5 reasons why Washington Capitals will win Stanley Cup

3. John Carlson

John Carlson has officially broken out. His .825 PPG is a career best and he’s been a force in all situations this year. His minus-3 can be forgiven while he consistently faces the opponents’ top lines and is forced to endure almost as many defensive zone starts as offensive zone starts. Oh, he’s also quietly flown under the radar as an impending UFA while John Tavares receives all of the media attention.

This is a quarterback who possesses plenty of experience in high-leverage games. Canadians will remember his heroics for Team USA at the World Junior Championships in 2010 where he potted the game winner in overtime during the gold medal game. He also won his second consecutive Calder Cup that year.

Ovechkin may grab all the headlines, but Carlson is an absolute gamebreaker. I’ll take the No. 1 defenseman (in his prime) playing for the payday of a lifetime and a history of winning to carry the load any day. Expect big production from Carlson once the regular season ends.