2 of 6

The Defense

The Defense
Jim Cowsert-USA TODAY Sports

What was looking like Swiss cheese at the beginning of the season is now performing as solidly as a Swiss Army knife. They’ve shored up enough to get the puck where it should be: on their forwards’ sticks. Additionally, D-man John Carlson has scored a goal in two straight games.

3 of 6

The Third Line

The Third Line
Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Jason Chimera, Mikhail Grabovski and Joel Ward have 35 points among them. The two burly wingers and their skillful center are a big reason as to why the Caps are suddenly heading upwards.

4 of 6

The Penalty Kill

The Penalty Kill
Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The Caps lead the NHL on the penalty kill at 91.5 percent. Why? They seem to know exactly how their opposition operates on the power play and disrupt it accordingly. I call that good coaching.

5 of 6

The Power Play

The Power Play
Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Enough has been said, and said again, about the Caps’ No. 1 man-advantage unit. However, I’ll add two more words into the commentary as to why it does so well: Adam Oates.

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Goals!

Goals!
Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Call me old fashioned, but I believe that scoring lots of goals will win you a hockey game. The Caps have been throwing them in from every source as of late. Washington has averaged five per game over their last three outings. Alexander Urbom’s bomb against the Islanders was a treat for sore eyes.

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