Boston Bruins – Washington Capitals Series Prediction:
Caylee Allard
Bruins vs Capitals is going to come down to physicality. The last time the B’s played the Capitals in a playoff series (2012), it was so evenly matched that it took a game seven overtime to decide the winner.
Things have changed over the past nine years, including Zdeno Chara wearing a Capitals’ sweater. The Bruins have an edge on the goaltending side, as well as the offensive side. While the Capitals do have Alexander Ovechkin, there aren’t many other players who put up points besides him, T.J. Oshie, and Nicklas Backstrom. Brad Marchand alone has more points (69) than any Washington player.
Tuukka Rask is no stranger to the playoff atmosphere, and being the best goaltender in franchise history, he shouldn’t be too nervous to face off against the opposition. The Capitals’ goaltender situation is iffy. They have not named a playoff starter yet, but all three netminders are average at best.
With Rask’s experience and skill and Jeremy Swayman on a hot streak, it’s going to be tough for the Capitals to get past them. If the Bruins can match the Capitals’ physical play and throw the body, it will be a smooth series for Boston.
Prediction: Bruins in 7
So, as you can see, the entire Causeway Crowd team has a similar mindset going into this series — the B’s are beating the Caps and advancing to the second round. Additionally, the team thinks the series will go quite long, with four members thinking it’ll take six games to best Washington and the other three members thinking it’ll take all seven games to down the Caps.