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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– | 15 | Pending. |
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14 | 13 | His absence is still showing us just how important and valuable Nicklas Backstrom is to the Capitals. |
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18 | 14 | The Caps just can’t win on the road. If they don’t figure it out, they won’t make the playoffs. |
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15 | 14 | If the Caps get both Mike Green and Nicklas Backstrom back, all of a sudden they’re a team nobody wants to face in the first round. |
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14 | 14 | Mike Knuble a healthy scratch for two straight games; expect him to be traded if the pattern continues |
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15 | 15 | Following a home tilt with the Sharks, the Caps embark on a four-game road swing with stops in Florida and Ottawa. They need to win those games to stay in the playoff chase. |
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23 | 17 |
They’re edging closer to Buffalo as the league’s most disappointing team of the season. They just don’t play with enough passion, and their penalty-killing has been lousy (25th in the league). True, injuries are a valid excuse with Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Green still out. But nothing has gone all that well, no matter who’s been in the lineup. Last week: 1-2-1 |
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24 | 24 | Alex Ovechkin recently tweeted about missing Nicklas Backstrom, but it’s no secret — the Caps are 7-7-3 (with a minus-5 goal differential) since Backstrom got clocked by Rene Bourque on January 3. Key Injuries: C Nicklas Backstrom (concussion), D Mike Green (groin). |
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