from Dan Steinberg of DC Sports Bog,

The Capitals are the NHL’s best team. It isn’t close.

That development has prompted a range of emotions from local sports observers, including this one: We’ve seen this before, regular-season dominance doesn’t much matter, please get back to me in June. And by the way, do you like my fashionable new hairshirt, made with only the coarsest of goat hair?

I’d like to congratulate those cynics on their world-weariness and wisdom. You are a stirring example for us all. I’d also like to tell them a secret: You’re missing out.

Fact is, we haven’t seen this before. Virtually no one has. The Caps have more wins through their first 57 games than any team in the history of the league. They have the most points through 57 games of any team in 35 years. Since Jan. 3, they’re 15-3-1; the much-worshiped Golden State Warriors are 18-3 in that same span. To say “we’ve seen this before” is both empirically incorrect and a bit gauche, like scoffing at the arrival of Rose’s Luxury because Washington already had a Morton’s.

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