NHL Power Rankings Week 7: Blue Jackets rising, Islanders at rock bottom
Previous: . Washington Capitals. 5. team. 19. . (11-5-2)
The Washington Capitals week was saved by a huge 7-1 blowout of their archrival Pittsburgh Penguins. Pretty much nothing else went the Caps’ way last week. They had a potential game winning goal overturned in Columbus only to see the Blue Jackets win in overtime on Tuesday. Moreover, on Friday, even though the Capitals won 1-0, they lost T.J. Oshie, who is now week to week with an upper body injury. Finally, Sunday saw Washington fall once again to the Blue Jackets, this time in regulation.
Say anything you want about Alex Ovechkin, but man is he consistent. As usual, he’s off to a “slow start”. However, please keep in mind his slow start is something a lot of players would love to have.
Ovi has 9 goals today, November 21, 2016. On November 21 in 2015 he had 9 goals. On November 21 in 2014, Ovi had 9 goals.
— Emily Bennett (@WeagleEye) November 21, 2016
Every year it seems people get worried about Ovechkin around this time of year. Around February, they’re questioning why they ever doubted him. So let’s remove the doubting from the equation because Ovi deserves the benefit of a doubt.
What’s encouraging for the Capitals? Well, Nicklas Backstrom is scoring like a mad man. That’s always a good sign. Perhaps being away from Ovechkin forces him to take charge? Backstrom’s an integral part of this team, so it’s always good to see him scoring.
The Caps should be thankful for Backstrom, Ovechkin, and Braden Holtby.