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Eastern Conference: #1 Washington Capitals vs. #4 Toronto Maple Leafs


pilldoc

Capitals vs Leafs  

13 members have voted

  1. 1. Who wins?

    • Capitals sweep 4-0
    • Capitals in 5
    • Capitals in 6
    • Capitals in 7
      0
    • Maple Leafs sweep 4-0
      0
    • Maple Leafs in 5
      0
    • Maple Leafs in 6
    • Maple Leafs in 7


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All discussion regarding this series here.

 

Washington Capitals vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

Date TIME (ET) #1 Washington vs. #4 Toronto Networks
Thursday, April 13 7 p.m. Toronto at Washington USA, CBC, TVA Sports
Saturday, April 15 7 p.m. Toronto at Washington NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports
Monday, April 17 7 p.m. Washington at Toronto CBC, TVA Sports, NBCSN
Wednesday, April 19 7 p.m. Washington at Toronto CBC, TVA Sports, NBCSN
*Friday, April 21 TBD Toronto at Washington TBD
*Sunday, April 23 TBD Washington at Toronto TBD
*Tuesday, April 25 TBD Toronto at Washington TBD
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This matchup is getting no love.

 

I actually don't mind the Leafs but absolutely hate the Caps.  I dislike that team, its fan base, its announcers...everything.

 

But this year, they're just too much for Toronto, who will put up a really good fight and expose playoff weakness in Washington.  But Washington will move on to lose next round.   I went with Caps in 6, but it could very well be 7.

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28 minutes ago, ruxpin said:

I dislike that team, its fan base

 

Worst band wagoning fans around....A couple of years ago wife and I stayed out of town around the DC area.  The person at the front desk wore a Caps jersey.  He couldn't name one current player nor tell me who the Caps were currently playing in that playoffs series.  Dude was as clueless as they come like most Cap fans...... :searching:

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Took Caps in 6.  Caps will make their fans suffer ans sweat a bit and lose 2 games they should win...but in the end Holtby will find a way and the Caps move on.  However....beware of this up and coming Leafs team.

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I picked the Caps in five. This is the series that I am most looking forward to, I truly believe that it will be wildly entertaining.

 

  Babs is among the elite coaches in Hockey and I believe that he knows that he has to shake things up in order to have a chance, to simply go out and play straight line Hockey is to play into the more experienced deeper Capitals wheelhouse and it would end quick and ugly for his kids, instead I see him having a lot of five man rushes, putting the pressure on the Capitals defense not allowing them to join the rush but forcing them to remain back, pressuring Holtby who does poorly (for him) when facing a lot of shots. Andersson may be left alone to protect the Leaf end a lot with the transition game of the younger faster Leaf team being their best hope, get the puck fire it down the ice and put the pressure on the Capitals.

  I don't think it will work, I think the Caps are just too good but I could see one game being something crazy like 7-5 or something. 80s hockey in other words.

 

 Caps in 5 fun games.

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I'm picking the Caps in 4.  Although I like the young talented Leafs I don't think they match up at all with the Capitals.  Andersen is coming off a slight injury and really hasn't been playing that well to win this series.  This one will be over early.

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I have Capitals in 4, although I was tempted to go 5 because the Jeckel and Hyde Leafs could easily win a game in a best of 7 with anybody. 

 

That being said, this is the only first round series that isn't in doubt. I'd be surprised if anybody anywhere (even in Toronto) has the Leafs picked to win this series. The Capitals are going to steamroll them. They're simply the better team everywhere. This series will truly showcase how big the gap is between future Stanley Cup winner and team that slips into playoffs.   :)

 

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I picked Caps in 6 but I dont think it will be as easy for them as everyone thinks.  Caps led by Ovie are perennial playoff chokers...each year everyone thinks they finally have their crap together and will finally win it and they fall flat...I do think they will win this series but young Leafs may make it entertaining.  Go Leafs Go!  Screw the Crapitals!

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The Leafs were a nice story this season.

And they should, emphasize, SHOULD, only get better from here on out.

 

Leafs can score, have some team toughness, and have even been seen (rarely though... :shifty: ), playing a bit of, gasp...defense!

 

That said, they are very, very green (only Edmonton may be greener) in the playoff grind format and doing what it takes to win big games when the pressure is at its highest.

 

Can the Leafs do anything? Sure....if the Caps revert to their free flowing, run n gun, don't-worry-about-defense ways, then Toronto has every bit the chance to match that.

However, Barry Trotz is a defense-first coach, and I am sure he will remind this team that the D, followed by opportunistic scoring will win the day and the series for them.

 

Washington certainly has it in their gene pool to lose a series they should win, but in this case, and in the case of the Eastern Conference, I think it's theirs to lose, but if they do, the Leafs are NOT the team to thwart them.

 

Caps in 5.

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I foresee one of two scenarios:

 

SCENARIO 1:

 

1: Caps win

2: Caps win

3: Caps win

4: Caps win

 

OR

 

SCENARIO 2:

 

1: Caps win

2: Caps win

3: Leafs win

4: Caps win

5: Caps win

 

Under scenario 2, the Capitals would clinch the series at home and the Leafs would win one game in front of their fans. I think this would meet most analysts expectations on how it goes. 

 

Under scenario 1, a few of the games might be close, maybe even decided in OT, but ultimately the Caps quietly steamroll them into oblivion and move on to the next round. I expect a blowout game in 1 and 4. Caps make it ugly early, the middle games are tight, and then the Caps blow them away to finish it off.  

 

 

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I was surprised by how ordinary Oshie, Backstrom and Ovechkin looked last night. 

Babcock did a nice job of getting speedy guys out against them even though he didn't have last change.

I think Babcock coaches/matches up  a couple of wins for the Leafs. There are match-ups where Tronno has the advantage, if I saw it i'm sure Babs did too.

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1 minute ago, mojo1917 said:

I was surprised by how ordinary Oshie, Backstrom and Ovechkin looked last night. 

Babcock did a nice job of getting speedy guys out against them even though he didn't have last change.

I think Babcock coaches/matches up  a couple of wins for the Leafs. There are match-ups where Tronno has the advantage, if I saw it i'm sure Babs did too.

 

He put Polak out there against Ovechkin. That says all you need to know about the trust that Babcock has in Polak's defensive abilities. The stats I've been tracking all season for the Leafs back this up. 

 

The trouble is, the Leafs can't hold a lead, and the Capitals played at 50% last night. The Capitals were really sluggish and slow to get going. Once they turned it on, they made it look easy. The problem the Leafs have is that a Capitals team at 50% was enough to come back from 0-2 and win the game. If the Capitals come out in game 2 like they care (at something closer to 100% effort), it's going to be an ugly score. 7-1 type ugly.

 

We haven't seen the best of the Capitals in this series yet. Not by a long shot. I'm surprised they're not taking things more seriously.  

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19 minutes ago, WordsOfWisdom said:

Polak is done. Broken foot. Series over for him. :(

 

 

 

That was brutal.  He's been valuable for the Leafs defensive play.  

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No matter what happens in the outcome of this game, the Caps have to be disappointed in their performance, and the Leafs should be ecstatic that Andersen has been the best player in the series so far.

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1 minute ago, FD19372 said:

No matter what happens in the outcome of this game, the Caps have to be disappointed in their performance, and the Leafs should be ecstatic that Andersen has been the best player in the series so far.

 

I don't know if the Capitals are playing down to the level of the Leafs or if the Leafs are a legitimate Stanley Cup contending team right now. 

 

They are matching the Capitals in every way. I'm still waiting for the Caps to find another gear and finish them off but it's not happening. I'm seriously starting to regret selecting Washington in my bracket challenge as Cup winner. 

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