Have the Capitals Recovered?

Hard to believe that the ill-fated Capitals-Canadiens playoff series only ended a few months ago. But for Washington hockey fans, the sting of watching their beloved Capitals (who some would say are the District’s only championship-caliber franchise right now) fall apart at the seams on the way to an untimely quarterfinals elimination from the Stanley Cup playoffs might take a little longer to fade. It’s a memory that’s at best frustrating to recall, and at worst….what do you call it when the world comes crashing down around you? Oh, yeah: a crushing, demoralizing feeling of emptiness. So with nearly a full week of the new hockey season in the books, have the Capitals been able to put the summer’s embarrassing exit behind them?

After four games, it looks like the team just might have found a way. Here are some reasons why:

• The defense looks to be improved. Defense was a real problem against the Canadiens in 2010. The Capitals allowed nearly three goals per game during the quarterfinals and always seemed to be trailing Montreal. So in the offseason, the team got rid of its decidedly non-clutch goalie Jose Theodore and added former Hershey Bears goalie Michael Neuvirth. The move seems to be paying off. So far this year, the Caps have only surrendered 9 goals (2.25/game) through four games and almost half of those goals were yielded in the Caps’ opening night 4-2 loss to the Thrashers. Neuvirth, despite his struggles against Atlanta, looks to be developing into a reliable goalkeeper for Washington. In the team’s three wins this season, Neuvirth has a modest-but-respectable save percentage of .943. Look for that to improve.
• Ovechkin has actually been able to score goals. Remember how Ovechkin couldn’t seem to find the net at all in the final three games against the Canadiens? Well, if you were worried that Ovie’s goal-scoring issues would carry over into the new season, stop it right now. Through four games, the Capitals’ star left-wing has 4 goals and 3 assists. Taken over 82 games, that’s an unbelievable stat line of 82 goals and 62 assists. Sounds like everyone’s favorite toothless left-wing is doing just fine.
• The team has thus far been able to persevere through the challenges it has faced. For example, the Capitals have rebounded for three straight wins after the surprising loss to the Thrashers. Also, the team has already played in (and won) an overtime contest against a resilient Senators team, and they rallied from an early deficit to defeat the always-pesky Islanders 2-1. Winning those types of contests will go a long way toward building another winning season.

Now don’t get me wrong; there are still some areas where the Capitals need to improve (for example, they’re still looking for the ignition on their stalled power play scoring attack). But after four games, this 2010 squad still looks to be the pretty much the same furious and hungry bunch that won the President’s Trophy last season. So I think it’s safe to leave the memories of failures past where they belong.

In the past.