NHL Season Insights: Capitals Surpass Expectations

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00:00So, what do you look for as more people get involved here after January 1st?

00:05One of the advantages that the Puck heads have, like you, me, is that we've been in

00:10it since the beginning and can see the ebbs and flows of different things.

00:13There are people that, you know, the NBA season starts on Christmas and the NHL season starts

00:19for people with the Winter Classic, usually on New Year's Day, but it was on New Year's

00:22Eve this year.

00:23I don't know if it's going to be on New Year's Eve again.

00:25That didn't work out so well, but it was a weird day, just on a Wednesday.

00:29Christmas has messed everything up, your schedule, my schedule, the kids' schedule,

00:32everything.

00:33But you've got to look at the schedule and see how many games teams have played against,

00:38I think, division games.

00:40So, you start to look at that, and then you look at the standings, and you look at the

00:44Eastern Conference standings, and there's not a person walking planet Earth or skating

00:51on ice anywhere that would have told you or me or anybody that the Washington Capitals

00:55would have the most points in the NHL, in the Eastern Conference, as of this point

01:00in the season.

01:02They're playing way above expectations.

01:04Their lines aren't being adjusted.

01:06I think there's been a value on them a lot.

01:08The Ovechkin points, he's back.

01:11He's going to break that record.

01:12I mean, it is, so you start to look at things like that.

01:16You look at health, and then you also really look at bad teams, Mike, where, you know,

01:21you see the Eastern Conference odds, and they're not really adjusting as much for a team like

01:27the Capitals.

01:28Like, look at that.

01:29There's a team like even the Senators and your Rangers and Islanders, I mean, the state

01:33of New York hockey or tri-state area hockey is all about the Devils.

01:38That's the best team in that city, Mike, isn't it?

01:40The Devils are by far the best team in the tri-state area.

01:44There's not even a question about that.

01:47And the weird thing is, is that obviously the Rangers have been, you could say, maybe

01:52the biggest disappointment in hockey this year.

01:55When you think about the expectations that they had, losing in the Eastern Conference

01:59final last year, still having a team, you know, that's relatively some superstar players

02:04on it.

02:05But for them to be this bad, Dave, has been a surprise.

02:09I'm not as surprised about the Islanders being where they are.

02:12I am surprised about the Rangers being where they are.

02:15But yet they still have the Rangers booked, obviously, ahead of teams like the Penguins.

02:21And the Penguins are closer to the playoffs right now than the Rangers are or the Islanders

02:26are.

02:27But the Capital thing does give me some question because it's 10 to 1 now for them.

02:32They've got five teams ahead of them on that board.

02:36Everyone loves this Carolina team.

02:38They're always right at the top.

02:40And they're always at the top of the season.

02:43This is like four years in a row now.

02:44The Carolina's at the top of this board and they never win anything.

02:49And every year they're at the top of this board.

02:50And I don't even think this team's as good as their team from the last couple of years.

02:55I would argue you're probably right, but they lurk around and they get that.

03:00I don't think anybody watches them play.

03:02And they get a lot of money backing them because they're going to be in there and they're going

03:08to need a, you know, tremendous goaltending performance from somebody to just carry them

03:11through to get maybe to the Eastern Conference Finals or the Stanley Cup Finals.

03:17You mentioned the Penguins.

03:18I don't know if they're the biggest disappointment as well, but they've been bad.

03:23In the Western Conference though, Mike, I think it's pretty obvious who the biggest

03:28disappointment is there.

03:29And look at the bottom of that list, the Nashville Predators.

03:31How are they favored today?

03:33They stink, Mike.

03:34That's the dog of the day.

03:37Four favorites, one dog today.

03:40Four favorites win, the Canucks beat Nashville.

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