WASHINGTON -- The Capitals' defense is fairly physical, fairly mobile, fairly dependable. So it's fair to suggest, then, that the Penguins should have a better-than-fair shot at attacking it relentlessly and successfully all through these teams' Stanley Cup playoff series that opens Thursday night, 8:15 p.m., at Verizon Center.
As in, from the first shift forward.
"We just have to play our game," Mike Sullivan stated flatly following Thursday's morning skate. "We've got to do our best to defend against them when they have the puck. And the more pressure we can put on them to spend time in their zone, where they have to defend us and expend energy ... I think that's when our team's at its best."
That's basically it.
I mean, if you're compelled to carve apart the myriad Xs and Os that go into any best-of-seven, there's certainly plenty to dissect. But the truth is, these Penguins have shown that, when their five skaters engage the opponent deep in the attacking zone, they prevail, and usually in a prodigious way: They led the NHL in the regular season with an average of 33.2 shots per game, and they outshot opponents 72 percent of the time.
Photos from the Penguins' morning skate prior to Game 1 in Washington.. -- DKPS
"As the Rangers series went on, we got smarter," Ben Lovejoy said. "We chipped pucks when it was appropriate. We were aggressive but smart. We need to keep doing that. That's a big thing for us."
"This is a more explosive team than the Rangers," Carl Hagelin said. "We can't make mistakes. We have to get it deep, make good decisions. The way we play between the blue lines, and the decisions we make, will be very important."
He's right. The Capitals aren't the Rangers. They're better and bigger up front. New York checks will be Washington earthquakes if that happens again.
"We're playing well, doing some good things," Bonino said of a series in which he had five assists and only three shots. "One thing I can do more of is shoot the puck. But it's hard with a guy like Phil on your line. He wants to shoot every time. But I don't mind giving him the puck."