With last night's 5-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks, the Caps (35-12-6, 76 points) boast a commanding 21-point lead in the Southeast Division with 29 games remaining. Their closest competition, the Florida Panthers (23-21-9, 55 points), visit Verizon Center Friday night.
The only two other teams who boast a double-digit division lead -- San Jose Sharks (13 over the Phoenix Coyotes) and Chicago Blackhawks (15 over the Nashville Predators) -- also happen to be the only two teams ahead of the Caps in the overall standings. (The Hawks and Caps have the same number of points but Chicago has one more win, thus placing them second.)
The big question: can any of the Southeast Division teams catch the Caps? By my calculations, Florida, Atlanta and Tampa are roughly on pace for 85 points while horrid Carolina might be lucky to reach 70. That would mean the Caps need another 10 points to essentially clinch the division -- something extremely practical before the Olympic break as the red, white and blue have another nine games left.
If the Caps hold onto a lead of this size, they would join some pretty good teams since the 2000-01 season to win their division by at least 15 points (year and division-winning margin): Colorado (2000-01, 25 points), Detroit (2001-02, 18), Dallas (2002-03, 16), Ottawa (2002-03, 15), Detroit (2003-04, 18), Tampa Bay (2003-04, 28), Detroit (2005-06, 18), Detroit (2007-08, 24), San Jose (2008-09, 26), and Boston (2008-09, 23).
The interesting thing about that list is that only one team, the Lightning, captured the division over a team that did not make the playoffs; every other winner was joined in the postseason by a division rival.
Four of those teams (the Avalanche, Lightning and the 2001-02 and 2007-08 Red Wings) captured the Stanley Cup and six boasted the President's Trophy (Colorado, Detroit three times, Ottawa and San Jose).
So where does that leave the Caps? Firstly, it's highly-unlikely that any Southeast Division team will make the playoffs -- which would put them on par with fellow rival Tampa (a good sign considering the Lightning won the Cup that season). The Caps also have a shot at the President's Trophy (although only seven teams in the 23-year history of the award have won the Cup the same year they had the best overall league record). And, of course, the Caps are one of the leading contenders for the Stanley Cup.
Therefore, the team's last 20 games after the Olympic break might be more about gearing up for a long playoff run than clinching a division title -- because that might essentially be wrapped up already.
January 28, 2010
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2 stormer(s) wrote:
"Firstly, it's highly-unlikely that any Southeast Division team will make the playoffs -- which would put them on par with fellow rival Tampa (a good sign considering the Lightning won the Cup that season). " Huh? What are you talking about here.
Also have you seen how bad the East is? Florida actually makes the playoffs if things started today. A bit of a stretch to say that it's near certain that no other Southeast team is likely to make the playoffs, and even if they do I have no idea how you think that will affect the Caps. Personally, I'd love to play Flordia.
Thanks for chiming in! I don't think Florida will be able to keep it up, but you're right that the East is a bit unpredictable. But that's what makes the NHL so great!
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