Caps Crap, Vol. 1

With Wednesday's 5-1 annihilation of the Carolina Hurricanes* the Washington Capitals took over full possession of first place in the ultra-competitive media beehive that is the NHL's Southeastern Division (Motto: A-Rod Couldn't Hack It Here). The Caps are two points ahead of Carolina (question I've always wanted to ask: which one?) with a game in one hand and a big ol' belt in the other. And because of the semi-lucid playoff ordering that the NHL adheres to, although they are tied for fifth in the conference, they are third in the conference. Sayeth the Plaschke Paragraph:

Genius!

The Caps beat the Canes in DC on two goals by Your NHL Scoring Leader, Alexander Semin, with two minutes left to play one week ago. Wednesday was the rematch, with the teams both tied for first at 18 points. The game was in Carolina (again, where is that exactly?) and the Caps played their best 60 minutes of hockey this season.

Sure, there are bigger fish to fry than the Canes (Crosby?), but that can be saved for later.

One thing that held the Caps back last season, at least somewhat, was a very slow start. The Caps were hoping to make the playoffs, but were garbage about one third of the way through the season. They fired their coach, and brought in the NHL equivalent of Lou Brown to coach. From there they went on a bikini removing streak to just sneak into the playoffs where they got bounced by the Philadelphia Phukers in Phseven Phgames. This season with a 9-4 start and the lead in the Southeast Division, that kind of chicanery, shenanigans, and/or ballyhoo won't be necessary.

__
*Is there a more insensitive name in pro sports that does not relate to Native Americans**? How about the New Orleans Flood? Or the Oklahoma Locust Plague? Or the Los Angeles Plastic Surgery Complications? Team names are supposed to relate to a positive part of an area, not a potential life threatening risk to living there.

**By which I mean Mormons.