Power Rankings Roundup: Week 16

by EmilyB on Jan 25, 2012 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
	13	15	The Capitals helped their cause entering the break by plucking three-out-four points in games against Pittsburgh and Boston.
	13	12	Surprising fact: Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Penguins was the first time this season that Alex Ovechkin had three points in a single game this season.
	16	13	Weekend losses to Carolina and Pittsburgh (in overtime) suggest reports that the Caps are back might be slightly premature.
	15	14	The Caps have shown some resiliency after having lost Nicklas Backstrom (concussion) and Mike Green (abdominal surgery). They’ll need production from their best players (Alex Ovechkin, Alex Semin) when Boston visits Tuesday. Ed. note: No they won't.
	12	11	Caps have East's most impressive home record (17-6-1), but still struggle on the road (8-13-2)
	14	11	What a weird week. The Caps lose 3-0 twice to the Isles and 'Canes, win 3-0 vs. Montreal, then lose a great game in OT vs. Pittsburgh. They still look close to breaking out.
	15	14	They blew a win Sunday in Pittsburgh, and have to play their next three without Alex Ovechkin, who was suspended Monday by the NHL for his hit on Zbynek Michalek. You want to applaud Ovie for his old-school, rough-and-tumble style of play. On the other hand, you can't condone that kind of hit at all, and now it puts his team at a disadvantage right when it was starting to show signs of life again. It's just been that kind of season for the Caps, but they do remain in the East's top eight, which is better than a couple weeks ago.
	17	18	Think the Caps miss C Nicklas Backstrom? They're averaging 20.4 shots per game in the last eight, going 4-3-1 in that time. Tough to be a high-scoring offence without generating more shots than that. Key Injuries: C Nicklas Backstrom (concussion), D Mike Green (groin).

Click on logos for links to full power rankings.

Tweet Comment 11 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

Season chart

by discuit on Jan 25, 2012 2:05 PM EST reply actions 5 recs

Ahh, that consensus one, when the sky was the (lower) limit. Good times.

Winterion Game Studios
Visit us online at : http://winterion.com

by winterion on Jan 25, 2012 2:09 PM EST up reply actions

Of all of these sites which one seems to have the most realistic rankings (of ALL the teams, not just the Caps) week in and week out? I look at these every week but I kind of just consider it a crap-shoot… Or do they all have their flaws?

by RossingtonCollins on Jan 25, 2012 2:11 PM EST reply actions

Excellent question. I’m not sure.

FWIW, Bleacher Report (lol) has us at 10, Buffalo News has us 18th (last updated on the 15th, though), the WaPo did a top-ten that we’re not in, the last SBN one I saw (Jan 11) had us in 10th, and Tatyana Ovechkin had us in 1st.

Winterion Game Studios
Visit us online at : http://winterion.com

by winterion on Jan 25, 2012 2:21 PM EST up reply actions

I’m not sure what “realistic” means. Power rankings are a totally subjective metric, and while they may pick up things that are not reflected in the official standings, I would say actual results matter more than opinions.

by discuit on Jan 25, 2012 2:34 PM EST up reply actions

I guess realistic wasn’t the correct word, I thought about using unbiased instead but I wasn’t sure if that would’ve worked either because of the subjectivity. I guess I was just curious to see which site everyone puts the most stock into.

by RossingtonCollins on Jan 25, 2012 2:43 PM EST up reply actions

I like using RPI from SportsClubStats to gauge where a team stands. It isn’t perfect, but it the rankings generally pass the sniff test.

See: http://www.sportsclubstats.com/NHL.html

I am a hockey fan first, and a Caps fan second.

by iwearstripes on Jan 25, 2012 3:47 PM EST up reply actions

RAMPAGE

by JediChewbacca on Jan 25, 2012 2:50 PM EST up reply actions

subject line fail

RAMPAGE

by JediChewbacca on Jan 25, 2012 2:51 PM EST up reply actions

I can’t see anyone wanting to minimize that anyway.
;)

"One of the most difficult things everyone has to learn is that for your entire life you must keep fighting and adjusting if you hope to survive." -George Allen

by caps&skins on Jan 25, 2012 3:45 PM EST up reply actions

On a ‘positive’ note, this chart(s) indicate that the Caps as of today are basically a middling NHL team. And, frankly, considering what another poster called “the perfect storm of underperformance” (just love that!), Greener’s and Nicky’s injuries, Carlson’s, Neuvy’s, and Hamr’s temporary (I hope) regressions, this isn’t too bad. It is painful for me to type the words ‘average’ and ‘Caps’ in the same sentence but numbers don’t lie. The upside of this, then, is there is a lot of upside left for the rest of the season including, minimally, the playoffs or, maximally, the quarterfinals of the Cup.

by Wilderthing on Jan 25, 2012 6:16 PM EST reply actions