaker to Philadelphia for the No. 7 seed.
But Montreal possesses some dangerous qualities, including the league’s second-best power play (21.8 percent). Only the Caps (25.2 percent) are better with the man advantage. Washington also did not see goalie Jaroslav Halak — the expected playoff starter — in the four games it played against Montreal this season. Instead, back-up Carey Price was in goal each time.
“It’s different. But we’re still going to shoot the puck,” Boudreau said. “[Halak and Price] both have great attributes. We’ll study a lot of tape this week of Halak to see if we can find any weaknesses.”
The 24-year-old Slovak is 26-13-5 with a .924 save percentage — fourth best in the NHL — and ranks ninth in the league with a 2.40 goals-against average. He also led Slovakia to an upset win over Russia at the Winter Olympics in February and a surprise fourth-place finish. Price started three of the first four games after the Olympic break, but was pulled from a March 7 win at Anaheim after allowing three goals on the first 11 shots. Halak stopped all 21 shots he faced in relief and earned the win. He then started 13 of Montreal’s last 15 games.
One other advantage for the Canadiens is supposed to be their home arena. Bell Centre is the largest rink in North America with a capacity of 21,273 and Montreal has sold out 235 consecutive regular-season and playoff games.
“They will be screaming. And they will be loud,” Boudreau said. “It’s the most lively building in the league.”
But that noise hasn’t helped much this season. The Canadiens have the second-worst home record of any playoff team at 20-16-5. Only the Boston Bruins (18-17-6) are worse. Montreal is also one of just two playoff teams with a negative goal differential. They have been outscored on the season by six goals.
