Stanley Cup Preview: Round 2 Washington and Pittsburgh

The second round of the 2017 Stanley Cup playoff series starts on Wednesday, April 26 and Thursday, April 27. The Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins will begin their series on Thursday. The Caps come into the second round after beating a tough Toronto Maple Leafs team 2-1 in OT. Washington took the series four games to two. The Pittsburgh Penguins last played on April 20 when they beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-2 to take that round one series four games to two. Here’s our Washington plays Pittsburgh 2017 Stanley Cup round two pick.

The Teams

RWs T.J. Oshie and Justin Williams have led the Washington offense in the postseason. Oshie leads the team with four assists, and seven points and he and Williams, who has three assists, are tied with at three goals each. They both have a power play goal, although LW Alex Ovechkin leads in that area with two. Ovechkin has three goals overall. Kevin Shattenkirk, on defense, has three power play assists.

In goal, Braden Holtby (4-2) has allowed a few more goals than he would like. He’s got a 2.36 GAA. His save percentage is .925. In the final game of the round one series against the Leafs, he turned away 36 of 37 shots. Against Pittsburgh, he’s 2-0-1 with a 2.74 GAA and .912 SV%.

For Pittsburgh, three players have enjoyed a lot of success on the ice thus far in the playoffs. They are center Evgeni Malkin, wing Phil Kessel, and center Sidney Crosby. Malkin has 11 points, including nine assists. He has four power play assists. Each of the three players has scored two goals with Kessel getting two on the power play.

In the final game on the series with the Blue Jackets, Pittsburgh goalie Marc-Andre Fleury (4-1) saw 51 shots and made 49 saves. He has struggle against the Capitals going 1-1 with a 4.02 GAA and a .884 SV%.

Washington and Pittsburgh Quick Keys

1. Pittsburgh’s D needs to step up
2. Ovechkin and the rest of the Washington offense want to keep pressure on
3. Penguins could be sluggish at first after a longer wait
4. Washington does not want to let Pittsburgh in like they did the Leafs
5. Malkin, Kessell and Crosby are major forces for the Penguins, as they go so too does this series

Schedule

• Game 1: Penguins at Capitals, Thursday, April 27, 7:30 p.m.
• Game 2: Penguins at Capitals, Saturday, April 29, 8 p.m.
• Game 3: Capitals at Penguins, Monday, May 1, 7:30 p.m.
• Game 4: Capitals at Penguins, Wednesday, May 3, 7:30 p.m.
• Game 5: Penguins at Capitals, Saturday, May 6, TBD*
• Game 6: Capitals at Penguins, Monday, May 8, TBD*
• Game 7: Penguins at Capitals, Wednesday, May 10, TBD*
  *If necessary

Washington Plays Pittsburgh 2017 Stanley Cup Round Two Pick

In the regular season, the Caps had the top defense in the league and third ranked offense. The Penguins possessed the top offense, but their D could be dismal. On paper, the Penguins look scary, but they are facing a much tougher defense than they did against Columbus. Our Washington plays Pittsburgh 2017 Stanley Cup round two pick is the Caps in six games.

Washington Plays Pittsburgh 2017 Stanley Cup Round Two Pick: Washington in six