Langway
In den Wolken
- Jul 7, 2006
- 33,207
- 10,739
It's a neat fact. It's rare. It's a strong small sample but sustaining, expanding and improving upon that will be essential. It doesn't inherently mean that's a playoff team, esp. not with that goaltending. Dominating the run of play is a great but the other stuff is huge. Getting sorted will be tough.
Add Hughes, add Nemec, maybe add a legit vet goalie next summer and, yeah, the division will be spiced up for sure. As-is I don't know that anyone should be a massive believer in NJD this season just yet. The Caps spanked them without being all that sharp. Controlling the run of play is great but there's plenty in execution otherwise that makes or breaks teams. And it's not like PIT/NYR aren't beginning to cool off. I'm not all that concerned by the landscape thus far. It's still ultimately on the Caps finding their groove, being consistent, not hitting skids and staying healthy. They seem to be getting there, largely helped by getting much more reliable goaltending.
More concerning is that OTT/BUF/DET are also improved so there will likely be less margin for error. But we'll see just how much that's shrunk. In an 82 game season intangibles and experience can be key in navigating through adversity and maintaining direction. I'm still not sure the landscape has shifted significantly to where they're in danger. I think we generally know what their level is and there may not be too much variance. Whether it's enough will be dictated by the landscape and I'm not sure it's quite there yet to be overly concerned. They have to remain vigilant, of course.
Add Hughes, add Nemec, maybe add a legit vet goalie next summer and, yeah, the division will be spiced up for sure. As-is I don't know that anyone should be a massive believer in NJD this season just yet. The Caps spanked them without being all that sharp. Controlling the run of play is great but there's plenty in execution otherwise that makes or breaks teams. And it's not like PIT/NYR aren't beginning to cool off. I'm not all that concerned by the landscape thus far. It's still ultimately on the Caps finding their groove, being consistent, not hitting skids and staying healthy. They seem to be getting there, largely helped by getting much more reliable goaltending.
More concerning is that OTT/BUF/DET are also improved so there will likely be less margin for error. But we'll see just how much that's shrunk. In an 82 game season intangibles and experience can be key in navigating through adversity and maintaining direction. I'm still not sure the landscape has shifted significantly to where they're in danger. I think we generally know what their level is and there may not be too much variance. Whether it's enough will be dictated by the landscape and I'm not sure it's quite there yet to be overly concerned. They have to remain vigilant, of course.
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