NHL Playoffs 2012: The Capitals Are Delveloping into a Stanley Cup Team

The 2012 NHL playoffs are rich with Stanley Cup virgins. The Los Angeles Kings, Nashville Predators, Phoenix Coyotes, St. Louis Blues and Washington Capitals are all great teams but have never won the big one.

In the last five years, the Caps have won four divisional championships. In the 2009-2010 season, they also won the Presidents' Trophy as the winningest team in the league. However, the heavily offensive style they’ve relied so heavily on in recent years hasn’t found them much success in the Stanley Cup playoffs, as their regular season successes have been marred by their inability to find success in the postseason.

The Capitals struggled through the regular season this year, leaving many to question how they would perform in the second season. Through the first 10 games of their postseason, the Caps have proved that they have evolved a lot as a playoff team.

First and foremost, they have adapted a more defensive outlook on their game. Of their 10 playoff games this year, eight have been decided by one goal, and five have been decided in overtime.

Their back lines have done a pretty excellent job shutting down the explosive offense of both the Bruins and Rangers. A lot of this can be attributed to their shot-blocking initiative. In their seven-game series with Boston, the Capitals blocked 121 shots.

In addition to their new defensive initiative, the Caps offense has seen a lot of remodeling in the past two seasons. While stars like Alexander Ovechkin haven’t been scoring at the same rate as in the past, the Caps have shown more depth than they have in a while.

Mathieu Perrault, among others, provided the Caps with some depth in the regular season. Keith Aucoin, Joel Ward and Mike Knuble are all depth-line players who have contributed quite a bit to the Caps’ playoff excursion.

Finally, Braden Holtby has been a relatively consistent playoff goaltender. He has shown the confidence of a veteran netminder, and the team has really been able to rally behind the 22-year-old.

The Caps are showing all the signs of serious Stanley Cup contenders. Of course, it’s a work in progress. Dale Hunter and Co. certainly have what it takes to go deep into the playoffs, but can they finally win their first cup? Only time will tell.