Early on, the Washington Capitals and Edmonton Oilers are both looking like Stanley Cup contenders.
The Washington Capitals and Edmonton Oilers have had their fair share of good and bad seasons. Lately, the Capitals have had their first Stanley Cup win in franchise history. Meanwhile, the Oilers have been a team struggling to make the playoffs each year.
Here are five reasons to believe in both of these teams for the 2019-2020 season.
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5. Talented Players
The Capitals and Oilers have had and acquired outstanding players to join their franchise over the years. Let’s start out with the Capitals. Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and Evgeny Kuznetsov are all extremely talented players who are also some of the league’s best.
This kind of firepower on the offense has allowed the Capitals to be very successful and has also contributed to their first Stanley Cup success. The Oilers have Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. This offense has been superb in putting up major numbers for the Oilers.
Not only is the offense stout in Washington, but their defense also provides incredible effort. John Carlson and Dmitry Orlov lead an extraordinary defense which has allowed the team to be very dynamic both offensively and defensively.
Meanwhile, the Oilers have struggled on defense, but still have talented players to show for. Adam Larsson and Darnell Nurse are both very talented defensemen in the NHL. They were not only drafted extremely high in their class, but they have also been able to showcase their talent and put up a lot of points for the team.
The Capitals have accomplished a lot throughout franchise history. Although they have only been able to hoist one Stanley Cup, the amount of talent they have acquired over the years and maintained is incredible. They certainly will be this year and many years to come, a very challenging and fun team to play against and watch.
On the other hand, the Oilers have had their struggles over many years. They have only periodically made the playoffs, but do not seem to go far in the playoffs once they make it. However, they have some very talented players that are arguably some of the best. It will be no surprise if the Oilers come out with huge success this season; they will certainly be a team to look out for.