Back on Track?

The Washington capitals recent 8 game losing streak finally came to an end Sunday where the caps triumphed in a battle of North American capitals against Ottawa. The caps entered the streak atop the NHL with a 18-6-2 record sitting pretty in the Southeast division. However, the caps came out of the streak 18-12-4, 10th in the NHL, and 3rd in their division. Many questions surrounded the franchise and particularly the head coach Bruce Boudreau. Many people thought that Boudreau would be fired. Boudreau and the caps lost their games against: Dallas 2-1, Atlanta 3-1, Toronto 5-4 (SO), Florida 3-0, Colorado 3-2, New York Rangers an embarrassment of 7-0, Anaheim 2-1 (OT), and Boston 3-2. Big name stars such as Alex Ovechkin, Alex Semin, Nicklas Backstrom, and Mike Green performed horrifically with a combined less than 10 points. The caps were outscored during the stretch 28 to 11, they averaged 1.375 goals per game, last year they averaged over 3.5. The caps have turned it around lately, with a 3-2 hard fought win in Ottawa, and just recently a prevail over New Jersey 5-1, with the 3rd and 4th line gritty guys making a significant difference. The caps face the "streaking" Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday where the stars will have to step up in order to win 3 in a row, and turn the franchise around in the right direction.