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NHL Playoffs 2021: 3 reasons Washington Capitals will win Stanley Cup

By Dave Stevenson

Mar 28, 2021; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Capitals defenseman Zdeno Chara (33) celebrates with teammates during the third period of the game against the New York Rangers at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Scott Taetsch-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 28, 2021; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Capitals defenseman Zdeno Chara (33) celebrates with teammates during the third period of the game against the New York Rangers at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Scott Taetsch-USA TODAY Sports /
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(Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
(Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

2. Defense wins championships

There’s a saying in football – “defense win championships”. I’m surprised that saying didn’t come from hockey because teams who win the Stanley Cup tend to be very good defensively. It’s not enough just to score goals, you have to be able to prevent them as well because the other teams will sure as heck be trying to score.

On paper, the Capitals don’t look good in that regard. They rank 18th in goals allowed per game at 2.90. Among teams who are in the postseason (using point percentage), only the St. Louis Blues allow more.

However, it’s important to separate defense and goaltending. Defensively, the Capitals don’t give up scoring chances. At even strength, the Caps give up the fifth-fewest scoring chances against per hour (23.61) and the seventh-fewest high danger chances against per hour (9.4). This suggests defense isn’t the Capitals’ problem. It’s the goaltending.

While the young goaltending tandem of Ilya Samsonov and Vitek Vanecek has struggled, how many contenders can honestly say they have two goalies they’re comfortable with getting most of the starts? The Capitals can say that. Both Samsonov and Vanecek (especially the latter) have at times carried the load this season.

Thanks to their defense, the Capitals won’t need either to be terrific. They’ll merely need them to be good enough. That should ease the pressure on their goaltending.

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