Don't look now, but the Washington Capitals are atop the Eastern Conference's Southeast Division.
Favored to win the Southeast coming into the shortened 2013 season, fans around the hockey world were stunned by the team's 2-8-1 start to the campaign.
In fact, the Caps only reached the .500 plateau on April 2 when they defeated the reeling Carolina Hurricanes by a score of 5-3.
Make no mistake, however, this Washington team is still a very capable bunch.
As a team that couldn't find a way to keep pucks out of their own net early on in the season, the Caps have only allowed more than three goals once in their past 10 games.
Offensively, this team has found a way to reach its potential, averaging 3.4 goals per game over that span.
Alex Ovechkin (who has taken his fair share of criticism over the last few seasons) has risen to the occasion as well, as he's tallied 20 goals (good for a tie for fourth in the league) and 37 points. The "Great Eight" has also managed to find the back of the net in nine of his last 12 games, which has helped propel his team to an 8-3-1 record in those 12 contests.
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Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Jonathan Reid
Washington Capitals: Why This Caps Team Is a Playoff Contender in 2013
April 5th, 2013 by Jonathan Reid Leave a reply »
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