With first-round play beginning Thursday in Boston, the Sporting News breaks down the Bruins' series against the Capitals.
Boston Bruins' Brad Marchand, center, celebrates with teammate Patrice Bergeron (37) after scoring the tying goal in the third period of an NHL hockey game in Boston, April 7, 2012. The Bruins won 4-3 in a shootout. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)(2) Boston Bruins vs. (7) Washington Capitals
Season series: Boston 1-2-1, Washington 3-1-0
Last playoff meeting: 1998 East quarterfinals, won 4-2 by Washington
Boston’s big question: If the “Stanley Cup hangover” is a real thing, the effect is not in October, when the Bruins started 3-7-0 with a minuscule shooting percentage leading to bad puck luck; it is now, in the playoffs. No team has repeated as champions since the 1997-98 Red Wings, and no team has gone on to hoist a second straight Cup after winning its first in a seven-game finals since the 1987-88 Oilers. What does Boston, with a goalie who turns 38 years old during this series in Tim Thomas, have in the tank for this year’s run?
Washington’s big question: For four straight years, the Capitals have won the Southeast Division, only to lose to a lower-seeded team in the playoffs. Will entering the playoffs as an underdog for once prove helpful, or are the Bruins just too much to bear?
Player to watch: David Krejci was the playoffs’ leading scorer last year, with 23 points, including 12 goals. Coming off a regular season in which he scored a career-high 23 goals, and with the concussed Nathan Horton out of Boston’s lineup, Krejci has a chance to be a breakout star this spring.
Key fact: Washington’s Alex Ovechkin leads all active players with 0.68 goals and 1.35 points per career playoff game. He has scored 25 goals in 37 postseason games, tallying 50 points.