The Capitals continue to roll, as Alexander Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom have begun to pick up their play.
| Jose Theodore Talks About His Win at Home Against New Jersey.ANDREW TOMLINSON/ THE EAGLE |
| Tomas Fleischmann Talks About His Goal Against New Jersey.ANDREW TOMLINSON/ THE EAGLE |
| Brooks Laich Discusses His Game Against New Jersey.ANDREW TOMLINSON/ THE EAGLE |
| Bruce Boudreau discusses the Teams Win over New Jersey At Home.ANDREW TOMLINSON/ THE EAGLE |
"Four of five games now, we have allowed just two or one goals. I think our team is going to score some goals across the year," Boudreau said. "Defense is a better indication of our success than the goal scoring."
The Capitals have only allowed more than two goals against them twice in the month of November, a 5-0 loss to Buffalo and a 6-5 shootout loss to New Jersey. The play of Jose Theodore and Brett Johnson has also been crucial to the team's success. The two goaltenders have a combined goal's against average just below two in the teams last five wins.
Coach Boudreau has been mum on who his starting goaltender is. Before Theodore's two outstanding performances against Carolina and New Jersey, Johnson was the clear number one. It now seems the team has two threats between the pipes and can go to either one when they need to. Since both are playing well, it would seem the coaching staff would begin to evenly split the starts.
One concern for the Capitals is whether or not they will stay healthy. Currently, scoring leader Alexander Semin, assistant captain Sergei Fedorov and defenseman Shaone Morrison are not available to play. The team already has a stretched defensive core and with both Fedorov and Morrison out, the team has been forced to call up Tyler Sloane. Most concerning is the injury to Semin, as the team doesn't know what it is or how long he will be out.
Two weeks ago, Semin's loss would have been more concerning than it is today. Ovechkin has scored in his last three games and all of those were also multipoint performances. His linemate, and former rookie of the year contender, Backstrom, has begun to feed off of Ovie's newfound success. The sophomore has two goals and ten assists during the teams last six games.
November was a month of progress last year for the Caps, as Bruce Boudreau became the interim head coach and began the Capitals' turnaround from last to first. This November is much of the same, as the team has found a new workhorse in longtime back up goaltender Johnson and pulled out of their slumping ways.
Saturday night against New Jersey, the Caps started a long road trip that spans five games and the west coast. The team has already been running on all cylinders and a west coast road trip can be tiring. For the team to stay sharp they have to focus on what they do best. A strong fore check and solid defense has been the bread and butter of the team thus far.
Theodore, Johnson and Ovechkin don't seem to be slowing down anytime soon and should continue to carry the team. Through injuries and road trips new heroes begin to emerge. Players like Brooks Laich and John Erskine have already begun to take leadership roles during this winning streak and hopefully will continue on the road. The Capitals currently have nowhere to go but up and they look like the Eastern Conference powerhouse they were predicted to be in August.
You can reach this columnist at atomlinson@theeagleonline.com.
