Capitals vs. Penguins: Game 1 prediction

The second round series between the Capitals and Penguins is good enough to be a Stanley Cup Finals on its own, and their opener will be one to remember.

It’s a shame that this year’s edition of the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins couldn’t come in the Eastern Conference Finals, as the two teams are clearly the two most dominant teams in the conference.

Both teams are led by the league’s best, with Alexander Ovechkin leading the Capitals and Sidney Crosby captaining the Penguins. The two teams met last year in the conference semifinals, which Pittsburgh won in six games.

Both of these teams are riding high after the Penguins blew by the Blue Jackets in the opening round, and the Capitals survived a young Maple Leafs team that came close to the upset.

For the Penguins, they’ll need continued production from their offense, specifically from Evgeni Malkin. Malkin tallied 11 points in the first round, four more than Crosby, and was a +7 on the ice throughout the series. Pittsburgh’s offense was what got them the win last season, and it’ll need to keep up the pace to continue their dominance.

On the Capitals side, Braden Holtby will need to be on his best game in net for Washington. He’s facing an offense that carries some of the biggest names in the game, like Crosby, Malkin and Phil Kessel. They’ll need Holtby to hold the Penguins offense in check, and Washington’s offense will need to take advantage of Marc-Andre Fleury in net for the Penguins rather than last year’s kryptonite in Matt Murray.

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Prediction:

The Penguins made it look easy in the first round against the Columbus Blue Jackets, and I don’t think it matters if they’re home, on the road or have a back-up in net.

Pittsburgh looks like it could easily repeat this year, and I think the Penguins offense continues their dominance of the Capitals and takes home Game 1.