Divisional struggles holding Capitals back from dominance

The Washington Capitals are 20-9-5 through 34 games, sitting comfortably in a wild-card position with 45 points.

Sounds good, right? Sure, but the results could be better.

One season after capturing the Presidents' Trophy, the Capitals haven't consistently looked like the Eastern Conference force they were a year ago.

Why, you ask? The Metropolitan Division.

Playing against Metro opponents, the Captials own a record of 4-5-4, creating a strange disparity between that and their record versus everybody else: 16-4-1.

Much has been made of the Metro's depth this season, but it sent five teams to the playoffs last season as well, and the Capitals won the crown with a 16-point cushion, going 20-5-5 against divisional opponents.

The Capitals are stumbling their way into the New Year, dropping four of their last five - three of those losses to different teams behind them in the Metro standings.

In order for Washington to get back to the point they reached last season - and beyond - they'll need to rectify the problem, as inter-divisional points become even more crucial down the stretch, and a playoff meeting with a Metropolitan opponent is more than likely.