Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Are The Washington Capitals A Playoff Team?

10/24/2014 at 12:45pm EDT

Chuck Gormley of CSNWashington answered some questions,

what's the caps odds of finishing top 4 in the metropolitan division? Or is too early to tell?

If the season ended today, the Capitals would be preparing to face the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round of the playoffs while the Pittsburgh Penguins would be polishing their golf clubs for an early summer vacation. From the start of training camp I’ve been saying the Caps are good enough to finish in the top five or six in the conference and I still believe they are good enough to nail down one of the top three playoff spots in the Metro.

I thought the Penguins would struggle out of the gates with new coach Mike Johnston and they’re off to a 3-2-1 start, just one point off the playoff pace.

I thought the Islanders improved themselves dramatically with the summer additions of goaltender Jaroslav Halak, center Mikhail Grabovski and defensemen Nick Leddy and Johnny Boychuk and they’re off to a 5-2-0 start.

The Ottawa Senators [4-1-0] and Detroit Red Wings [4-1-2] have been pleasant surprises so far, but I’d be shocked to see both teams get into the playoffs, especially with the Bruins and Penguins expected to rise to the top of the conference.

The Caps are off to a solid start under new coach Barry Trotz and they should get better as they grow more accustomed to his way of playing. So, yes, the Caps should finish in playoff position and, quote honestly, should not shoot any lower than a Metropolitan Division title.

more Washington related questions....

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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

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