Ovie Says "Hey! Get On My Shoulders!" - Caps Accept Offer

Alex Ovechkin was certainly in Nassau Coliseum Monday afternoon. Where the rest of the team was remains a mystery. Yet the Capitals managed to beat the Islanders 2-1 in overtime behind Ovechkin's league leading 30 and 31st goals of the year. His OT game-winner saved face for a Capitals team that, for the majority of the game, appeared disinterested and unmotivated. The recent trend of sloppy play inside of their own zone continued, but the league-worst Islanders failed to capitalize on the numerous turnovers that the Capitals seemingly gift-wrapped for them. However, another recent trend also continued - this one better: the exceptional play of Jose Theodore. After being (hopefully) prematurely labeled as a free-agent-signing bust, the former league MVP has returned to form as of late. Since December 23rd, Theodore has gone 8-2, allowing 2.20 goals per game. The only goal he allowed came when New York had a two-man advantage with only 7:32 left in the game, and many of his 27 saves were worthy of applause.

With Boston's OT loss to St. Louis, DC is now only 8 points behind the Bruins for 1st in the Eastern Conference. With 35 games left, Washington is poised to make a crucial run and claim that top spot as its own. Consider that the Capitals have played only 8 of their divisional games (Boston has played more games against the SE). Now consider how weak the Southeast is. So while the Washington's remaining schedule could yield the franchise's first ever President's Trophy, in order for them to get there, they have to start waking up for every game. After the playoff-like intensity displayed against Philadelphia, Montreal, Pittsburgh and Boston, the Caps came out flat against an injury depleted team...who owned the league's worst record...and started a goalie who was 0-5. And yes, his GAA was nearly 4 (Don't even ask me what his save percentage was).

Yet this unfortunate trend of "playing down" to certain opponents is nothing new. Their first regulation loss on home ice this season? Courtesy of the perennially-out-of-the-playoffs Florida Panthers (sorry Florida). Washington is 19-3-3 against Atlantic and Northeast Divisions, typically the heavyweights in the Eastern Conference. Yet they are a modest 5-3 against their subpar counterparts in the Southeast. If Washington truly considers itself to be a topflight team - if they really want to be uttered in the same breaths as "Detroit" and "San Jose" - they need to realize that each of the 82 games they play this year hold equal significance. Getting an easy two points now will save you from needing to get those two points later. They were fortunate to escape Long Island with said two points, but that fortune will change if their motivation doesn't. After all, Ovechkin's shoulders are only so wide.