Our weekly temperature-taking of the mainstream media’s opinions on the Washington Capitals:
| Outlet | This Week | Last Week | What They’re Saying |
 |
– | 2 | Pending. |
 |
2 |
3 | Thirty goals and 81 points in an “off season” for Alex Ovechkin. Not too shabby for Ovie or for the Capitals. |
 |
3 | 2 | Decidedly less sexy than recent Caps teams, but they head into the playoffs on a mission, and with a different mind-set. |
 |
3 | 2 | There is a real concern about having three top defensemen injured and, in particular, not exactly knowing when Dennis Wideman will be back. |
 |
2 | 5 | By picking up five of a possible six points in Week 25, the Caps kept themselves in the running for the Eastern Conference title. Alex Ovechkin led the way for Washington, posting four points in three games, including the overtime winner against the Sabres on Saturday. |
 |
2 | 2 | Caps have league’s only plus-.500 win percentage when trailing after 20 minutes (15-11-3, .517) |
 |
3 | 2 | Dancing With the Caps: Alexander Ovechkin invents leg-lifting goal dance after scoring in OT to beat Buffalo. The start of a trend? [Final season ranking] |
 |
2 | 2 | It would be nice to see Mike Green get a little game action before the playoffs. |
 |
2 | 2 | Alex Ovechkin seems to be finding his offensive wings at just the right time as the Caps win two straight and are moving into the playoffs confident they are a better defensive team than they were a year ago. |
 |
11 | 11 |
The Capitals’ fan base is not impressed with their ranking, citing things like a 13-2-1 record since the beginning of March. I continue to point to a roster that isn’t up to full strength — with Dennis Wideman the latest to join the infirmary — and, I suppose, some concern about eight of those 16 games going beyond regulation. The rankings, historically, have not favoured the “finding a way to win” types, because OT and SO wins don’t have the same kind of positive impact |
 |
– | N/A | Pending. |
Click on logos for links to full power rankings.
