The Washington Capitals keep winning and to the surprise of no one, have moved up in many power rankings across the league. Also unsurprising is that the Caps occupy the #2 spot behind just the Winnipeg Jets which is kind of identicial to the League standings.
"They fell a point off the pace of the league's overall standings leaders in Winnipeg, but the Capitals did finish with points in six straight games (3-0-3), including Sunday's shootout loss to Utah. He didn't score, but Alex Ovechkin's three assists against Utah moved him into sole possession of 11th place on the league's all time points list with 1,593," Bleacher Report would say in their recent power rankings regarding the Caps.
Bleacher Report had the Caps at #2. We would've probably had the Caps at #1 or #2 depending on things and factors. NHL.com does a Super 16 version of thier power rankings where they rate the top 16 teams in anticipation of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Over there, the Caps are ranked #2 in their recent Super 16 which came just before the 4 Nations break. Here's what senior writer Tom Gulitti would say in regards to the Caps and where they were ranked in this piece:
"The Capitals have one regulation loss in their past 17 games (11-1-5) so maybe they'd prefer not to go on a break right now. But the time off should help them. Washington is the lone team without any players playing in the 4 Nations Face-Off, so they should be well-rested for the stretch drive and heading into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. "Tom Gulitti/NHL.com
Gulitti would also add: "As remarkable as Alex Ovechkin has been this season, with 25 goals in 37 games, he is 39 years old, and the time off should be good for him. Remember that he scored 22 goals in 35 games after getting refreshed during the All-Star break last season."
ESPN actually had the Caps at number one at one pont in their power rankings as did NHL.com but alas they are number two in the most recent power rankings we've scoured. Arda Ocal of ESPN.com had this to say about the Caps:
"This team is very good. It's all about the Great Chase, as it should be. This is a once in a lifetime event. But the Capitals are good, the toast of the NHL - the stars have aligned in the Nation's Capital. They are 7-2-1 in their last 10 (prior to the Utah game). I still say Ovi breaks it this season."Arda Ocai/ESPN.com
Hunter Crowther and Scott Maxwell of Daily Faceoff had the Caps at number two as well in their power rankings earlier in the month. So because it was earlier in the month when they did those power rankings keep that in mind when we quote what Scott said:
"Did you know that this past week or so is the first time that the Capitals have lost three games in a four-game stretch all season? They've had a couple two-game skids, or the odd stretch of three losses in five games, but they've never lost three in four. It really speaks to the consistency of this Capitals team this year, and while I do think there are a few teams better than them that were blocked by the lowly Jets due to the five-point rule, this is still a very good squad. I can't say I'm a huge fan of committing to Logan Thompson at this point in time though, as you may want to see how he can handle the workload down the stretch and in the playoffs before giving him term. It'll probably be fine, but it's more or less the same concerns I had with the Mackenzie Blackwood extension."Scott Maxwell/Daily Faceoff
Overall if you go to any blog or website centered around hockey that does power rankings on a frequent basis and don't see the Caps at number two or even number one, that in itself is shocking at this point in time. And imagine someone saying they'd be in this spot right now a year ago when the Caps barley made the playoffs.