The Washington Capitals now neck and neck for the Southeast division, one point behind Carolina in the swapping back forth of the division lead, engage Atlanta tonight, the first in 4 Southeast clashes in the next 5 games.
The youthful energy of the Bruce Boudreau led Caps has Capital fans excited and are finally getting coverage and respect in and outside of Washington DC. The Caps are 21-11-4 under Boudreau, going on an impressive, if not magnificent, run since they posted a 6-14-1 record in October and November, a dismal run that led to the ouster of Glen Hanlon and the arrival of Boudreau.
Jeff Zillgit of the USA Today featured the resurgent Capitals led by a ‘throwback’ coach and the youthful emergence of new Caps stars, in particular, the four young guns. Something reported on here and other Caps blogs for some time. BUT, hey, it is nice to see the Capitals get the media attention they deserve, a long time coming from a team that is media shunned in most regards. Good timing and good read on the McPhee/Leonsis led youth movement that was criticized by some, but seems to be flourishing and coming to fruition at the right time.
He also is not afraid to give young players significant ice time in key situations. Boudreau is getting the most out of a roster that includes superstar forward Alex Ovechkin (leading the NHL in goals and points entering Tuesday), rookie of the year hopeful Nicklas Backstrom, potential star Alexander Semin and point-producing defenseman Mike Green. Of those, Semin is the oldest, at 23.
Since Boudreau arrived, Washington has leapfrogged the Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers, Atlanta Thrashers and Carolina Hurricanes into first place in the Southeast.
•Before Boudreau, the Capitals averaged 2.24 goals.
Since: 3.14 goals a game.
•Before Boudreau, Green had three goals, four assists and was minus 8 in goal differential on-ice. Backstrom had one goal and eight assists.
Since: Green has added 12 goals and 16 assists and is plus 7, while Backstrom has added eight goals and 28 assists.
Nice read and come great comments from guys like Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Mike Green, and Brooks Laich.
The New York Times gives Alexander Ovechkin some ink. Ovechkin as flamboyant as he is, as eager, fun loving, and energetic as his personality personifies, he is also acutely aware that the Capitals success goes beyond Alex Ovechkin.
“Now we bring the fans and the crowd is very good,†Ovechkin said. “When it’s full, it’s unbelievable. Everybody has to understand, one player cannot bring a good team. It’s a whole team. We just have a great team right now, a young team, and everybody does what they can try to do to win.â€
It’s an important recognition that we as fans and bloggers make, but at times the national media misses. As Ovechkin propels toward the goal and point titles, too much of the national media mistakenly assumes that Ovechkin single handedly carried the Capitals into contention and a division run. They forget that we have a guy who is second among rookies in scoring (Backstrom), that a cold free agent has suddenly turned hot (Kozlov) that we have one of the most exciting young defenseman who happens to lead the NHL in goals scored for Defense (Green), a young, sacrificing call up from Hershey who night in and night puts his body between the puck and the net, racking up shot blocks (Laing) and many more contribution that go unspoken. Not taking away fromt he amazing year and amazing play of Ovechkin, but even Ovechkin realizes, this was a pure team effort, not an individual feat to crawl back to contention. Again, a nice read on Alex, take the time to peruse it.
And even the Canadian Press is actually picking up the Caps.
Bleacher Report takes a look at what the Capitals could do as the trade deadline approaches. They also provide their speculation on the Pothier injury as well.
The shame in the needs is that they could be filled simply by getting injured players back. Chris Clark could come back from a groin injury, and Brian Pothier from what the Capitals describe as an upper body injury, but what everyone really knows is a concussion and probably post-concussion syndrome. With Pothier likely done for most of the regular season, if not all, and Eric Fehr nestling in to Chris Clark’s spot, the largest glaring gap is the defense.
Should the Capitals give up a Chris Bourque or a Sami Lapisto just before they make the jump into the NHL to acquire an Adam Foote?
The answer to that question is no.
George, the last thing you want to do at this point is burn the farm for materials. The farm is finally built. Now all you need to do is let the guys grow up.
We concur. We also hope that, according to statements recently made by McPhee, the Capitals concurs as well. Both McPhee and Capitals owner Ted Leonsis exercised profound patience in rebuilding the Capitals through a model of youth first. The Washington Nationals are utilizing the same model and showing significant steps forward as well, both at the major league and minor league levels. To trade any piece of that effort for what would mount to be a one year or less rental, simply makes no rational sense.
The Capitals are surging. The Capitals are hot. What is in place is working. Brining in veteran help may hinder more than assist. The youth led the revival, now ride the youth to the success.
Oh and pssssstttt, hey Ted, re-up Mike Green.
Friendly Chatter:
Peerless loves the turnaround as well. Check out his attendance numbers of the Verizon Center.
Game Previews:
- Capitals-Thrashers Preview (USA Today)
- Thrashers host Caps in key Southeast showdown (Sports Network)
- Washington Capitals (27-25-5) at Atlanta Thrashers (27-27-4), 7 p.m. (Miami Herald)
- Game #58 Washington Capitals at Atlanta Thrashers (Joe’s Washington Hockey Blog)
- NHL.com Game Preview (NHL.com)
Attendance Watch:
The recent surge into contention in the Southeast and a playoff push has caused a surge in attendance at the Verizon Center as well. The once last place Capitals, literally in terms of points and attendance, are no longer.  The Caps have moved from 30th, last place in the NHL to 27th.  The Caps have jumped ahead of the NY Islanders, Phoenix Coyotes, and Nashville Predators. Caps are now averaging 14,431 per home game.
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