Soak it in, T.J. Oshie (Caps Outsider)
The Washington Capitals are playing so well right now, the games are virtually without drama. With a 5-0 win on Sunday against the Kings, and another 5-0 thrashing of the Hurricanes on Tuesday, the Caps aren’t just winning games, they’re curb-stomping teams. For fans, it’s like attending an execution in the coliseum instead of a gladiator fight.
Matt Niskanen, however, still feels the animosity. “The games aren’t locked up from the start. You have to play well for a period of time…. Going into the third tonight, it wasn’t locked up… They score a goal on that power play maybe, or a funny bounce happens and all of a sudden it can change quickly.”
While it’s only February, and there is plenty of hockey to be played before the playoffs even start, there’s no questioning the determination of this squad. There are no holes in this lineup. Four solid lines of forwards, three solid lines of defense, and two goalies who are collecting not just wins, but shutouts.
Everyone already knows this offseason likely won’t be kind to the Caps. With George McPhee in Vegas snagging someone, and every unsigned player in the lineup about to do their best “Show Me the Money” impression, it’s unlikely the Caps will be able to field a lineup this talented next season.
We may have thought this in this past, we may have even said it: The Capitals need to win the Stanley Cup this year, because it won’t get any easier in the years to come.
