Capitals Power Ranking Roundup: Week 9

by EmilyB on Dec 8, 2010 2:00 PM EST in Power Ranking Roundups

Our weekly temperature-taking of the mainstream media's opinions on the Washington Capitals:

Outlet	This Week	Last Week	What They're Saying
	4	3	Doing well without Ovie scoring goals.
	4	3	A much-improved PK this season -- the Caps are in the top 10 in that department after being in the bottom five last season.
	4	2	The NHL has found Washington’s Kryptonite: the Atlanta Thrashers. The Thrash are 3-1-1 against the Caps this season, and Alex Ovechkin has one goal in his last 10 games.
	4	4	Five of the Caps' first 28 games have been against Southeast Division foe Atlanta, but they're 1-3-1 in those games.
	5	2	Speaking of catching fire, the Caps would like to see captain Alex Ovechkin do some kindling work of his own. He scored in a losing effort against Atlanta on home ice Saturday, but it was his first goal in 10 games. The Caps have won just four of nine. (Burnside)
	4	2	While the Caps come into Week 10 with the second-most goals scored in the league, the team couldn't find the back of the opposition's net in its two losses. Washington only tallied two goals on 84 shots in their two Week 9 defeats.
	3	2	Caps have winnable games against Toronto and Florida before a Saturday/Sunday back-to-back vs. Avalanche, Rangers
	4	2	Bad enough to lose to Toronto, but Capitals also lost defenseman Jeff Schultz to a fractured thumb.
	-	3	Pending
	-	1	Pending
	2	1	Alexander Ovechkin puts a halt to his career-worst scoring drought with his first goal in 10 games.
	3	2	Shades of last year's postseason? The Caps have lost two in a row, managing two goals on 84 shots against the Stars and Thrashers.
	4	2	Ovechkin snaps 9-game goalless drought.
	-	1	Biweekly ranking. Will be updated next week.

Click on logos for links to full power rankings.

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Caps have winnable games against Toronto and Florida before a Saturday/Sunday back-to-back vs. Avalanche, Rangers

Are there games that aren’t winnable for us?

by Parks Smith on Dec 8, 2010 2:02 PM EST reply actions

Not October through March. Zing!

Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world

by J.P. on Dec 8, 2010 2:03 PM EST up reply actions

Ouch!

by Ovietracker on Dec 8, 2010 11:59 PM EST up reply actions

I never figured out what the criteria is for these rankings, but if it’s just based on how the team is currently playing, I could easily put seven, maybe eight teams ahead of the Caps right now:
Pittsburgh
Detroit
Philly
Montreal
Dallas
Boston
Phoenix
Atlanta

by b.orr4 on Dec 8, 2010 2:17 PM EST reply actions

Agree, I don’t see them in the top 3-4 based on how they are currently playing. Not even sure I see them in the top 8-9.

by Karl W on Dec 8, 2010 3:53 PM EST up reply actions

I’m surprised they are in the top 3 on some of those.

Think twice before you speak, and then you may be able to say something more insulting than if you spoke right out at once.

by zephyr on Dec 8, 2010 2:17 PM EST reply actions

I am disappointed in the lack of snark in the Columbus Dispatch blurb this week.

I poured spot remover on my dog. Now he's gone.

by Rather Bengt on Dec 8, 2010 2:46 PM EST reply actions

But wait, the Caps getting a bloated record by feasting on a terrible division, but they are also 1-3-1 (sic) against the division foe they have played the most? How does that make sense?

Release the Mackan!

by Killer_Carlson on Dec 8, 2010 6:50 PM EST up reply actions

Especially when you look at the fact that they are almost as good against the mighty Atlantic (4-1-1) as they are against the SE (7-3-0).

There is no problem a hammer cannot either fix or make irrelevant.

by timmyv38 on Dec 8, 2010 7:16 PM EST up reply actions

“Mighty” Atlantic my ass. They’ve got quite the stranglehold on the East basement and the Rags seem on track for their annual off-season spending frenzy followed by 9th place finish.

Pledge Drive 2010-2011: SO KIDS CAN!! Help build a playground

by RedBirdie on Dec 8, 2010 8:10 PM EST up reply actions

lol… I couldn’t agree more. The Columbus Dispatch does have two Atlantic teams in the top 3 though – and I think they’ve been there.

There is no problem a hammer cannot either fix or make irrelevant.

by timmyv38 on Dec 8, 2010 8:29 PM EST up reply actions

And what a shock… Columbus Dispatch has their facts wrong AGAIN. Caps are not 1-3-1 against Atlanta, they’re 2-2-1. Atlanta is 3-1-1 against the Caps, so maybe they just used the wrong numbers.

There is no problem a hammer cannot either fix or make irrelevant.

by timmyv38 on Dec 8, 2010 2:47 PM EST reply actions

Timmyv38, here’s how I do the math, based on the posted W-L-OTL totals from the Caps official website.

Against Atlanta the Caps won 1 game in regulation (11/14), won 1 game in OT (10/23), and lost 3 games in regulation (10/8, 11/19, and 12/4). This makes their record against the Thrashers 2-3-0.

The Caps 3 regulation losses = 3 regulation wins for the Thrashers; likewise, the Caps 1 regulation win = 1 regulation Atlanta loss. The Caps 1 OT win = 1 OT loss for the Thrashers. This makes Atlanta’s record against the Caps 3-1-1.

by Ovietracker on Dec 8, 2010 11:57 PM EST up reply actions

You’re right – I misread one of the Thrashers wins as OT, no idea why. Columbus Dispatch was still off – which seems to have happened a few times recently.

There is no problem a hammer cannot either fix or make irrelevant.

by timmyv38 on Dec 9, 2010 12:14 AM EST up reply actions

Power through

Glad to see Ovie is back on the horse

by Dimagus on Dec 8, 2010 3:12 PM EST reply actions 9 recs

That was an awesome moment.

by Joran on Dec 8, 2010 4:30 PM EST up reply actions

That was fabulous. Thanks. However people feel about the role of enforcers and whether they really function as deterrence, it’s great to see our guys sticking up for their captain and great for him to thank King in such a positive public way.

Alright, confess-how many goals are you going to make this year?

"I'm not going to tell!"

Well can you at least guarantee fifty?

"No way. I have a different objective. To win."

by capsyoungguns on Dec 8, 2010 4:30 PM EST up reply actions