Call it wild or weak, parity or mediocrity, but every team in the Southeast Division is within seven points of the No. 3 seed of the Eastern Conference and home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
It might not have seemed plausible two months ago, but no Southeast team is playing better than the Washington Capitals.
“They are playing really well,” Atlanta’s Ilya Kovalchuk said. “They are even one point ahead of us right now. I never thought they were going to play that well.”
Added Florida goaltender Tomas Vokoun: “I’ve been shocked. I mean, they play hard and they always have, but now they are getting all this scoring.”
The day Bruce Boudreau was hired the Caps were 14 points from the division lead and eight behind Florida for fourth place in the Southeast. Now Washington begins the post-All-Star Game stretch run one point behind the division-leading Carolina Hurricanes.
One point behind the Caps are the Thrashers, who also played poorly enough earlier in the season to get their coach fired. After starting the season 0-6, Atlanta general manager Don Waddell replaced coach Bob Hartley with himself.
Not only did the Thrashers recover, they even caught the Hurricanes for a day before the break.
“It is kind of the same situation, but they are playing really well right now and they are consistent,” Kovalchuk said. “That’s the difference between us and them.”
The ability of Atlanta and Washington to recover and return to contention is proof there still is hope for Tampa Bay. The Lightning have been the worst team in the NHL since Thanksgiving — securing just 23 points in that span — but they are still only seven points out.
This only has been possible because of Carolina’s poor play. The team has dealt with injuries and a virus that passed through the dressing room, but the Hurricanes were tied for the second-most points in the conference when Boudreau was hired and have had the second least (behind only Tampa Bay) since.
“That’s the good thing — you win a few games, and you are right there,” Tampa Bay center Vincent Lecavalier said. “Everybody is the same boat, and these last 30 or so games we will see who wants it more.”
Provided they can maintain the momentum from the past few weeks and considering the way the Hurricanes have played, it is not out of line to suggest the Caps are the favorites. Washington averages 3.5 goals a game with Boudreau behind the bench, and despite the struggles to score early in the season the Caps now rank seventh in the league.
Preventing goals has been an issue. The Caps’ goals-against average also has risen with Boudreau, and the team is 25th in the NHL. That also has been a problem for the other teams in the division. By allowing 3.05 goals a game, Washington actually is second best in the Southeast behind Florida.
Still, the Caps have won nine of 12 games and, maybe more importantly, have dominated divisional foes. They are 6-1-1 with Boudreau in charge against the division. After Washington plays Montreal tonight at Bell Centre and Thursday at Verizon Center, 14 of its final 30 games are against teams from the Southeast.
“I think it is confidence,” Vokoun said. “Most of the players in this league have the skill, but sometimes it is a matter of confidence. They are winning and scoring and finding different ways to win. It seems like a different team, but they are really the same people.”
Today’s game
WASHINGTON CAPITALS AT MONTREAL CANADIENS
When: 7:30 p.m.
Where: Bell Centre in Montreal
TV/radio: CSN+, FM-107.7, AM-1500, AM-820
Goalies: Capitals — Brent Johnson (6-5-1, 2.64) or Olie Kolzig (17-17-4, 3.10). Canadiens — Cristobal Huet (17-8-5, 2.33)
Injuries: Capitals — Out: RW Chris Clark (strained groin tendon), D Brian Pothier (concussion), C Michael Nylander (torn rotator cuff). Questionable: D Shaone Morrisonn (bruised foot). Canadiens — Out: D Patrice Brisebois (broken foot), D Ryan O’Byrne (broken thumb).
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