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15 reasons the Caps can win it all in 2015

Noah Frank | nfrank@wtop.com

April 14, 2015, 2:19 AM

Alex Ovechkin Alex Ovechkin needs no introduction. Since coming into the league, he’s scored 475 goals, 136 more than the next-closest player. He led the league in scoring for the third straight years with 53 goals, including a league-leading 11 game-winning tallies. He is the most prolific scorer of his generation and is the engine that drives this team. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
AP Photo/Nick Wass
No, really, Alex Ovechkin Seriously, look at this graphic. There are outliers, and then there’s what Ovechkin has done in his career. (Twitter: @SkylerJGilbert) (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Nicklas Backstrom When there’s a leading man like Ovechkin, often times the sidekick takes a back seat. But it’s worth noting the achievements of Backstrom, who led the league with 60 assists and finished sixth with 78 points. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Holtby’s ability to get hot A dialed-in goalie can win a team the Cup. Braden Holtby has shown that he can get hot for extended stretches, such as the nine game span from Dec. 4 to Jan. 14 in which the Caps went 14-1-4. Holtby gave up one goal or fewer in nine of those games. He also finished strong, going 9-2-1 in his final 12 full contests, with a pair of shutouts. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Holtby’s experience as the primary goaltender Holtby is already used to being the everyday goalie. He leads the league in minutes played and saves. He’s tied for second most wins in NHL (41) and shutouts (9). His 2.22 goals-against average ranks fifth, among the upper echelon of netminders. That should serve him well in the playoffs, where the top goalie is relied upon to carry the load. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
AP Photo/Matt Slocum
The top power play Washington owns the best power play in the league, converting 25.3 percent of their man-advantage situations into goals. While the game is generally called a little looser in the playoffs, their ability to convert in those situations bodes well for taking advantage of opportunities. (AP Photo/Haraz Ghanbari)
AP Photo/Haraz Ghanbari
Winning when scoring first When the Caps score first, they win 86.0 percent of the time, the top mark in the NHL. Their ability to get out early and dictate tempo is much improved over last year, when they ranked 20th (. 667). (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
AP Photo/Paul Sancya
Defensive depth One of the reasons Holtby has gotten better has been his support on the blue line. After allowing 33.5 shots per game last season (27th in NHL), Washington has tightened that number down to 28.9, a 14 percent decrease and the 11th-best mark in the league. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
AP Photo/Paul Sancya
Playing “heavy hockey” Coach Trotz’s term is perhaps best exemplified by Brooks Orpik, who leads all defensemen and ranks third overall in the NHL with 306 hits. He’s also blocked 192 shots, the fourth most in the league but only the second most on the Caps, trailing John Carlson (200). Those are the often-overlooked effort plays that help dictate tempo and keep offenses off balance. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
AP Photo/LM Otero
Rookie help Evgeny Kuztnetsov (37) and Andre Burakovsky (22) both rated among the top 20 among NHL rookies in points and combined for a +22 rating for the season. But it’s been Kuznetsov who has really shined down the stretch — so much so that he’s being used on the top line, as Trotz looks to strengthen lines two and three. He’s scored 13 points in his final 17 games and will be leaned on to produce in the postseason. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
AP Photo/Nick Wass
Barry Trotz’s experience As Dan Steinberg noted earlier this week, nine of the previous 10 coaches in the Stanley Cup Finals had at least 35 games of postseason experience entering that campaign. Trotz has 50. The team has a combined 736 games, compared to just 331 for their first-round opponent, the New York Islanders. Experience isn’t the only thing that matters, but it can’t hurt. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Top seeds don’t win There has not been a top-two seed from the Eastern Conference in the Stanley Cup Finals since the 2007-08 Pittsburgh Penguins, and there hasn’t been a top seed since the 2003-04 Tampa Bay Lightning. In fact, five of the last six have been four seeds or lower. 2014: Metro 2 New York Rangers — 5 seed overall 2013: 4-seed Boston 2012: 6-seed New Jersey 2011: 3-seed Boston 2010: 7-seed Philadelphia 2009: 4-seed Pittsburgh 2008: 2-seed Pittsburgh 2007: 4-seed Ottawa 2006: 2-seed Carolina (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
AP Photo/Gregory Bull
Health Knock on wood, as this can always change quickly, but the Caps enter the postseason about as healthy as they could  hope. While right wingers Eric Fehr, Jay Beagle and Tom Wilson have all been banged up recently, each looks to be ready come Wednesday. Compare that to the banged-up Islanders, and Washington’s situation looks even better. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
AP Photo/Paul Sancya
Getting away with going low Over the past two seasons, the Caps won only once when scoring two or fewer goals. This year, they had seven such wins. While you never want to put that much pressure on your goalie to be nearly perfect, knowing that you can still win a defensive struggle has to be confidence-boosting. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
AP Photo/Nick Wass
The matchups While the Rangers are very good, if Pittsburgh can spring the upset, Washington is 4-1 against the Penguins this year. They won the season series against three of the four remaining Eastern Conference playoff teams. They played three games against Montreal, none of which could be decided in regulation. They can hang with anyone. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
AP Photo/Nick Wass
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WASHINGTON — The Washington Capitals have run the gamut of postseason expectation over the last decade. From their 121-point, Presidents’ Trophy-winning season in 2009-10 to their 92-point 2011-12 campaign, no matter what the hype has been coming in, they haven’t advanced past the conference semifinals. And they might not again.

But as they open the Stanley Cup Playoffs Wednesday against the New York Islanders at Verizon Center, there’s reason to believe this team has the right components to make a deep run.

Some are obvious to all; some are more obscure, strengths that fly under the radar. Click through the gallery to see each one.

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