Overall, 2013 was a pretty good year for the Washington Capitals. Alex Ovechkin saw a revival in his career and is back to being the Alex Ovechkin of old. Adam Oates helped the Capitals overcome a rocky start to the 2013 shortened NHL season to make the playoffs once again. They currently sit in 5th place in the Eastern Conference and are in a good position to make another playoff appearance. However, things can always be better. The Washington Capitals should have five New Year’s Resolutions for 2014.
Alex Ovechkin Needs To Keep Being Alex Ovechkin
The Capitals live and die by Alex Ovechkin. When he does well, they typically win. When he has a bad game, they typically don’t do well. The Capitals’ success in 2014 will depend largely on Alex Ovechkin, so let’s all hope that Ovechkin can keep doing what he’s been doing.
Be More Consistent
The Capitals had a huge problem with being consistent in 2013. They seemed to beat the teams that they shouldn’t have beaten, and lost to the teams that they should have beaten. They were also very streaky- they would have very good streaks, during which they looked unbeatable, and very bad streaks, during which they looked like they hadn’t ever played hockey before. In 2014, the Capitals need to be more consistent if they want to have more success.
Have More People Than Alex Ovechkin Score
This might seem to contradict the first goal, but it doesn’t. The Capitals need to learn how to win without relying on Alex Ovechkin to do everything. If they do, they’ll be even better when Ovechkin has his good games, and still be able to win when Ovechkin has an off-game.
Mike Green Needs To Find Himself
Mike Green simply hasn’t been himself this year. He’s been healthy, which for him, is a very good thing. If you told me that Ovechkin would be an MVP candidate and Mike Green was healthy, I would have thought that the Capitals would be in third place in the conference. A slight miscalculation on my part, because I assumed that Green would be scoring at his usual rate if he was healthy, and Green has not been doing that. Early in the season, Green just seemed to be getting extremely unlucky- tons of his shots that would usually go in either just nicked the post or goalies made terrific saves on. That has affected his confidence, as Green hasn’t been himself during the 2013-2014 season, though he has been better as of late. If Mike Green can revive his career just like Ovechkin did in the shortened 2013 season, 2014 should be a very good year for the Washington Capitals.
Advance In The Playoffs
Some people might be mad that I didn’t say “Win the Stanley Cup”. Sure, I’d love for the Washington Capitals to win the Stanley Cup. I’d also love for Kate Upton to be my girlfriend, but I’m not getting my hopes up. A wise man once said, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. For the Washington Capitals, that single step is winning a playoff series.
I hope that all the wonderful readers of BSR had a joyful holiday season, and that each and every one of you has a Happy New Year. I’m excited to see what the Washington Capitals do in 2014. Let’s hope 2014 is an even better year for the Capitals than 2013!
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons
