Wheels off Washington

The Washington Capitals have hit rock bottom, dropping to the basement of THN's Power Rankings for the first time in recent memory. The dubious honor is well-deserved: they're the worst team in the NHL, one point behind Columbus for 29th place overall, and are just one of two teams (the other is Minnesota) who have yet to win on the road.

Captain Alex Ovechkin has taken all kinds of heat – and rightfully so – for the Capitals' awful start, but he's hardly alone in being worthy of criticism. Fellow star Nicklas Backstrom has just a single goal so far, while defenseman Mike Green is on pace for just a 24-point season. And of course, their goaltending duo of Braden Holtby (.879 save percentage, 3.87 goals-against average) and Michal Neuvirth (.889 SP, 3.05 G.A.A.) aren't stealing any games for them.

If there's one minor bright spot for Washington, it's that their division is thoroughly mediocre. Indeed, the Lightning are leading the Southeast despite losing their past four games, while Florida and Winnipeg are respectively two and four points ahead of the Caps in the standings. That said, the turnaround will have to begin soon – and with only three games to play in the next 10 days, Washington can't complain about their schedule. In sum, it's buckle-up-or-blow-it-up time in America's capital city.