WASHINGTON or PHILADELPHIA???

[Zorro]

Somebody help me out here.. I think Philly is going to take this series just because they have the better all around team. Better D-men and more scoring punch up front. Really all Washington has for scorers is: Ovie, Semin, Backy, and Green..

Somebody re-assure me that I am ok taking Philly. Should I change my pick??
Z..

[The Comish]

I\'m torn on this one. On one hand I think OV will light up Biron and on the other I see Washington having a let down after being so good for so long. Aahhhh, we made it and whammo, Philly smokes\'em.

I predicted Washington in 6, but if it were Philly in 6, I wouldn\'t be completely surprised. I keep coming back to Huet and how much I like him.

You are ok taking Philly and maybe completely right to go against the hype.

[tiantonio]

You are vastly underestimating the impact that Fedorov has had with his all around veteran play.

Also, Brooks Laich has been a key contributer

Viktor Kozlov is a solid center that was a +28 this year

Poti can still contribute from the back line

Hold a Gun to my head and I take Huet over Biron

[Zorro]

Oh I am not underestimating Federov\'s role in the dressing room, I was just talking about their scorers. Kozlov is alright aswell but mainly because of Ovie..

I just can\'t see Washington taking the beating they are going to take and still winning. I just think Philly is going to pound them into the ground. But maybe this kind of play will give Washington alot of PP opportunity\'s??

HELP!!

[DieHardWingsFan]

I say the Capitals they have a better goaile and Fedorov has been very good and he will be a good playoff player for the Cap\'s and AO will light it up for sure and the other guy\'s have been good too and dont forget M.Green he\'s been great all year. I think they will be the UNDERDOG this year untill they get beat by the Pens. Then Detroit will beat the Pens and win the Cup lol.

[Celly]

I am liking the Capitals as well. There problem all year was sketchy goaltending and Montreal filled that role for them and all it cost them was a Slurpee. Huet has been keeping them in the games and boosted their confidence. The sky is the limit for these guys. Phile has stepped it up lately but I dont think they have what it takes to beat the rising Caps.

[Sin Bin]

Gonna be close but the Caps goaltending is better so I think they will win.

[Zorro]

Doesn\'t anyone think about who WASHINGTON was playing though during that \"hot-streak\"?? They were playing the likes of:Atlanta, Florida, Tampa, and Carolina.. They did play good just against not-so good teams.
Z..

[Shao]

They did have a great record after Boudreau, and they played a lot of good teams throughout.

All I remember is that they swept Ottawa in the season series.

[richardparknation]

I think you\'re all missing one key component...... Matt Cooke.

=P jk.

But in all seriousness, none of us know what level Ovechkin can take it to. Huet will do his part, it\'s just a matter if the caps can finish if Ovie stumbles.

[Shao]

Don\'t underestimate Cooke though.

It was a good pick-up. He adds grits, some offence, and he can hit and be a pest.

[Sin Bin]

Zorro wrote:

Doesn\'t anyone think about who WASHINGTON was playing though during that \"hot-streak\"?? They were playing the likes of:Atlanta, Florida, Tampa, and Carolina.. They did play good just against not-so good teams.
Z..

Caps had the 4th most points in the league from Thanksgiving on. That wasn\'t all against the Southeast Division.

[tiantonio]

Yeah. You still have to bury the dead weight in your division when you have a chance. Canes are home watching with us because they couldnt put away Florida after Vokoun went down with an injury early in the game. They get that game and they are the THREE SEED. Instead.....NOTHING. Washington could smell it and just took care of BizNiz. Now we will see if they are happy just getting there or if AO can bring that killer instinct to the second season.

[strider2k2]

The thing that scares me about Washington is that a guy like Ovechkin can just control a series. With that being said, he (and for that matter the whole Caps team) lacks playoff experience. Somebody correct me if I\'m wrong but isn\'t Fedorov the only Cap with significant (say 15+ games) playoff experience? Of course Sergei has played in 162 playoff games and averaged a point per game, but the team is very green. Huet only has six playoff starts, but goo dstats in those starts. That\'s six more starts than Biron.

What the Flyers have going for them is more experience in Briere, Prospal, Timonen, Smith, Hatcher, and Kapanen. There are also hot going into the playoffs, winning 7 of the last 9, with the last two wins being shutouts. When the Flyers are hot they can be a very scary team. Finally consider the fact that the Flyers were 2-1-1 against them in the regular season, so the Caps shouldn\'t be the obvious favorites.

Finally, don\'t assume that because this is a 3/6 matchup that the Caps are that much better. They finished with one more win, and one less point, than the Flyers. The Flyers also played in a much tougher division than Washington. I personally have the Flyers winning in six games, but think this is going to be a very close series.

[angus]

copying this from another thread:

The key for the Caps/Philly series will be goaltending. Huet and Biron are both relatively untested. I don\'t see Philly having a good match-up for Ovechkin. He can overpower the smaller d-men like Timonen, even though he is fantastic defensively, and he can burn by the big guys.

Lots of interesting story lines. Philly\'s scoring depth is going to be very tough for the young Washington defense to handle.