Around the NHL in 30 Days: Washington Capitals

Every year, the Washington Capitals are touted as a Stanley Cup contender, and every year they disappoint. Again, in 2011-12, the Caps are being picked by many to win the Cup. Is this the year?

Taylor Lewis of Capitals Outsider has this to say about Washington’s chances, including calling the defending champion Bruins “bullies”:

"If the Caps are going to get past the Bruins (and apparently the Flyers), they’re going to have to find some nastiness somewhere. Even with Ryan Kesler, Kevin Bieksa, Raffi Torres, and maybe Maxim Lapierre, the Vancouver Canucks didn’t have enough physicality to survive a Game 7 on their own ice.The Bruins are bullies, are fully intact, and have shown themselves to be the team to beat. Once you get past the skaters, there’s still Tim Thomas. And we all know what happened the last time the Caps encountered a hot goalie."

Read the rest of the preview at Capitals Outsider.