Top 3 ways Capitals can win Metropolitan Division
Winning the Metropolitan Division will be a lot easier said than done this year for the Washington Capitals. Teams across the division have gotten better and there really isn’t a clear cut favorite to win it this year.
Lots of teams have a chance to. So how do the Capitals separate themselves from the pack and put themselves over the top? Glad you asked!
Today we’ll break down the top 3 ways the Caps can come away with the Metropolitan Division and jockey themselves for good playoff positioning.
#3 Treat every Metropolitan Division game like a playoff game
In order for the Caps to win the Metropolitan Division, as cliche as it sounds, they have to take each of those division matchups seriously.
Last season the race to the top of the division and the playoffs was tight and came down to the final week of the regular season.
Many teams made big moves including the Carolina Hurricanes who won the division last year. Other teams like the New York Islanders have stayed quiet. I don’t really see the Isles as a threat but I do see every other team being a potential threat facing the Caps. And they’ll give their best efforts against a team like the Caps every night so they have to be ready.
#2 Consistent goaltending
The Capitals were unable to win the Metropolitan Division last season despite their hot start to the season. A big part of the problem was inconsistent goaltending from two young net minders that had yet to prove themselves.
Both Ilya Samsonov and Vitek Vanecek were very streaky. And it divided the Caps fan base onto which one they liked better. Neither were able to run away with the starters net and now neither of them are back with the Caps this season.
The Caps traded Vanecek to the Devils to move up in the draft. Then they decided to move on from Samsonov after the restricted free agent did not receive a qualifying offer from general manager Brian MacLellan.
The Caps hope that a reigning Stanley Cup champion goaltender in Darcy Kuemper can help address the goaltending issues that have plagued the team for the last two seasons. They also went in a new direction in backup with Charlie Lindgren.
They also still have Zach Fucale, Hunter Shepard and more in the pipeline.
Will Kuemper be the dominant goaltender that he is against a tough Metropolitan Division? The team hopes so and that’s why they invested in a veteran goalie over the summer.
#1 STAY HEALTHY
Notice I put this one in ALL CAPS. The reason why is because this is the most important way and the number one way for the Capitals to win the Metropolitan Division. It’s important to stay healthy and like my teammate CJ wrote, it’s important this season more than previous seasons.
It’s bad enough that the team will be without Nicklas Backstrom for what appears to be the entire season. It’s also bad that they start the season without Tom Wilson. Carl Hagelin seems to be making strides but nobody knows if he’ll be ready in time and I’m just a blogger not a team doctor.
But things could always get worse. Alex Ovechkin has dealt with injuries towards the tail end of the last two regular seasons and he just turned 37. T.J. Oshie missed a lot of time last year. Not having either Ovechkin or Oshie spells doom for an old team and a window that’s rapidly closing.
Trending. Capitals make terrible mistake of getting rid of the organ. light
If the Caps have injuries up and down the lineup, they might not only lose the Metro Division but miss the playoffs entirely. Nobody is getting any younger so health is of the utmost importance now than ever before.