Power Rankings Roundup: Week 18

by EmilyB on Feb 8, 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	Pending.
	-	12	One of the other stupid controversies from last week: Alex Ovechkin and the NHL All-Star game. Whether you agree with his decision to back out of the game or not, the fact remains that no matter what he did people were going to find a way to complain about it.
	14	14	The Capitals continue to stutter-step their way through the schedule, as they lost 4-1 to Boston on Sunday and still find themselves hovering around the playoff bubble one point back of Florida for the Southeast Division lead.
	14	15	Brooks Laich was tangled up on a hit by Dennis Seidenberg and will be re-evaluated Monday. There’s still no update on Nicklas Backstrom, who remains out with a concussion.
	14	11	Caps have just one shorthanded goal all season
	-	12	Thanks to a 5-2-1 run to the break, the Capitals have taken the lead in the Southeast away from the Panthers. Is it inevitable that they run away with the division now?
	17	15	Despite turmoil and a bunch of injuries (valuable forward Brooks Laich suffered a knee injury on Sunday and may be out a while), the Caps can move from ninth to third in the East with a victory over Florida on Tuesday night. We're very tentatively hitching a wagon to their Southeast title drive.
	24	17	How far has Alex Ovechkin fallen? He has three points in his last 10 games and hasn't been able to overtake Nicklas Backstrom in the Capitals' scoring race even though Backstrom hasn't played since January 3. Key Injuries: C Nicklas Backstrom (concussion), D Mike Green (groin), C Brooks Laich (knee).

Click on logos for links to full power rankings.

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Caps have just one shorthanded goal all season

Hahaha, thats all you can say in the power rankings? What does that have to do with anything?

by RossingtonCollins on Feb 8, 2012 2:05 PM EST reply actions

Chimmer must’ve read that before last night and decided to do something about it.

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

by J.P. on Feb 8, 2012 2:51 PM EST up reply actions

Anyone remember when The Hockey News was the essential leaguewide source for news about hockey? When it was at the cutting edge? It’s been a long time.

Hey, atta dinnin stick a who!

by Gould Old Days on Feb 8, 2012 6:43 PM EST up reply actions

Now it’s Japers’ Rink. :)

"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 Feb 8, 2012 8:14 PM EST up reply actions 3 recs

The three downward rankings so far reference BL21 possibly out for an extended time, the lack of shorthanded goals, and Ovi not registering points lately.
Yeah….about that….

"You can want to get to April but when you get to April you may not like the answers you get, so you might as well enjoy the ride while it's going on." - Brian McNally on JRR, 8/29/2011

by bagace on Feb 8, 2012 2:06 PM EST reply actions

Hopefully next week they’ll mention our lousy PP and how we’re constantly getting outshot.

by wickedwitch on Feb 8, 2012 2:53 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs

not certain which outlets took a week off for the ASB, but here's what I got

by discuit on Feb 8, 2012 2:58 PM EST reply actions 3 recs

TSN a bunch of h8rs...

Totally Stupid Network.

by capcup12 on Feb 8, 2012 3:05 PM EST reply actions

Is something they wrote inaccurate?

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

by J.P. on Feb 8, 2012 3:19 PM EST up reply actions

As much as I hate TSN, hard to argue with their comments this week.

by Yoshietree on Feb 8, 2012 3:23 PM EST up reply actions

I think a certain level of disdain exists for Ovechkin and the team at TSN…as evidenced by their dropping the Caps 7 spots. The next biggest drop off came from The Hockey News, at 3 spots…

by Sick, Unbelievable on Feb 8, 2012 3:24 PM EST up reply actions

Ignore TSN, they’re a bunch of cats

by FredMilbury on Feb 8, 2012 3:38 PM EST up reply actions

That was based on the Tampa, Florida and Boston losses and the presumed loss of Brooks Laich. I don’t think a sizable drop was unwarranted.

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

by J.P. on Feb 8, 2012 3:39 PM EST up reply actions

That may be so…but do you think Anaheim, Montreal, Edmonton, and the Islanders are all better teams than the Caps? TSN seems to think so.

by Sick, Unbelievable on Feb 8, 2012 3:42 PM EST up reply actions

Do you think the Caps are as good as the Red Wings?
Because those slackers up in Detroit have just as few SHG’s as the Caps do.

You must understand this is a very precise science, by the most skilled and highly trained professionals. There can be no arguing anything anytime when it comes to these rankings. It just makes us all look like fools to do so. Just feed them page hits and try not to make them angry when you bow and tremble before them.

by FredMilbury on Feb 8, 2012 3:48 PM EST up reply actions

I was surprised more outlets didn’t drop the Caps further, and that one or two even went … up.

You perhaps knew me better as "Your Nation's Capital." Same great commentary, now with 100% more transparency!

by EmilyB on Feb 8, 2012 6:02 PM EST up reply actions

You really think it’s reasonable to say that there are only six teams in the entire NHL worse than the Caps?

Capitals goal scored by #22, Mike...

by KNUUUUUUUUUUBLE on Feb 8, 2012 6:49 PM EST up reply actions

Also befuddling is TSNs claim that Ovechkin has 3 points in his last 10 games…

Even disregarding the FLA game (as the rankings date to Sunday’s game vs. Boston), TSN is just plainly wrong…

by Sick, Unbelievable on Feb 8, 2012 3:51 PM EST reply actions 2 recs

Well that’s nitpicking, idnit.

....when the truth is if they knew anything about the game, they'd be in it.
--GMGM

by redlineblue on Feb 8, 2012 5:17 PM EST up reply actions

I think it falls somewhere closer to “blatant falsehoods”

by Sick, Unbelievable on Feb 8, 2012 6:07 PM EST up reply actions

It’s hockey, so I don’t think the level of journalism needs to be on par with stuff that really matters. But to get such basic fact wrong, and to put it front and center? It’s either plain incompetence or it’s tin-foil hat time. I’m leaning strongly to incompetence, but really….?

by helo29 on Feb 8, 2012 6:07 PM EST up reply actions

Is your insinuation that…that…that hockey doesn’t really matter?

by Sick, Unbelievable on Feb 8, 2012 6:23 PM EST up reply actions

goals. gooohhhhhhllllzzzzzzz

Hey, atta dinnin stick a who!

by Gould Old Days on Feb 8, 2012 6:47 PM EST up reply actions

Um. What?

Despite turmoil and a bunch of injuries (valuable forward Brooks Laich suffered a knee injury on Sunday and may be out a while), the Caps can move from ninth to third in the East with a victory over Florida on Tuesday night. We’re very tentatively hitching a wagon to their Southeast title drive

So… you noticed the Caps beat Florida, and presumably, that BL21 played in the game, yet you’re still worried he might be out for a while?

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

by iwearstripes on Feb 8, 2012 3:55 PM EST reply actions

Read it again…they say “the Caps can move” not “the Caps moved.”

"You can want to get to April but when you get to April you may not like the answers you get, so you might as well enjoy the ride while it's going on." - Brian McNally on JRR, 8/29/2011

by bagace on Feb 8, 2012 4:28 PM EST up reply actions

The questioning is about the “Laich may be out for a while” part. Although, when it comes to Green…

"Money talks. I listen."

by apk3000 on Feb 8, 2012 5:13 PM EST up reply actions

The SI rankings was posted before the Florida game, before anyone knew if Laich would miss any games.
But I think the real driver of this ranking is that it was written by our friend from Colorado: Adrian Dater.

"You can want to get to April but when you get to April you may not like the answers you get, so you might as well enjoy the ride while it's going on." - Brian McNally on JRR, 8/29/2011

by bagace on Feb 8, 2012 9:23 PM EST up reply actions