The Top 5 New Year's Resolutions for the Washington Capitals

After 35 games, the Washington Capitals are clinging to the final playoff seed in the Eastern Conference, so starting the 2015 calendar year strong will go a long ways toward deciding whether head coach Barry Trotz and company see the postseason. 

The team has played well as of late, going 7-1-2 in their last 10, highlighted by a pair of wins against the Lightning and Saturday night's 3-0 road victory over the Penguins.

While this edition of the Capitals appears more competitive than the one that missed the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons last year, there's still a lot to be desired from this team.

With that in mind, here's a look at five New Year's resolutions for the Caps.  

5. Better Shootout Performances

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Last season, Adam Oates' Caps missed the playoffs by three points, and the biggest reason behind this disappointing outcome may have been the team's relatively poor shootout record. 

In 2013-14, Washington finished 10-11 in shootouts after posting a perfect 3-0 record en route to a Southeast Division title the season prior. 

And now, with the Caps at just 1-3 in the post-overtime skills competition, it is imperative that they improve in 2015 in order to end the franchise's one-year postseason drought. 

Heading into Washington's away tilt against the Islanders, Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom are the only Capitals with multiple shootout goals, thus forcing Trotz to frequently change lineups. 

In net, starter Braden Holtby sits 40th in the league with a .643 save percentage, and backup Justin Peters ranks tied for 48th at .500, so getting more out of the goaltenders certainly wouldn't hurt, either. 

4. More Production from the Young Guns

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At the beginning of the season, it seemed that both Evgeny Kuznetsov and Andre Burakovsky were each poised to take runs at the Calder Trophy as the NHL's best rookie. 

But so far, neither has adequately filled a top-six role on a consistent basis, and that's why the pair have combined for just eight goals and 27 points, earning both forwards multiple trips to the press box in the process. 

Of the two, Kuznetsov appears to be on the upswing, as the 2010 first-rounder's managed six points in his last 10 games and has played with more confidence as of late.  

In contrast, Burakovsky's been a frequent healthy scratch over the last 10 games after beginning 2014-15 with 12 points in his first 15 outings. 

While some of that's been due to his declining ice time and drop in the lineup, one point in 13 games simply isn't enough production given the promise the 2013 first-round pick showed early on. 

3. More of the Same from Holtby

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Braden Holtby knew that the No. 1 job was his from the outset of the season, but that hasn't stopped him from playing some of the best hockey of his career during the early stages of 2014-15. 

Currently ranked tied for third in shutouts and eighth in both save percentage and victories, Holtby's given the Caps the opportunity to win with a degree of consistency that hasn't been seen in D.C. since Olaf Kolzig left town in 2008. 

And his exceptional play hasn't been lost on the coaching staff, as Holtby's started 29 of Washington's 36 games, and he's rewarded the team with shining performances as of late. Not surprisingly, Yahoo! Sports' Josh Cooper named Holtby the second star of the week for his play: 

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The Washington netminder silenced the likes of Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby to pick up his second shutout in a week in a 3-0 blanking of the Penguins. In his last four games, Holtby has allowed just five goals. Holtby made 31 saves in the win.

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Obviously, for Washington to remain in the playoff picture, Trotz will need Holtby to maintain this level of play, and that's a challenge the young stopper's encountered over the last two seasons.  

2. Success Outside the Division

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At 18-11-7, Trotz shouldn't be overly disappointed with his team's record thus far, but what has to be an area of concern is Washington's performance against non-Metropolitan Division foes. 

In particular, the club's 4-5-2 mark against opponents from the Western Conference has to be on the mind of the longtime former Predators bench boss, as the Caps have 17 of their 28 non-conference tilts remaining. 

Beyond that, Washington's struggled with Atlantic Division opponents, posting a mediocre 5-4-2 record with 13 of the team's 24 Atlantic tilts remaining. 

In total, the Caps have 30 non-Metropolitan clashes on tap, so if this team has any hope of securing a postseason berth, Ovechkin and company will have to improve on the 9-9-4 mark against non-Metropolitn Division teams that they'll enter 2015 with. 

1. Improved Penalty Kill

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As usual, the Caps boast one of the league's most dangerous power-play units, sitting fifth in the league with the man advantage. 

However, Washington's special teams play at the other end of the ice has left a lot to be desired, as not many teams go far with a 24th-ranked penalty kill.

Of the six teams looking up at the Caps' 77.8 percent success rate, just two made the postseason in 2013-14, and only the Islanders and Blues are currently occupying playoff spots.

Simply put, if Washington's penalty kill can move into the top 20 by season's end, this team will still be playing hockey come late April.