Courtesy: NHL.com
WASHINGTON — The Olympic break hasn’t provoked a hangover for the Washington Capitals just yet as they’ve come back from the league-wide three-week hiatus to win their first two games.
Wins over the Florida Panthers and Boston Bruins have kept the Capitals in the thick of things in the Metropolitan Division and more importantly, the Eastern Conference playoff picture as they are just a point out of a playoff spot. The team that currently finds themselves ahead of the boys in red is their opponent on Sunday, the Philadelphia Flyers.
Both the Flyers and the Capitals have played two games since the break and while Philadelphia had to endure a tough 7-3 beatdown at the hands of the San Jose Sharks in their first game back, they bounced back Saturday with a 4-2 victory over the charging New York Rangers. These two squads don’t like each other as it is and know the importance of each and every game as the season winds down.
Given that both Washington and Philadelphia both played Saturday, don’t expect to see Braden Holtby or Steve Mason between the pipes in this contest. However, that may not be a bad thing, especially for the Washington side of things as Michal Neuvirth has an interesting date approaching on the schedule that may have some significance for him.
The NHL’s trade deadline is Wednesday, March 5th. The Capitals are a team that will likely try to wheel-and-deal at the deadline in order to make a playoff push and ultimately chase that first elusive Stanley Cup title. Neuvirth and teammate Martin Erat have made it clear to the organization that they want to play hockey, but wouldn’t mind if that was in another city. Erat has already asked general manager George McPhee to be traded twice already this season. Neuvirth doesn’t have any injury issues to worry about. He just has to play good hockey when he gets the chance and for the most part, he has done well. It will be interesting to see how much rust he still may have to wear off in this contest as he hasn’t played in a competitive hockey game in almost a month.
Is Neuvirth in audition mode for another franchise or will he continue to stick it out with the Capitals and battle with Braden Holtby for the top spot going forward? Only Michal can answer that question.
Despite the long layoff, Washington has come out guns blazing offensively and to the surprise of no one, Alexander Ovechkin is spurring that charge. When the Capitals’ captain netted his second goal of the game — 43rd of the season — the Russian sniper tallied his 800th career NHL point. It’s no secret that Washington relies heavily on No. 8 to push the pace offensively and when he can find his mark, there isn’t a better finisher in the game.
But the question remains for this Capitals team that has been in the back of fans’ minds each and every time Washington makes a push for Lord Stanley’s prize.
Are the Capitals too reliant on Ovechkin?
It’s always easy to look at the Stanley Cup champions of years past and say they have the blueprint for success in the National Hockey League. But the Chicago Blackhawks of 2013 and 2010 provided the best example as to how a team should be built in order to hoist the crown jewel of the sport.
- Play great defense and control your own zone first and foremost. Is there a better defensive pair than Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook at the top?
- Find a goaltender who can get hot at the right time and stick with that goalie. Corey Crawford may not have been worthy of a Team Canada nomination for Sochi, but the way he performed during Chicago’s Stanley Cup run was admirable to say the least.
- Have balance across at least three of the four forward lines with finesse players who can finish plays off. Sure, most would look to Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane as the leaders, but Patrick Sharp, Marian Hossa and Marcus Kruger might have a few contentions with that argument that Chicago relies on just those two players.
Washington has the offensive talent outside of Ovechkin, but this question seems to loom come playoff time year in and year out. As good as Ovechkin is, it’s times like these where while he usually steps up and contributes for the Capitals, some may question how the rest of his mates are performing. It’s easy to look to Nicklas Backstrom and John Carlson and expect them to perform. They will get theirs. It’s the Brooks Laich’s, Joel Ward’s and Troy Brouwer’s that Washington will have to look to in order to make that playoff charge.
A win over the Flyer would not only move the Capitals back into playoff position, but it would give them a quality win at home over a good hockey team and a bitter rival. That’s how momentum is built.
