Aside from the Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild, the hottest team in the NHL right now is the Washington Capitals. After a 7-1 rout of the San Jose Sharks late Wednesday in Northern California, the Caps have vaulted into first place in the Metropolitan Division and the top spot in the Eastern Conference.
That may not seem like it's much, but considering the way things started for Spencer Carbery's team, they are playing their best hockey of the season right now. They have won six straight after beating San Jose and nine out of 10 games. What was even more impressive was the way the Capitals played against the Sharks. Less than 24 hours after beating the Los Angeles Kings in Southern California, 3-1, they scored four first-period goals to set the tone against the much-improved Sharks.
“I thought it was as good a period as we’ve had this year, especially given the circumstances with the travel,” said Carbery after blowing out the Sharks. “We get in at three in the morning and have some different things going on with our lineup, and playing back-to-back. But it didn’t affect our group and our commitment level to how we play and our identity.”
Washington's success has not gone unnoticed, and Austin Nivison of CBS Sports is certainly taking notice. The Capitals vaulted up 12 spots in his latest power rankings, tied for the highest jump for this week with the Wild.
Capitals soar in latest CBS Sports power rankings
Washington checked in at No. 6, up from No. 18 last week. There have been several factors for the Capitals' torrid stretch, including superstar Alex Ovechkin.
"You knew Alex Ovechkin wasn't going to stay cold for long. Since Nov. 11, Ovechkin has nine goals, which is tied for the second-most over that span. He's now on pace for 37 goals at the age of 40,'' Nivison wrote.
After Wednesday night's win, Ovechkin is up to 11 goals in that span, which is remarkable at his age, but it shouldn't surprise anyone. He is still one of the league's elite goal-scorers. Ryan Leonard is also getting hot with two goals and five assists in his last four games. Let's not overlook Logan Thompson in goal either, as he is making a case for the Olympics for Team Canada.
Washington has one more game on the trip against the Anaheim Ducks on Friday night before returning home on Sunday night, but right now, they are the hottest team in the Eastern Conference, looking to pull away from the rest of the pack. At the rate they're going, they're sending a message to the rest of the conference that is loud and clear that they're back and ready to make a move.