The Washington Capitals are clearly the most dominant team in the Eastern Conference, and perhaps all of the NHL this year. With stars like Alexander Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom leading the way, the Caps have decimated the opposition at an incredible rate, thanks to their blistering offense and a defense that generally gets the job done when called upon.
Offense:A+
The Caps are, without a doubt, the most feared offensive juggernaut in the league. While San Jose and Chicago both sport fearsome lineups loaded with talent, the Caps are on pace to score 300 goals this season, a feat only three other teams have accomplished since the lockout. Looking at Washington’s roster, it’s not difficult to figure out what makes their offense so potent. Ovechkin, despite missing 10 games this year, may still eclipse the 50 goal mark, and has already passed the 100 point plateau. His linemates, Backstrom and Alex Semin are both having phenomenal years, as well. Backstrom ranks 4th in the league in scoring, and is 1st in the Eastern Conference, with 62 assists. It’s not just the first line that can beat you either. Five other forwards will finish with at least 40 points, while Brooks Laich and Tomas Fleischmann are two of the most productive “unknowns” in the league today.
Defense: B- When your team averages nearly 3 goals a game, you can afford to be a little lax on defense, and the Caps aren’t exactly stacked on the blueline. A major indication of that was the fact that Mike Green, the Caps’ star defenseman and league leader among scoring defensemen, was left off of Team Canada’s Olympic roster, due largely to his reputation for poor play in his own end. You won’t find many players with negative ratings on the Caps, due to the ridiculous amounts of goals they score. The Caps do have some very capable defenders on their blueline, including Jeff Schultz, Tom Poti and youngsters Karl Alzner and John Carlson.
Goaltending: B- Jose Theodore is enjoying a bounceback season, with 27 wins and only 7 losses, but his actual goaltending numbers aren’t all that fantastic. His 2.87 GAA ranks 35th in the league, and his .908 save percentage doesn’t put him much higher. Still, he’s gotten the job done and will likely be the number one guy heading into the playoffs. Semyon Varlamov missed a good chunk of the season due to injury, but has been impressive in the games he has played, posting a 2.59 GAA and 13 wins in 23 appearances. The young Russian should be the future starter for this club, but for now he gives them a very viable plan B in the playoffs.
Special Teams: A- For a team that’s so successful on the powerplay, the Caps sure do struggle on the PK, with a 78.2% success rate that ranks in the bottom 6 of the league. Again, the overdose of offense hides this for the most part, and the fact that they convert more than 1 in 4 of their powerplays sure doesn’t hurt. Still, in playoffs, teams tend to play much more defensively, and bad penalty killing has cost many talented teams their shot at glory.