The Washington Capitals weren’t ready for their HBO close-up in the middle of the 2010-11 NHL campaign, but they’re firing on all pistons as the regular season draws to a close and nearing the very top of the THN.com Power Rankings.
Although Alex Ovechkin has missed the Caps’ past three games nursing an undisclosed but minor injury, Washington has won two of those three games and 12 of its past 14. The Caps are getting solid goaltending as Michal Neuvirth and Braden Holtby have both posted shutouts over the past 10 days and the team has posted an impressive 11-2-0 mark in March.
Even better, Washington’s final six games appear to be as close to a cakewalk as it gets in the NHL these days. Only one comes against a team currently in a playoff position (Buffalo), while the rest - single games against Carolina, Columbus and Toronto and a pair of matchups against Florida - will not require Herculean efforts from the Caps.
They won’t repeat as Presidents’ Trophy winners, but the Caps still can overtake the Philadelphia Flyers for first in the Eastern Conference. In any case, that’s not the Capitals’ ultimate concern - and with their recent hot streak, they’ll have time to focus on that ultimate concern: the Stanley Cup.
The Hockey News ranks the teams 1-30 each Monday based on a combination of last week’s play and a squad’s overall outlook.
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