A key to the Capitals’ second half will be the performance of their Southeast Division rivals. Carolina and Tampa Bay are struggling and will be out of Stanley Cup playoff contention soon. The young Winnipeg Jets, five points out of first place entering Thursday, could make a push with one of the better home-ice advantages in the NHL. They will need to in order to catch Washington and the Florida Panthers, one of the NHL’s surprise teams.
Florida is even with the Caps at 52 points, and the two teams play three times in the first 17 days of February, a stretch that could go a long way toward deciding the division title.
Think that’s meaningless to the Caps, who have won it four years in a row? That could spell the difference between facing New Jersey, Ottawa or Toronto in the first round of the playoffs or getting top seeds Boston or New York. But injuries have hampered Florida, which doesn’t have as much depth. The latest is defenseman Ed Jovanovski, out two months with a broken hand.
– Brian McNally
