I’ve wondered some times if Fleury wasn’t a little too “busy” in the crease. When pressed, he can get a little too active, which gives me fits watching.
I’ve watched Holtby for years, since he started in Hershey, and he is as good a goalie as people say.
But a good goalie needs skaters in front of him that can score.
And I don’t know if the Caps have enough. Or as much as Pittsburgh. The Pens have 4 good lines. The Caps have 2.
It’s going to show in games 6 and 7. If it gets that far.
Caps had best defensive stats of the regular season. Even though lines change, especially during the playoffs, the Caps third line had a much higher Corsi score than the Pen's third - 58.57 vs. 45.92 during the regular season. They were also much higher in scoring chance percentage and expected goals percentage. Can't speak to the 4th line, although there are more than a few teams who would love to have Beagle, Winnik and Connolly working it. The first and second lines for both teams are stellar. So no, I wouldn't agree that the Caps don't have 4 good lines.
I will, however, agree that the Caps are notoriously uptight in the playoffs and have a long and storied history of choking. Add an unsettled Holtby to the mix and a fan will be concerned. Caps out hit Pens 41-17 last night. If they can maintain that kind of physical play it will show later in the series.....if it gets that far. Last night was a tough loss. We'll see what team shows up tomorrow.