Year Of The Rat

It appears that the WMATA will be holding a parade in Chinatown to celebrate the little creatures that inhabit the Metro rail stations and tubes... wait, what? Oh not that kind of rat? Ooooh year of the rat. Aren't most rats in witness protection? Anyway, expect delays if you are heading to the phone booth to catch the Rangers/Caps game. Come early and watch the parade, stay for the game. Then rat out your friends that didn't come to the game.

It also looks like Boudreau is going with two power play units rather than one. He had been leaning on just one crew, but the Caps can't find the back of the net with a map and a flashlight. He also shook up the lines (big surprise). Fehr has dropped to the 4th line with Gordon and Pettinger, while Quintin Laing maybe a healthy scratch for the first time since being called up.

The Caps find themselves where they were almost a week ago before they played the Philadelphia Flyers. They are tied with Florida and are one point behind both Atlanta and Carolina for division lead, thanks to Atlanta and Florida wins and a Carolina loss. Florida will be the only other Southeast team playing Sunday. The Capitals can take the lead once more with a win, but if they lose and the Panthers win, the Miami squad will be atop the division standings. It's starting to turn into a sprint to the end of the season in the Southeast with 4 teams neck to neck.

The games left for the Capitals are not any easier as they push for a playoff spot. After the Rangers game the Caps face their divisional foes on the road for the next three games (Atlanta, Florida and Tampa). These are must win games for the Caps.

And here is something to wrap your head around: If Gabby started the season and had the same record in the Capitals' first 21 games as he had in his first 21 games as the Caps' new coach, the team would have 70 points. They would have also had a 12 point lead on Carolina. They would have matched their season point high of the previous two seasons with 27 games left. The would also be two points behind Ottawa and the lead in the Eastern Conference. I love math.