The Washington Capitals continue their surge in the standings, defeating the Tampa Bay 4-2 tonight and the Capitals after a horrific start have emerged as the favorites to win the Southeast division and earn the No.3 seed in the Eastern Conference. It’s a stunning turnaround for the Capitals who looked like a mess the first 8 weeks of the season and now a team that could get a favorable first round playoff matchup and make some noise.The biggest storyline in Washington is the re-emergence of Alexander Ovechkin into an elite player and Ovechkin showing signs of being back to his old form is good for hockey.
With another 2 goals tonight, Ovechkin is now tied for the NHL lead with 25 goals, and has 16 goals in his last 14 games. If the Capitals win the division and Ovechkin continues on his current pace, could Ovechkin overtake the injured Sidney Crosby for the Hart Trophy?
Crosby sidelined with a broken jaw has been the clear MVP of the National Hockey League and in the eyes of voters he should be viewed as already having the MVP locked up as he is with local writers like Rob Rossi of the Tribune-Review, but with Crosby unlikely to appear in another regular season game, you can bet some National writers could be drawn to the Ovechkin storyline if he finishes the next nine games on the current tear he is on and the Capitals go from being the worst team in the league to a division title.
