Posted by E.J. Hradek
Throughout these crazy Stanley Cup playoffs, my colleagues and I will be weighing in with Five Things We Learned from the night's action. So, let's kick things off with my thoughts from opening night:
1. Cold Caps crease. As most observers figured, the Capitals would have to overcome some below-average goaltending to advance in the playoffs. In Game 1, Jose Theodore couldn't mix in a key save when his team really needed it. Too often, he looked like he was guessing. The Caps aren't a shut-down defensive team. They are going to trade opportunities with an opponent. If Theodore can't step up with the occasional big save, coach Bruce Boudreau's team is going to have to play a more careful game -- which really doesn't suit them. If the Caps' veteran starter throws in another stinker, would Boudreau take his chances with rookie backup Simeon Varlamov?
2. Too long. In their first-round series loss to the Flyers last season, Washington's stars had a tendency to overstay their shifts. In Game 1 against the Rangers, I noticed the same thing. Alex Ovechkin's average shift time was 78 seconds. That's about 30 seconds too long for most players during the playoffs. I know he went very long on each of their power-play chances; that ratchets up his average shift time. Still, I don't know how you can be that good for that long during a playoff game that's being played at a very high tempo. In the next issue of ESPN The Magazine, there will be a short feature about time management in the postseason. Wings coach Mike Babcock likes 40-second shifts. Ducks bench boss Randy Carlyle agreed with his colleague. A.O. is a special player, but 78 seconds per shift is too long; so is Alexander Semin's 68 seconds per shift and Mike Green's 61 seconds. They'll want to shorten that up in Game 2.
3. Flyer freshman. It wasn't a great night to be Philly rookie Claude Giroux. The kid is going to be a terrific player, but his playoff debut isn't one he's going to write home about. (Do people still write home or do they just call?) In just 11:03 of ice time, Giroux managed to be a team-worst minus-3. Ouch! That stat isn't the end-all, be-all. A lot of things happen on any series of plays that lead to a goal. He might have been a victim of some bad luck. Still, I don't think he was dreaming about a minus-3 when he pondered his first Stanley Cup playoff game. Better luck in Game 2, Claude.
4. First-strike Devils. The Devils are just a different team when they score first. In the regular season, New Jersey compiled a 37-5-2 record when it grabbed the first lead. In case you were wondering, that's a league-best .841 winning percentage in that situation. In this league, teams that score first win at about a 65 percent rate. That means it's important to score first. In New Jersey's case, the numbers indicate it's really important to score the first goal. If the Devils can continue to bring the same effort, this is going to be a short series.
5. Beards begin! Blues veteran Keith Tkachuk has grabbed the opening-night lead when it comes to the most rugged stubble. The Massachusetts native is going with the Mr. Clean shaved-head look, and he pulls it off just fine. In the early stages of his playoff growth, however, he showed off some serious salt-and-pepper stubble during an in-between periods TV interview. If he rubs his face against a Canucks defenseman, he could get a four-minute minor for drawing blood! Speaking of blood, it looks like there will be some spilled in the Blues-Canucks series. There were several monster hits throughout the game. The Canucks grabbed a 2-1 win on the back of goaltender Roberto Luongo, who came up with some big saves throughout the night. He was particularly large turning back the Blues during a 5-on-3 situation in the first period.
ESPN.com Stanley Cup playoffs blog
