5 reasons why Washington Capitals will win Stanley Cup

2. Inevitable semifinals against Pittsburgh

The Capitals and Penguins are meeting in the second round of the playoffs again this year. (I’m putting money on that.) In general, the NHL playoffs becomes a much tighter, defensive game.

This year, the Caps have bested the Penguins in both main defensive team statistics — penalty kill percentage and goals allowed per game. Even with Holtby not playing at his best, the Caps have managed to keep the puck out of the net at a better clip. Grubauer also makes for an interesting insurance policy as he absolutely stoned the Pens in their final match of the regular season to a tune of a .973 SP.

Pittsburgh is always known as the team who is center-heavy. Few teams can match up to Crosby and Malkin lining up down the middle. This year, however, Evgeny Kuznetsov has cemented himself as Ovechkin’s set-up man. This has allowed Backstrom to carry the second line, giving Washington a formidable 1-2 punch to throw at their opponents all game long. While the Penguin centers may be more desirable to fantasy owners, splitting up Backstrom and Ovechkin at even strength has given the Caps a dimension they may have been lacking in the past.

The Pens cannot continue to play with fire without getting burned. There’s always been so little to give between the two franchises since the salary cap era began. You can only flip a coin and have it continue to land on the same side so many times. Look for the Caps to finally buck Crosby and Malkin from the playoff picture.