The Stanley Cup playoffs start on Thursday and with it, there are plenty of burning questions that need to be answered.
Luckily, the 1st Ohio Battery roundtable is here to calm any and all fears that you might have about Blue Jackets vs. Capitals.
Will sitting players for the final game have any adverse effect on the Blue Jackets during their series against the Capitals?
Sam Blazer: I don't think it will hurt any of the young players that they sat. Players like Werenski and Jones are definitely going to appreciate the extra rest. I do wonder if it throws off any mojo they have going in. That is more absurd fan analysis than anything based in logic.
Kyle Morrison: Nope. The NHL season is grueling and guys play through plenty of minor injuries throughout the season. Sitting players during the final game just lets the team come in a bit fresher and heal up a bit. I could see them being a bit jumpy to start the game, though, but I don’t think it’ll make much of a difference.
Rob Mixer: I can’t see it having much of an impact at all. They’re going to practice Monday, Tuesday and probably Wednesday before heading to Washington, so they’ll be up to speed in plenty of time for Game 1. The rest was probably welcomed by those guys, who have played heavy minutes and a ton of taxing games over the last couple of months.
Dan Dukart: No, not at all. They don’t play until Thursday evening, so they were going to have plenty of rest regardless. This was about safeguarding their top performers from injury, and giving those who are battling nagging injuries a chance to get as healthy as possible.
Paul Berthelot: I don’t think so. It’s not uncommon to see teams sit their star players late in the season. With how much the Jackets relied on a Panarin and Jones/Werenski this season, it makes sense to give them rest and have them as healthy as possible for this series.
Do the Blue Jackets finally win their first playoff series?
KM: The Capitals certainly have star power, but one of those stars (Braden Holtby) may have lost his job for now as we head into the playoffs. They lack the speed and secondary scoring of, say, the Pittsburgh Penguins, and there’s uncertainty in net, but that doesn’t always work out in the Jackets favor (see: last year’s playoff series). I think the Jackets have their best chance yet – and the Capitals are more vulnerable than ever – but I don’t think Ovechkin will disappear like he did last playoffs, and I think the Capitals will win in seven.
PB: I believe they will. This is by far their best opportunity to do so. Washington is a good team but a flawed one. The Jackets have the personnel to take advantage of those flaws.
SB: It really depends how the Blue Jackets goaltending works out. That is the case each and every time they get on the ice but if that match up is at least even, I believe that the Blue Jackets win the series. They have more depth offensively and defensively. Bobrovsky just needs to show up.
DD: I think it’s their best chance to do so. Even though the 2016-17 Jackets finished with a better overall record, this year’s team has more depth and more star power. The Capitals are Metropolitan Division champions for a reason, but they certainly have weaknesses.
RM: Damn, this is tough. I think, like the others have said here, that this is their best opportunity yet. They were so over-matched in those two series against Pittsburgh and couldn’t get a timely save for the life of them, which only exacerbated the problem. This series sets up a lot differently for them, where they have one hell of a challenge in front of them but far fewer demons. Out on a limb? I’ll say yes, they do.
Is the Blue Jackets matchup against the Capitals really that much better than facing the Penguins?
SB: Yeah, I think it is a little bit better. Not a whole lot better, but it just feels like a better matchup. The depth differences are stark and the Blue Jackets have advantages if they decide to use it. The Capitals star power is almost as scary as the Penguins, if a player or two lights it up, it could end up being a very tough series.
DD: Yes. The Capitals may have the better record, but Pittsburgh has won two consecutive Stanley Cups because they know how to shift into overdrive. They know how to win. The Capitals have never reached the Conference Finals in the Ovechkin era. They may be good, but I think you’re lying to yourself if you’re saying you’d rather the Jackets face the Penguins in the first round.
KM: As mentioned above, the Jackets have trouble skating with the Penguins, who have one of the deepest lineups in the league and enough star power at the top to take over games. The Capitals are a bit below the Penguins in star power (Crosby, Malkin, Kessel and Letang versus Ovechkin, Kuznetsov, Backström and John Carlson) and the secondary pieces aren’t as good.
RM: For many reasons, I think it’s a better draw. The Blue Jackets have shown they can defend and suppress offense against the Capitals, which cannot be said for their performances against the Penguins. They have the advantage in goal and on defense, but I think Washington has a clear-cut advantage up front. This is a pretty neck-and-neck series, at least on paper, which means everything we’ve said so far will be blown to bits after Game 1.
PB: Significantly better in my opinion. Washington might have the better record but they are not anywhere near as good as the Penguins. The Jackets have played the Capitals tough this season. The games with Pittsburgh have been close in terms of the results, but the gameplay was all Penguins.
How will Sergei Bobrovsky play in this series against the Capitals?
PB: I think he will be fine. The good thing with getting Washington first, is the Jackets shouldn’t need Bobrovsky to steal them this series. If Bobrovsky is simply average they will be just fine. Taking some of that pressure off Bob hopefully helps him find his game.
RM: I think he’ll be jacked up to play this series. No matter who they faced (and I believed this whole-heartedly until watching last week’s game against the Penguins) I felt this was the year for Bobrovsky to steal the show in a playoff series; now, I think he has a better chance to do so against the Capitals, but let’s not think for a second that it’ll be a cakewalk. He’s going to be tested – particularly in D.C., where Ovechkin and Co. can really crank it up – and we’ll see if he can answer the bell and win a big road game.
SB: I have two different answers here. I want Bobrovsky, as a fan of the game, to succeed. When he is on his game he is one of the absolute best in net. Seeing such breakdowns in the past are heart breaking, although it hasn't been all of his fault. He is too good to have such breakdowns and should make in roads this season. I expect him to play well and hopefully carry the Blue Jackets to a series win. Facing Alexander Ovechkin is as tough a task as any. We should get an answer sooner than later on what type of player will show up this year.
KM: I think he’ll be lights-out for a few games, but the Jackets’ penalty kill unit worries the hell out of me. Bob had a sneaky good season, despite having a couple of rocky stretches (December in particular), but he’ll need his teammates to pick him up more than they have this season if he wants to shake those doubts about his playoff performance.
DD: It’s an expensive question. If Bobrovsky plays as poorly as he did in the playoffs a year ago, it’s safe to say that Blue Jackets management will have a difficult decision regarding how to handle his impending free-agency (July 2019). Management typically isn’t in the business of writing blank checks, but if Bobrovsky plays to his Vezina-like capabilities, they’ll feel much better about signing their star goalie. If he struggles, I’m not sure how you can feel confident giving him a long-term deal that could hamstraing the club down the road.
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