The Capitals acquisition of defenseman Tom Gilbert is a classic depth move by an elite team preparing themselves for the playoff grind.
The fact that the Washington Capitals made a minor move Wednesday is proof they’re priming themselves for a long playoff run. It might not seem like much that they acquired defenseman Tom Gilbert from the Los Angeles Kings for a fifth-round pick, particularly since Gilbert will start his tenure in the Capitals organization in the minors.
But this is a classic depth move that elite teams make, one that has the potential to pay dividends in the playoffs. It’s basically an insurance policy against injury, giving the Capitals a useful defenseman they can put in their rotation if they’re hit with any injuries before or during the playoffs.
The Capitals, like a bunch of other teams, are currently on their NHL-mandated bye week and don’t return to action until Saturday. While they kick up their heels, they can do so knowing they’re firmly entrenched atop THN.com’s Power Rankings once again. (Last week’s rankings in parentheses.):
THE CREAM OF THE CROP
1. Washington Capitals (1)
2. New York Rangers (5)
3. Chicago Blackhawks (6)
4. Minnesota Wild (2)
5. Pittsburgh Penguins (3)
6. St. Louis Blues (10)
7. Boston Bruins (25)
8. San Jose Sharks (4)
9. Anaheim Ducks (14)
10. Edmonton Oilers (11)
With their 6-4 win over Anaheim on the weekend, the Capitals became the second team in NHL history to score five or more goals in 11 straight home games…With his 400th win, Henrik Lundqvist is one behind Chris Osgood for 11th on the all-time list. He’ll be in the top 10 by the end of the season…By the time the Blackhawks host Edmonton Friday night, the will have gone 23 days between games at the United Center…The Wild’s next victory will give them 38 on the season, which would equal their total of 2015-16…Sidney Crosby’s next point will be the 1,000th of his career…Paul Stastny, who left a game last Thursday with a lower-body injury, was put on the injured list and will be out at least two more games…The Bruins are 3-0-0 under new coach Bruce Cassidy and have scored 14 goals, more than any other three-game stretch under Claude Julien this season…With Tomas Hertl moving back to center, the Sharks have Joe Thornton, Logan Couture, Hertl and Chris Tierney down the middle. That’s good…Antoine Vermette could be in a world of trouble for slashing a linesman in the Ducks’ 1-0 win over Minnesota Tuesday night…Oilers’ GM Peter Chiarelli doesn’t think he’ll be active at the deadline and is not looking at a rental. “I don’t think we’re quite ready to contend for the Cup,” he said.
THE MUSHY MIDDLE
11. Columbus Blue Jackets (7)
12. Florida Panthers (9)
13. Toronto Maple Leafs (15)
14. Nashville Predators (13)
15. New Jersey Devils (12)
16. New York Islanders (8)
17. Philadelphia Flyers (21)
18. Los Angeles Kings (24)
19. Montreal Canadiens (16)
20. Ottawa Senators (20)
Remember the team that put together a 16-game winning streak? Well, the Blue Jackets have won two in a row only once since then, a span of 19 games…The Panthers are in the midst of a stretch of nine straight against Western Conference competition, with five of those games on the road…The Leafs adopted a new dressing room slogan, “Play Right. Play Fast” then went out and beat the Islanders 7-1 Tuesday night…The Predators are nothing if not confounding. They overcame a three-goal deficit to Dallas in a 5-3 win Sunday before their bye week, which should be a sign they’ve turned the corner, right? Well, the last time they overcame a three-goal deficit, they went out and lost eight of their next 12 games… Stefan Noesen joined the Devils Jan. 25 and was immediately placed on the third line with Pavel Zacha and Jacob Josefson. In the seven games since then, Zacha has three goals and six points, Josefson a goal and five points and Noesen two goals and three points…With a chance to take over a playoff spot, the Islanders did a face plant with a 7-1 loss against Toronto Tuesday night that coach Doug Weight called, “an ass kicking.”…The Flyers play eight of their next 11 on the road, where they’re 10-13-3 this season. They kick it off with a three-game trip through western Canada, where they’re 0-2-4 the past two seasons…The Kings salvaged a pre-bye week road trip with a 6-3 win in Florida Sunday. Prior to that, they had gone three-plus games without scoring a goal in regulation time…Prior to firing Michel Therrien, the Canadiens had not scored a 5-on-5 goal in seven games where either Max Pacioretty or Alexander Radulov was not involved…Curtis Lazar sat out his fourth straight game as a healthy scratch Tuesday night amid speculation that he could be dealt before the trade deadline.
VYING FOR THE PARTICIPATION BADGE
21. Tampa Bay Lightning (19)
22. Buffalo Sabres (23)
23. Arizona Coyotes (27)
24. Calgary Flames (17)
25. Winnipeg Jets (28)
26. Vancouver Canucks (30)
27. Carolina Hurricanes (18)
28. Dallas Stars (29)
29. Detroit Red Wings (26)
30. Colorado Avalanche (22)
The Lightning have won three of their last four, something they haven’t done in almost two months…The Sabres’ 3-2 win over Ottawa Tuesday night marked the seventh time they’ve won a game when trailing after two periods. That’s tied for best in the NHL with Montreal and Pittsburgh…Despite a 5-2 loss to Edmonton Tuesday night, the Coyotes are 6-3-1 in their past 10, the best 10-game stretch they’ve had all season…Johnny Gaudreau was briefly demoted to the fourth line after a turnover that led to a goal in a 5-0 loss to Arizona Monday night...Jets coach Paul Maurice had this to say about Patrik Laine after the rookie notched his third (third!) hat trick of the season in a 5-2 win over Dallas Tuesday night: “If he didn’t score the three goals, I could have still come out and said that was his best game of the season.”…With both Bo Horvat and Brandon Sutter out day-to-day with minor injuries, the Canucks had major pieces out of their lineup in a 4-0 loss to Pittsburgh Tuesday night…If the Hurricanes fail to make the playoffs, they can point to what will almost certainly be a dismal road record. They’re 7-16-6 on the road, worst in the Eastern Conference…Jamie Benn is heating up even as the Stars stumble around. He has eight goals and 15 points in his past 11 games…Thomas Vanek has been dealt at the deadline before and knows the drill. “Wait and see, wait for a phone call and I guess for someone to let me know if I’m staying or going,” he said...After more than 300 games and almost seven seasons in the minors, Jeremy Smith made his NHL debut in Colorado’s 3-2 loss to New Jersey Tuesday night. “He was our best player by a country mile,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said after the game.
