Ceci Ferrara
February 22, 2016
Sports Writer
Sports Insider
While the Washington Wizards aren’t having the best season, the Capitals continue to excel. On Saturday, they won their third straight in a 4-3 victory over the New Jersey Devils. The Capitals are currently the NHL’s best team, and are giving hope to Washington sports fans who are tired of being disappointed. It’s not hyperbole to say that this year could be the year the Capitals win it all.
The Caps aren’t just good–they’re historically good. They have more wins (43) through their first 57 games than any team in the history of the league. They also have the most points through 57 games of any team in 35 years. Since the beginning of the year Washington’s hockey team has lost just three games, and had one tie. Their season thus far has seemed almost unreal, especially for cynical D.C. sports fans who are used to being built up just to be knocked back down.
But the Capitals, at least these Capitals, are different. They aren’t the Redskins, who only made the playoffs because everyone else in their division was worse. Or the Nationals, who can’t seem to extend their regular season magic beyond September. These Capitals have barely slowed down since their season started in October.
They have won their last three games, and are 8-2 in their last 10. They host their next three games before heading to Chicago on Sunday. The brief road trip will be followed by another trio of games at home, which is good news for Washington who is 22-4-2 at Verizon Center.
They won their matchup against the Devils on Saturday in exciting fashion, with defensemen Brooks Orpik scoring the first game-winning goal of his 798-game career. The veteran player broke the tie with what became the game-winning shot with 3:58 remaining in the third period.
He said there was so much traffic in front of his shot that he didn’t know if it went in or not until his teammates started celebrating.
“If we could have gone out to the blueline to hug Brookers, we all would have if we wouldn’t have gotten a penalty,” Caps head coach Barry Trotz said. “I think they all respect how hard he works.”
Orpik’s goal extended Washington’s win streak to three, along with their padding their hefty lead in the standings. For Washington, maintaining a lead is much more important than winning a certain number of games in a row.
“Nobody really gets caught up in streaks,” Orpik said. “We have the standings posted in the room so everybody’s well aware of where are in the standings but when it comes to streaks…when you start worrying about stuff like that you start to lose focus on the process that you’re trying to accomplish.”
Wizards
Though the Wizards share the same home arena as the Capitals, their season couldn’t be any different.
The Wizards (25-29) are currently ranked 10th in the Eastern Conference and second to last in their division. They are 5-5 in their last 10 games, and which isn’t too bad except that they are struggling to even play .500 ball. Amidst these struggles, the Wizards made a move that has left many scratching their leads.
At the trade deadline last Thursday the Wizards sent Kris Humphries, DeJuan Blair, and a 2016 first-round draft pick to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Markieff Morris.
Morris has a reputation around the league for having a poor attitude; he was unhappy in Phoenix and let it show during the first half of the season. He has also struggled with legal matters; the baller is currently facing aggravated assault charges for an off-court incident that occurred last January.
It’s uncertain why the Wizards brass felt that Morris was worth risking a first-round draft pick, along with other solid players. Perhaps they are focused on the current season, and hoping the new blood will help them turn things around and propel them to the playoffs. Or, perhaps they felt he is better than anyone they could’ve selected with that pick.
Whether or not their gamble pays off remains to be seen.
