May 1, 2015

Michael Clifford

2015-05-01

Caps-Rangers wild finish, Montreal-Tampa Bay set to start, and Anaheim trounces Calgary in Game 1.

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I think like everyone else, I was getting ready to make the necessary overtime adjustments (fresh beverages, etc.) with the clock winding down in a tied Game 1 between the Capitals and the Rangers last night. All of a sudden, the Caps translated a Nicklas Backstrom (possibly illegal) check and Alex Ovechkin pass to Joel Ward into a game-winner with one second left in regulation. It all happened so fast that the players (other than the ones who scored) and certainly the fans had to take a few moments to digest what they just witnessed. Dan Boyle was trying to get the game to overtime, and a couple seconds later, it was Washington who took Game 1 from the Rangers.

The game certainly provided a preview of what this series will be: some hard-hitting, fast-skating, good goaltending hockey. The game had lulls as most do, but for the most part it was one of the good low-scoring games.

The controversy after the game was the hit I made mention of earlier. Boyle had just gotten to the puck in the corner and hugged the boards while pinning the puck trying to kill the final seconds off the clock. Nick Backstrom hit him from behind, Ovechkin wrangled the puck and back-passed it to a waiting Ward for the dagger goal. There's a GIF of the hit through this link. It's subjective whether or not that's a penalty given how inconsistently blindside-or-from-behind hits are called in the NHL. Regardless of whether it is or it isn't a penalty, it wasn't called and the Caps have the series lead.

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With Tampa Bay getting past the Detroit Red Wings in Game 1, they set their sights on getting a bit of revenge on the Montreal Canadiens in the second round. Montreal swept the Lightning in the first round last year, but that was a Tampa Bay team without Ben Bishop, and Steven Stamkos didn't seem yet 100-percent after returning from his broken leg in March.

This Tampa Bay team – for most of the first round – looked inconsistent, and Stamkos looked a little flustered with the puck at times. They should have all the confidence in the world after surviving a Game 7, and taking all five games from the Habs in the regular season, outscoring them 21-8.

Ben Bishop was fine in the first round and after missing the series last year, I'm sure he's eager to put Montreal behind the Lightning. Of course, the Habs would have the edge in net from the outset, but the Lightning have the advantage up front so it's a matter of which can solve the other; does Price shut down the Lightning depth or does the offense break the floodgates? It'll be fun to watch either way.

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As a little aside, I'm very interested to see how the Norris Trophy voting shakes out. I think there's a good argument to be made for each of Drew Doughty, P.K. Subban, and Erik Karlsson, and the voting should end up pretty close. With Los Angeles missing playoffs and Doughty not among the top defensive scorers, I guess it boils down to Subban or Karlsson. Either way, all three are worthy, but I would like to see Subban pick up his second Norris in three seasons.

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Speaking of defensemen, how high does Roman Josi get ranked next year among roto defensemen? I think it's safe to say the top triumvirate of Subban/Karlsson/Byfuglien stays together, and despite a drop in points, Shea Weber probably slots in to form a top-4. After that, there are questions about Kris Letang's health, exactly what the Sharks will look like for Brent Burns, whether Carolina improves enough for Justin Faulk to take another leap, and if Keith Yandle's production with the Rangers stays steady as it was with the Coyotes. There are also other young guys like Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Dougie Hamilton to consider. I would put Josi right around ninth or tenth overall among d-men at this point, but he could easily move up or down 3-4 spots either way.

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One last defenseman – where would a good landing spot for Mike Green be? The Capitals have to sign restricted free agents Evgeny Kuznetsov, Marcus Johansson, and Braden Holtby, who combined carried a cap hit under $7-million this year. If Green is on his way out, who might need his services?

I suppose Los Angeles may be in the market for a defenseman if Slava Voynov isn't around next year because of his domestic abuse problem. Dallas needs a significant blue line improvement if they want to be a serious contender in the West. Maybe the Canucks try to make one final push for a Cup with the Sedins? Just speculating here. Selfishly, I wouldn't mind seeing Mike Green on the power play with Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn in Dallas, even with the emergence of John Klingberg. They need more, and Green could help.