Bean: Capitals showing they're no pushovers

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I picked the Bruins to win this series. I’ve got no problem with thinking Boston, with its superior goaltending, health and strong play down the stretch, could beat the Capitals in their first-round matchup. 

What I did have a problem with — and maybe don’t have to anymore — was the difficulty I had finding anyone to disagree. It seemed like every conversation I had about this series going in was a big ol' "and that's why I'm picking the Bruins" fest. 

That's fine, but the Capitals are no slouches. They should be taken more seriously than they have been the last week or so. If you didn’t think that going in, maybe you do after Washington took Game 1 in overtime

Or, put another way, the Capitals aren’t so inferior that the Bruins can just waltz through, turn in a lackluster performance and still punch their ticket to the second round. Hopefully that’s acknowledged now. This could very well be a close series, and close series can be won by either team. 

Game 1 observations: Bruins need more offense from top line

The Capitals were without their second-line center and starting goalie (for most of the game) and still beat the Bruins. What if Evgeny Kuznetsov, currently on the COVID-19 list, is back for Game 2 or 3? He skated Sunday, marking the first time in two weeks that the 28-year-old center was on the ice with his teammates. 

Saturday, on paper, should have been a freebie for the Bruins once starting goalie Vitek Vanacek left the game in the first period. Instead, the undermanned Capitals found a way to pull it out. Backup Ilya Samsonov, who also missed Game 1 (which was why Craig Anderson took over for Vanacek) was also back on the ice in Sunday’s practice. 

Bruce Cassidy said Sunday that Tuukka Rask will start Game 2, as he should. The Bruins need changes in either performance or personnel in other areas. Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand combining for one shot on goal will certainly be corrected in Game 2. Boston’s third pairing had a rough go of it Saturday, so maybe Jeremy Lauzon will be taken out for Game 2. 

If we’re on “do the Bruins miss Zdeno Chara?” watch, the answer one game into the series is a loud “yes.” Chara would be an upgrade over Lauzon right now. Instead, the Bruins’ options to fix the third pair are Jarred Tinordi and Connor Clifton. 

Rask not focusing on his future with Bruins in series vs. Capitals

Chara, meanwhile, enjoyed a fine Game 1 performance. Playing against Boston’s third and fourth lines, Chara and partner Nick Jensen posted the highest possession numbers of any defensemen in the contest. Conversely, Bruins third-liners Nick Ritchie, Charlie Coyle and Sean Kuraly had the three worst Corsi For percentages in the game. Translated into English: the Bruins’ third-line didn’t have the puck. 

Game 1 wasn’t an indication that this is a lost series for the Bruins, but the result was plausible. The Bruins were a logical pick in the series for the aforementioned reasons, but a lot of those games during Boston’s post-deadline run were against bad teams — most notably, six contests against the Sabres. 

The Capitals, meanwhile, have battle-tested players who know how to win just like the Bruins do. I still have the B’s winning the series, but not easily. If you weren’t taking Washington seriously before, you should be by now. 

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