Let's Not Get Carried Away... Alright, Let's

Take a quick look at the Eastern Conference standings. Pretty, isn't it? You don't have to scroll down even one click on the mouse wheel to find the Caps.

Head over to FOXSports.com for their initial NHL Power Rankings. And that was before Monday's win over the Isles.

While reality might very well rear its ugly head this weekend in the Empire State - the Caps do, after all, have to pay a visit to the reigning State Champions - there is absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying these times, fleeting as they may potentially be (and there may be something wrong with conjuring up certain visuals along the way).

Think about it (or don't) - we've suffered through three straight last-place finishes for the first time since 1979-82.

We've suffered through blueliners named Kwiatkowski, Doig, Biron and Majeskey (to say nothing of Gruden, Grand-Pierre, Rohloff and Zinger), forwards named Fata, Cassels and Friesen, and five games of a goaltender nicknamed Yahtzee.

And we've suffered through two-plus years of an underachieving (to put it mildly) Jaromir Jagr that sent a perennial playoff-bound franchise (17 post-season appearances in the 19 seasons prior to #68's arrival) straight to the cellar and back to square one.

Yes, it's only three games and yes there's still a vast amount of room for improvement. But even if drinking it all in seems a little premature, don't hesitate to take a small sip every now and again - we certainly deserve it.