Playoff Predictions Round 1: Eastern Conference

Here are my picks for 1st round winners in the East, who do you guys have?

Caps Miss Chances, Fall to Flyers in SO 5-4

It was an expected wild affair at Verizon Center tonight, but after a rollercoaster of penalty kills and power plays, to many missed chances, and a standout performance by rookie Marcus Johansson, the Capitals eventually fell to the Flyers in a shootout 5-4.

The game started off with chances everywhere.  Alex Ovechkin had a breakaway that beat Flyers goalie Brian Boucher, but was unable to beat the post as it rang wide.  This would tell the tale of Ovechkin’s whole night, which ended with an assist, a -1 and 3 shots on goal in 22:51 of total ice time (with an average shift length of just over a minute).  He also missed when his number came up in the shootout.

As Ovechkin’s mojo troubles continue, it was a different MoJo that stole the show tonight: Marcus Johansson.  He was all over the ice and opened the scoring 8:10 into the game with his second career goal.  On a line tonight with Jason Chimera and Matt Bradley as Bruce Boudreau continues to shuffle the lines, the trio sustained a high energy level throughout the game.  They were hard on the forcheck, and Chimera scored the power play goal that tied the game at 3 near the end of regulation.

Flyers @ Capitals Preview (Video) 11/20/10

Here's a video preview of tonight's tilt between the Capitals and the Flyers at Verizon Center.