How will the Hurricanes manage Capitals’ size and physicality?

Game 1 of the Metropolitan Division Final is set for Tuesday night, setting up an intriguing matchup between the Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes.

The Capitals, the team that finished first in the Eastern Conference during the regular season, had some issues shrugging off the upstart Montreal Canadiens, but managed to win the entertaining series in five games.

The Hurricanes also made their way through the first round in five games, completing the the “gentlemen’s sweep” of the New Jersey Devils. However, the series was a lot more one-sided than it seemed.

Now, the two teams with differing styles get set to do battle. The Hurricanes rely on exciting skill paired up with a strong defensive structure, while the Capitals like to try and beat their opponents on the scoreboard and in the alley. With brute forces like Tom Wilson and Alex Ovechkin zooming around, Carolina is going to have to keep its head on a swivel.

On Tuesday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Frank Seravalli explains why the Caps’ size and tenacity could be the difference-maker in this series.

Frank Seravalli: It’s a clear advantage that Washington has. They pushed around the Montreal Canadiens for big stretches of those games, particularly early on in games. Carolina, can they score at the same pace as Washington, which slowed down a bit in the playoffs as to be expected compared to the regular season, but Washington still has plenty of threats.

Don’t sleep on Dylan Strome, who, I think, for my money, was the Washington Capitals MVP in round one. He’s going to be an impactful piece going toe-to-toe, likely at times with Sebastian Aho. So, it’s a really close matchup. I don’t think there’s a lot that separates these teams. … I’ve got the Canes in seven, which may be surprising to some, but I think the fact that they’ve been there and done it before will matter.

You can watch the full segment and entire episode here…