Washington Capitals: Top 3 bold predictions for the 2021 season

Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
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Dmitry Orlov, Washington Capitals Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Dmitry Orlov, Washington Capitals Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Top 3 bold Washington Capitals predictions for 2021.

The 2021 season is upon us. Tomorrow the Washington Capitals will open the season with games against the Buffalo Sabres in back to back nights.

We now know what the goaltending situation will be like. Expect Ilya Samsonov to get the net for opening night while backup Vitek Vanecek will make his NHL debut on Friday.

The Caps have had over a week of practicing and two intrasquad scrimmages to prepare for a season like no other. Health and safety will continue to be a priority as we continue to fight against the novel coronavirus pandemic. Here are my top 3 bold predictions for the season ahead.

Vitek Vanecek, Evgeny Kuznetsov Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Vitek Vanecek, Evgeny Kuznetsov Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

#3 The Caps will dominate the East Division

The Caps have captured the past five Metropolitan Division titles including last year’s over the Philadelphia Flyers that separated the teams by one point. The Metro Division is always tough and the East will be even tougher with the realignment.

Even so, the Caps are still stacked and have the pieces in place to win the division for the sixth straight year. As long as the Caps can play like they did the first half of last season, they’ll be in good shape.