What I'm seeing from Capitals before NHL playoff bout vs. Hurricanes

New York Times

05-05-2025

ARLINGTON, Va. — Spencer Carbery, four days into his five-day break from the Stanley Cup playoffs, could've had a relaxing Sunday night.
That's not how it worked out for the head coach of the Washington Capitals. He, like most of the rest of us, watched the Winnipeg Jets' out-of-control, double-overtime Game 7 win over the St. Louis Blues.
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It was not a particularly chill experience.
'Actually, it's worse watching other games, for me, than it is coaching in the moment on the bench,' Carbery said on Monday, the Capitals' last practice day before the start of their second-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes. 'Because you just feel for the players and the staff. Even watching (Jets-Blues Game 7), you're just gutted for those two teams, and you're just like, 'Oh no.' And someone has to lose. Same thing with Colorado-Dallas.
'This time of year, your whole season and everything that you work for is on the line, and one penalty call, one missed assignment, one shot at the net can decide eight months of hard work. That's what we signed up for. It's high pressure but high reward as well.'
When Carbery's team eliminated the Montreal Canadiens on April 30, there were still six other series being played. He said he's used that to his advantage — or at least made the attempt.
'There's no doubt it's nice to be able to take a deep breath,' Carbery said. 'We can start to get ready for the second round and now some teams are fighting it out. You get to watch that. You get to take a breather. You get to reset mentally and use the rest physically to prepare as well for what you're about to embark on. Yeah, I would be lying if I sat here and said that it wasn't nice to be through the first obstacle and watch other teams.'
But ultimately, as Carbery said, 'it doesn't mean anything.'
The proof he offered was the second round in 2023, when he was an assistant with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Toronto had just eliminated the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games, then got to wait around for the winner of a war between the Florida Panthers and Boston Bruins. The Panthers won in seven games and needed overtime to do it.
'(The Maple Leafs were) rested, ready to go on home ice,' Carbery said. 'I'll never forget that game. Florida came in and kicked the crap out of the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 1.'
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The bright side for Washington and Carolina both, then, is that neither had to wait on the other. They're waiting on the schedule. Nothing more than that.
In the meantime, the rest of us have had reflection time as well. Here are some thoughts on what we've seen from various Capitals, now that we're sufficiently removed from the first round.
Alex Ovechkin: All systems are go for the ol' fella. Washington didn't win his minutes territorially against the Canadiens, but they didn't really need to; the Caps outscored Montreal 5-2 with him on the ice, and he added two other goals on the power play. He's an interesting watch at five-on-five, too, because he's physically engaged — 19 hits, tied for the team lead — without being all that effective, let's say, away from the puck.
Dylan Strome: Like Ovechkin, Strome has been outstanding with the puck on his stick. There were moments in the middle of the series, though, where it wasn't on his stick enough. Strome's not a zone-entry wizard, and Washington's defensive zone exits — thanks to a pretty effective Canadiens forecheck — were sloppy. Carolina's been known to forecheck a bit, too, so that's something to watch.
Jakob Chychrun and John Carlson: The Capitals outscored Montreal 3-2 with them on the ice, and Chychrun's first-period goal in Game 5 was gigantic, but the two had some ugly moments in front of their own net — particularly Carlson. If we find out down the line that he was dealing with an injury, don't be surprised. He's also 35 years old. Overall, in about 70 minutes with them on the ice, Washington allowed 17 high-danger chances with them on the ice. Among pairings with at least 20 minutes together, Chychrun-Carlson was eighth in on-ice high-danger chances against per 60 (16.5). That's a lot of chaos, especially against a team like Carolina that funnels shot attempts toward the net as a means of causing mistakes and creating more prime chances.
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'(It's) not necessarily the initial shot or the initial delivery that becomes problematic,' Carbery said. 'It's usually the events quickly that follow. … They end up stressing you constantly and eventually, usually what happens is crap, you give up a rebound or a third or a fourth one, it ends up paying off.
Logan Thompson: He was good enough in Games 1 and 2, offering glimpses at the play that put him on early-season Vezina Trophy short lists, but Thompson still didn't quite look comfortable — and Game 3, featuring poor play (from him and the rest of the Caps) and an injury scare felt like a disaster. By Game 5, Thompson was back at his best, stopping 28 of 29 shots, saving nearly three goals above expected and generally looking more comfortable. If that's what he gives Washington reliably, look out.
'I've been on him all year to try and get him flustered and get him off his game and keep him on his toes,' Wilson said. 'Maybe it's just practice makes perfect. And now he's just finding that rhythm, where he's just in his happy place and he's just feeling good.'
Anthony Beauvillier: We might be selling him short here; Beauvillier had five points against the Canadiens, including a huge goal and overtime setup for Ovechkin in Game 1, and generally added a well-rounded set of tools to that top line. There's no reason to think that he'll drop back down the lineup just yet, even with Aliaksei Protas back in the mix. Ovechkin and Strome both have raved about what he brings to the mix.
(Photo of Alex Ovechkin: Scott Taetsch / Getty Images)