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Carbery reveals gameplan against the Hurricanes ahead of second-round matchup
Photo credit: RMNB
Next up for the Washington Capitals in the second-round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs are the Carolina Hurricanes.
Capitals coach Spencer Carbery reveals gameplan against the Hurricanes ahead of their second-round matchup.
Tarik El-Bashir reported Carbery's top priority in shutting down the Hurricanes' hot offence.
The 'Canes lead the playoffs in shots on net per game at 36.6 per game. As such, boxing out in front of Logan Thompson will be a top priority for the #ALLCAPS. Carbery said: «It's not the initial shot, the initial delivery that becomes problematic, it's usually the events that quickly that followSo they end up stressing you constantly and eventually, usually what happens is you crack. You give up a rebound or on the 3rd or 4th one it ends paying off for them.»
With their first-round win over the Canadiens, the Capitals now face one of just three Eastern Conference teams they've never beaten in a playoff series, the Hurricanes. The only previous postseason meeting between Washington and Carolina came in 2019, when the defending Stanley Cup champion Capitals were eliminated in seven games during the opening round.
They split the regular-season series, with the home team winning all four games.
The Capitals and Hurricanes both excel at controlling the tempo, which was evident in Round 1, Washington limited Montreal to just one first-period goal all series, while Carolina stifled New Jersey's offense.
This matchup could turn into a defensively focused battle, which plays to Carolina's strengths. If they manage the pace and contain Washington's power play, the Hurricanes have a real shot at upsetting the division champions.
Here's what Capitals forward Dylan Strome had to say following about facing the Hurricanes in Round 2.
"Obviously, we're playing a real good opponent coming up next. Going to be a totally different test with the way they play, but we'll watch some video, we'll study up, and we'll be ready to go." -Strome
The Capitals will head into Game 1 on Tuesday with no apparent lineup changes.
A lot of drills, a lot of rushes, a lot of film. The Capitals continue their rep for the Hurricanes in Round 2, and were full go intensity-wise at practice.
Game 1 is set for Tuesday night from Capital One Arena at 7:00pm.
| POLL | ||
MAI 5 | 32 ANSWERS Carbery reveals gameplan against the Hurricanes ahead of second-round matchup Who will win Game 1 on Tuesday between the Capitals and Hurricanes? | ||
| Capitals | 24 | 75 % |
| Hurricanes | 8 | 25 % |
| List of polls | ||