My Apologies...

My apologies to all my faithful and committed readers (all one or two of them including me) for the time between my last posting and this one. The holidays can be brutal in terms of having the time to just kick back and watch a game. I've also been traveling a bit for work which means I generally get to see no hockey during my travels. However, I will make more of an effort now that things are settling back into a routine to post more often.

What a difference just a few weeks makes? Not only have the Caps climbed out of the cellar of the league (they were the worst team in the NHL in terms of standings in November) but with the end of their five game home stand, the Caps are only three points out of the lead in the South(l)east Division with three games in hand on Carolina. They also trail Atlanta by two points for second place with two games in hand. They are also only four points out of the eight playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Caps went 4-1 on the home stand and now stand at .500 for the first time since late October.

What can you say about coach Bruce Boudreau? He has the team playing the way most people thought they would before the season started. I love his quote after last's night game - "We've officially reached mediocrity." He just keeps it all in perspective for the team. The challenge now will be to not be satisfied with the hole this team has miraculously climbed out of. It's natural to take a collective sigh of relief and forget that there is still a lot of work to do. The nice part for the team is that they truly hold their own destiny in their hands with respect to winning the division. This is clearly the easiest path to the playoffs for the Caps. While they also carry their own fate in the Eastern Conference, there are simply many more teams to pass in the standings.

The next five games for the Caps are against Eastern Conference foes and include two home and home series against Toronto and Montreal. I would love nothing more for the team to go into Pittsburgh tomorrow and hammer the Penguins. Although the Pens will be without Sidney Crosby (the Caps will be without Michael Nylander), a win would be significant achievement.

Again I apologize my truancy in terms of posting my thoughts. More to come on a more frequent basis...