The playoff matchup between the Washington Capitals and the Philadelphia Flyers is really the tale of two cities. Washington, fueled by a franchise-record point total, another 50-goal season from Alex Ovechkin and the brilliant goaltending of Braden Holtby, expects to go far. Philadelphia, in the beginning stages of a re-tooling under general manager Ron Hextall, is clearly ahead of the curve in arriving at the postseason this spring.
Washington posted 56 wins, a franchise record that's reflective of its dominance. The two teams have met in previous playoff series going back decades—although most remember the 2008 battle that went seven games. In that series, a Game 7 overtime goal by Joffrey Lupul dashed the hopes of Ovechkin and his Capitals.
The Philadelphia Flyers squeaked into the playoffs with rookie coach Dave Hakstol, owing mostly to strong goaltending, a rookie sensation named Shayne Gostisbehere and the indomitable spirit of men such as Claude Giroux and Wayne Simmonds. Will it be enough to win this series?
Here is a complete analysis of the Capitals-Flyers series and what we can look forward to this week.
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Article written by Allan Mitchell
Capitals vs. Flyers: Preview and Prediction for the 2016 NHL Playoff Matchup
April 11th, 2016 by Allan Mitchell Leave a reply »
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