Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
You aren’t going to find many teams as hot as the Washington Capitals right now. The Capitals are in the midst of an eight-game winning streak as they head into their next game on Thursday night. I could see this coming a couple weeks ago when their upcoming schedule was mostly in a weak Southeast Division. Washington is proving that they can be a playoff threat with their recent play and look very likely to be heading toward the No. 3 seed now.
Alex Ovechkin is up to an NHL-leading 28 goals for the season including 12 in his last ten games. The number that really gets me is that Ovechkin has 26 points in his last 15 games or nearly two points a game. It hasn’t been a bad run for a team that started 2-8-1 this season. There is no doubt that the Capitals will be tested in their final five regular season games, though, with four of them being against teams that are firmly into the playoffs.
If Washington can get through the last few games with success, there is no telling how far the Capitals can go in the playoffs. Everyone knows about their playoff failures in the past, but I think this is a different team though that is brimming with confidence and peaking at the right time. They have their final three games of the season at home and will be able to stay home to start the playoffs which is a win-win situation for Washington and their fans. I don’t think the Capitals are sleepers anymore as the playoffs get ready to start in two weeks.
Andy Schmidt is a columnist/writer for RantSports. Follow him on Twitter @ASchmidtSports, like his Facebook page or add him to your network on Google.
