By Bud L. Ellis
The Washington Capitals take their historic surge north of the border starting Wednesday night.
The Caps, winners of a franchise-record 14 games in a row, take on Montreal on Wednesday. A win would tie the 1981-82 New York Islanders for second-longest streak in NHL history at 15 games in a row.
But winning at Montreal and then again at red-hot Ottawa (which just had an 11-game win streak snapped) won’t be an easy task.
Washington is 3-0 against the Canadians this season, having won the last meeting on Jan. 5 in D.C., 4-2. One week after that game, the Caps lost at Tampa Bay, but haven’t tasted defeat since. Starting with the win on Jan. 5 over Montreal, the Caps have won 17 of 18.
It’s been three days since the Caps pushed their win streak to 14 games in dramatic fashion, rallying from a three-goal deficit to down archrival Pittsburgh in overtime, 5-4.
The Canadians are 5-3-2 in their past 10 games. It’s been an unsettling week in Montreal, as Bob Gainey stepped down as general manager on Monday.
The Caps lead New Jersey by 14 points in the Eastern Conference standings.
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Wednesday, February 10, 2010 at 6:48 am by bud
Tags: Bob Gainey, Montreal Canadians, National Hockey League, New Jersey Devils, Ottawa Senators, Pittsburgh Penguins, Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals
By Bud L. Ellis
The Washington Capitals enjoy a comfy 19-point advantage over Florida in the Southeast Division. A third-consecutive division title looks like a near certainty at this point.
But the Caps’ standing at the top of the Eastern Conference is anything but a certainty.
Washington enters Tuesday’s road contest at the New York Islanders soaring, having won six games in a row and nine out of 11. But while that torrid stretch has all but salted away the division, the conference race remains wide open.
The Caps sit at 33-12-6 on the season, good for 72 points. The Caps lead second-place New Jersey by a mere three points. The Devils are 5-5 in their past 10 games, as the Caps have sped past New Jersey in the past two weeks. But only three points out of first, New Jersey figures to be around for the duration.
Buffalo sits in third with 67 points, five behind Washington. Pittsburgh is fourth with 65 points after beating the Rangers on Monday.
The hottest team beside Washington? Ottawa. The Senators also have won six in a row and are now in fifth in the East with 60 points.
Nobody expects the Caps to win nine out of 10 the rest of the way. But if Washington does finish the season on top in the East, you’ll look no further than January as evidence of how it happened.
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Monday, January 25, 2010 at 9:46 pm by bud
Tags: Buffalo Sabres, Florida Panthers, National Hockey League, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals
By Bud L. Ellis
It couldn’t set up more perfectly for the Washington Capitals.
Already sitting atop the Eastern Conference and running away with the Southeast Division, the Caps play host to Phoenix on Saturday, opening up a stretch where Washington plays four of their final five games in January on home ice.
And home has been a very comforting place so far in 2009-10 for the Caps. Washington, which led New Jersey and Buffalo by three points each for first place in the East entering Friday, is 17-3-3 at home so far this season. Only Chicago (21), Vancouver (20), Phoenix (19) and Ottawa (18) have won more games at home to this point of the season.
Washington will play 18 of its final 32 games this season at home. Barring a total collapse, the Caps will win the Southeast Division and figure to be in the hunt for the top seed out of the East heading into the playoffs.
Winning at home is a big part of the equation, but the Caps have been winning everywhere of late. Washington comes into Saturday’s contest on a five-game winning streak and has won seven of its last 10. Thursday, the Caps pulled away in the final 30 minutes for a big 6-3 road win at Pittsburgh.
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Friday, January 22, 2010 at 9:27 pm by bud
Tags: Chicago Blackhawks, National Hockey League, Ottawa Senators, Phoenix Coyotes, Pittsburgh Penguins, Vancouver Canucks, Washington Capitals
