Our weekly temperature-taking of the mainstream media’s opinions on the Washington Capitals:
| Outlet | This Week | Last Week | What They’re Saying |
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N/R | N/R |
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13 | 13 | Lots of new blood injected in a couple of days to a team that already had too much talent to ignore. |
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– | 10 | Pending. |
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– | 13 | Pending. |
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11 | 11 | Interesting to see whether Marco Sturm can make an impact with a Capitals team that is still looking for a No. 2 center. The Caps have won three of four but looked ghastly in a 6-0 loss to the Rangers earlier in the week. |
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8 | 9 | Michal Neuvirth was sharp in two of his three starts. The young netminder turned away 68 of the 70 shots he faced in Washington’s two wins, including all 39 chances he faced in a 1-0 win over Pittsburgh on Feb. 21. |
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8 | 8 | Bringing in veteran Jason Arnott solves Caps’ issues on second line |
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13 | 12 | Owner Ted Leonsis wrote on his blog that he wanted to add “jump and difference” to the Capitals. They got center Jason Arnott from New Jersey and defenseman Dennis Wideman from Florida. |
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8 | 7 | Looks like Marco Sturm will get every opportunity to succeed in Washington. He’s already seeing time with Alex Ovechkin. |
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9 | 9 | The Caps are 5-5-0 in their last 10 and still don’t look anything like a team that will make a serious run for the Cup. Wonder if anything will change between now and the playoffs? |
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14 | 15 |
Hard to like the Capitals better this season than last, but the deadline additions of Dennis Wideman and Jason Arnott at least addressed some obvious needs. If either one of them can ignite the Washington stars, then that’s really what this team needs. |
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6 | 5 | Neuvirth taking over the net, starts six of seven. Of note: Alex Semin has just 2 points (1G-1A) in his last five games. |
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