| Jeff Cargerman. 8th January, 2009 - 1:18 pm
 For every veteran powerhouse in the NHL, there is a team led by a young gun rising to the top of the league’s standings. The Washington Capitals fall into the latter category as yet another young and exciting team.
The NHL team’s youth movement is a very popular (and effective) new approach to building a hockey club; just ask the Chicago Blackhawks. The Capitals are presently sitting 2nd in the Eastern Conference standings with a record of 27-11-3 behind the Boston Bruins. A month ago it looked like the Bruins would run away with the East, but as of late the Capitals have been on a tear and are currently only five points out of 1st place.
The Washington Capitals have won 11 out of their last 12 games and are the league’s hottest team. Scoring superstar Alexander Ovechkin has 16 points in those contests and is at the center of the Capitals’ success. Ovechkin is having yet another Hart Trophy caliber season and is currently 2nd in the NHL with 53 points through 39 games.
The phenomenal Ovechkin leads a Capitals’ team that last year lost Game 7 of the Conference Quarterfinals to the Philadelphia Flyers in an overtime thriller. This year however, expectations are higher for the hockey team of our nation’s capital. Centering Ovechkin is Niklas Backstrom, one of last years’ best rookies. Backstrom is playing great hockey and is avoiding any resemblance of a sophomore slump. He currently sits 2nd behind Ovechkin on the team with 45 points. Capitals fans knew what to expect from players like Ovechkin and Backstrom, but the biggest surprise this season thus far, has been 24-year-old winger Alexander Semin. Semin has battled injuries frequently this season and has missed almost half of the team’s 41 games. Nevertheless, Semin has 34 points in only 23 games and is an outstanding +20 in plus/minus.
Like virtually every other Cup contender this season, the Capitals have a perfect mix of young guns and a strong veteran presence. The Caps’ top netminder this season has been 11 year veteran and former Vezina and Hart trophy winner Jose Theodore. Theodore has been solid this season, winning 14 of his 22 starts. Other veteran contributors on the Caps include longtime enforcer Donald Brashear, former Red Wing great Sergei Federov, Ovechkin’s linemate Viktor Kozlov and 14 year veteran center Michaael Nylander.
The Washington Capitals’ Stanley Cup hopes hinge on whether the offense can keep up the barrage of shots they have peppered their opponents with this season. Of course, when the playoffs roll around, a team can score as many goals as they want, but if it is one less than the other team on the ice, the next ice hockey they will see is in training camp. If Jose Theodore can begin to approach his 2002 Hart trophy play, then the Capitals will give the Bruins a run for their money in the Eastern Conference.
This year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs are shaping up to be a memorable one with as many as 13 legitimate teams contending for the Cup. Teams dependent on their corps of young guns for offense like Washington, Chicago, and the New Jersey Devils, are all on a collision course for postseason hockey with the likes of playoff mainstays such as the Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins, and Philadelphia Flyers. With the amount of individual talent and abundance of great teams in the league right now, the playoffs can not get here fast enough. |
