The Washington Capitals have an aging core, but they’ve put up good numbers and continue to be a threat as a playoff team.
There will come a time when the Capitals will hit a wall, but they’ve demonstrated in the first half that they still have some gas left in the tank. Washington is slowly getting healthier, but there are clear needs the team will have to look at adding before the trade deadline if they have hopes of making noise into April and May.
With Washington currently sitting in a playoff spot, is there value in backing them to make the postseason on the FanDuel Sportsbook?
Washington Capitals to Make Playoffs (-112), to Miss Playoffs (-112)
Capitals Are Not Dead in Deep Eastern ConferenceHeading into the regular season, there were question marks about whether this was the year that the Washington Capitals fell out of the playoff picture. With an aging core and some injury concerns, the Capitals had every right to throw in the towel and start building toward the future. Of course, management would never let that happen with Alex Ovechkin still in the fold and chasing the all-time goals record. Still, nothing appeared to be going right to kick off the campaign.
After some early struggles and the team doing their best to stay afloat amid injuries, the Capitals have again found themselves in the playoff mix as the All-Star break approaches. Ovechkin has carried the group with a team-leading 32 goals. Outside of Ovi, goal-scoring has been a problem for Washington, but they’ve developed a playing style that’s helped keep them in the win column.
Head Coach Peter Laviolette has made defense a key focus, and they currently sit inside the top ten in goals allowed because of it. A significant reason for their success has also come from between the pipes with Darcy Kuemper. The Capitals signed their new goalie to a long-term deal in free agency, and he’s done an excellent job as the team’s number-one netminder. You can even argue that Kuemper has masked some of the team’s warts. Still, the Caps have been looking for a high-end goalie for years, and it appears they’ve found their answer.
The Capitals sit in the top wild-card position in the Eastern Conference but have played three more games than the Pittsburgh Penguins, who are one point behind. The Buffalo Sabres, New York Islanders, and Florida Panthers are also within striking distance for the East’s final two playoff positions.
Washington has the experience to be a front-runner for one of the playoff spots in the East, and as they get healthier, the Caps should be able to sustain their level of play to get into the dance.
Buy or Sell: Buy the Capitals to qualify for the playoffs
